🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 422, 2023 - December 1, 2024 🎗️
🎗️Day 422 that 101 of our hostages in Hamas captivity
**There is nothing more important than getting them home! NOTHING!**
“I’ve never met them,But I miss them. I’ve never met them,but I think of them every second. I’ve never met them,but they are my family. BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!”
We’re waiting for you, all of you.
A deal is the only way to bring
all the hostages home- the murdered for burial and the living for rehabilitation.
#BringThemHomeNow #TurnTheHorrorIntoHope
A deal is the only way to bring
all the hostages home- the murdered for burial and the living for rehabilitation.
#BringThemHomeNow #TurnTheHorrorIntoHope
There is no victory until all of the hostages are home!אין נצחון עד שכל החטופים בבית
Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements
*6:25am - center - Missile launched from Yemen - missile shot down - no injuries reported so far- The IDF says a ballistic missile launched at Israel from Yemen was successfully intercepted by air defenses outside of Israel’s borders.
Sirens sounded in central Israel amid the incident.
Shrapnel from the interception reportedly fell within Israel. There are no immediate reports of injuries.
An IDF soldier was killed during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip yesterday, the military announces.
The slain soldier is named as Staff Sgt. Zamir Burke, 20, a heavy equipment squad commander in the 601st Combat Engineering Battalion, from Beit Shemesh.
Another soldier was seriously wounded in the same incident, the IDF says.
In another incident, the military says a soldier with the 401st Armored Brigade’s 46th Battalion was seriously wounded during fighting in southern Gaza.
Hostage Updates
Sign of Life and Psychological Terror: Hamas Releases Video of Captive Idan Alexander
Hamas has released a video featuring Idan Alexander, an American citizen who came to Israel as a lone soldier and joined the Golani Brigade. In the video, Idan states that he has been held captive for over 420 days. A few months ago, his family shared that they had received some signs of life from him.
This evening (Saturday), Hamas published the video, described as psychological terror, showing Idan Alexander as a sign of life. Idan mentions his prolonged captivity, but at this stage, his family has not yet confirmed the video's release or its content.
- The Israeli politicians and media relate to the release of the video of Israeli-American hostage Idan Alexander as nothing more than psychological warfare. There is no doubt that it is aimed at putting pressure on Israel to make a deal with Hamas that will end the war and lead to a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. I look at it from the perspective of the families of the hostages. This is clear evidence that Idan was alive at the time of its filming, and that is very reassuring this his family and to the families of the other hostages. We simply do not know what is the condition of the hostages after 14 months in captivity. We don't know who is alive and who is not. According to Hamas, and I believe them on this, they do not know for sure where all of the hostages are located, who is holding them, who is alive and who is not, and what is their condition. Seeing Idan in the video is a relief for his family and for many others. I share in the relief of his family and if it puts pressure on Israel to make a deal - then I personally hope that Hamas releases a video everyday of other hostages. (Gershon Baskin, November 30, 202)
- White House: Biden administration has been in touch with Edan Alexander’s family after hostage video
The White House says that the propaganda video released today of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander “is a cruel reminder of Hamas’s terror against citizens of multiple countries, including our own.”
National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett says the Biden administration has been in touch with Alexander’s family amid the release of the clip in which the 20-year-old can be heard pleading to the leaders of Israel along with the incoming and outgoing leadership of the US to act to secure a deal for his release.
“The war in Gaza would stop tomorrow and the suffering of Gazans would end immediately — and would have ended months ago — if Hamas agreed to release the hostages. It has refused to do so, but as the President said last week, we have a critical opportunity to conclude the deal to release the hostages, stop the war, and surge humanitarian assistance into Gaza,” Savett says in a statement.
“This deal is on the table now. President Biden and the United States will continue to work around the clock to secure the release of our citizens including through diplomatic efforts and by increasing pressure on Hamas terrorists through sanctions, law enforcement actions and other measures,” he adds.
“On behalf of the Alexanders and all the families of the hostages still being held by Hamas, we will never cease in our efforts to secure their immediate release,” Savett says. link Once again and sadly, the White House and President Biden do more for the hostages and are better communication with the families than our own prime minister and his whole stinking government. Disgraceful. They are the ones directly responsible for the fact that there are hostages in Gaza and they disregard and besmirch the families and try to paint them as the enemy. How much longer can this go on?
The parents of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander call on US President-elect Donald Trump to work with President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure a hostage deal after Hamas publishes a video showing signs of life of their son.
“While this video confirms our son, Edan, is alive, it also stands as a haunting reminder that 101 innocent people remain in the clutches of Hamas,” say Yael and Adi Alexander say in a joint statement. “Every passing hour dims the prospect of their survival.”
“President-elect Trump must not wait until he is inaugurated to help reach a deal that secures the freedom for Edan, six other Americans, and the rest of the hostages. Their liberation depends on swift, decisive action. Bring them home now, before it’s too late,” they add.
Edan Alexander’s mother says PM told her ‘conditions are ripe to free all the hostages’
Yael Alexander, mother of Hamas-held hostage Edan, speaks in Hostages Square hours after Hamas published a propaganda video showing her son.
She says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised her in a phone call an hour ago that “the conditions are ripe” to bring all the hostages home.
“This is not a Hollywood movie,” says Yael Alexander after the video plays. “This is the bad movie we have been living for 421 days since October 7.”
After 421 days “when I hadn’t heard my Edan,” she says, “the film we received this afternoon shook me and my family. Along with the hope it gives, it also shows how hard are the conditions of Edan and the other hostages. And how they are shouting and pleading that we save them. Now.”
Yael says her son “speaks for all the living hostages who cannot make their voices heard. And this voice must echo, and shake up everybody.”
“My beloved Edan,” she says, addressing him directly, “I want to tell you that after your plea, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called me an hour ago, gave me strength, and promised me that now, after there is an arrangement in Lebanon, the conditions are ripe to free you all and bring you all back home.”
Many in the audience jeer at the premier’s name, but are motioned to stop.
She adds: “Edan, that is also the will of the people. The people are with you and understand that [the return of you all] is total victory.”
Yael Alexander then urges Netanyahu, “in my name and that of my family and of all of Israel, … to stand by your promise to me. Because all eyes are now on you, hoping that you will make the courageous decision. And especially be strong in the face of those in your government who oppose a deal, because most of the people support you,” she says, in an apparent reference to far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
“Be strong,” she urges Netanyahu, “like my Edan who has survived there for so long. Be strong.”
Varda Ben Baruch, the hostage’s grandmother, who is observant, says she didn’t hear about the video of her grandson until after the Sabbath ended at sundown.
Paraphrasing Havdala, the prayer recited at the Sabbath’s end, she pleads for her grandson’s safety.
She also addresses Netanyahu: “Be brave. Be strong. Don’t be afraid to do anything that will bring home all the hostages and our Edan.”
She leads the crowd in a chant: “A deal — now!”
Released captive Emily Hand, father address rally marking hostage deal anniversary
Some 2,000 people attend the Hostages Families Forum central weekly rally at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, marking a year since the hostage deal last November, which negotiators have failed to replicate despite intensive efforts.
The rally features speeches from several people freed in last November’s deal, as well as Thomas Hand, father of 9-year-old Emily, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri and released on the second day of the week-long deal deal.
Hand, who is Irish, speaks in English.
“I am extremely lucky to have got my little Emily back in one piece,” he says to applause. “I cannot imagine how terrified she must have been.”
“When being taken from Be’eri, Emily saw dead people — people she knew and recognized, lying on the road,” he continues. “It was so bad she thought that everyone she knew — including me — were killed or being killed.”
Hand says his daughter told him the water she was given in captivity was putrid; that the hostages were forced to use the bathroom with the door open while a male terrorist watched them; and that “they were told to repeat words in Arabic, and at the end, they were told: ‘you’re Muslim now.'”
He urges Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a hostage deal.
“Make a deal, Bibi,” he says, using the premier’s nickname. “You have had more than enough time to get the job done.”
His speech is followed by brief comments in Hebrew by Emily herself.
“I know what it’s like to be there so I don’t want to imagine what it’s like for those who are there now,” she says.
The captivity survivor says she was held along with slain hostage Itai Svirsky and with Noa Argamani, who was rescued in June by security forces.
“Noa came back, but Itai won’t,” she says. “We have to bring the hostages back before it’s too late.” In English, she shouts: “Bring them home now!”
A block away, hundreds of anti-government activists protest in front of the Begin Street entrance to the IDF Headquarters.
At the entrance to the rally, a group urging “nonviolent civilian rebellion” holds an informational session about disobedience tactics and advice on what to do in case of arrest.
A seasoned activist, surrounded by some two dozen neophytes, advises against relying on their right to remain silent if they are detained: “If you use your right to remain silent, your condition in court ends up being worse,” he says.
The “civil rebellion” group is set to march to Dizengoff Square in central Tel Aviv, alongside several prominent anti-government activists, including Labor MKs Gilad Kariv, Efrat Rayten and Naama Lazimi, Democrats chairman Yair Golan, and Noam Dan, cousin of hostage Ofer Kalderon. link
In hostage deal ultimatum, Ben Gvir says he opposes terms under discussion and PM ‘very much’ doesn’t want him to bolt coalition
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir issues an ultimatum over the renewed push for a hostage-ceasefire deal, warning that the terms under discussion are not acceptable to him and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “very much” does not want him to bolt the government.
“The terms that are currently being discussed are irrelevant as far as I am concerned, and the prime minister very much does not want Otzma Yehudit to leave the government,” Ben Gvir tells Army Radio.
Ben Gvir has long been a vocal opponent of a deal to bring the hostages home.
Hamas representatives arrived in Cairo yesterday for talks with Egyptian negotiators on a potential hostage-ceasefire deal in Gaza.
The New York Times reported last week that Hamas had been showing increased flexibility in long-stalled talks for a deal. link How clear does it have to be that Netanyahu sacrifices the lives of the hostages in order to stay prime minister? He has actively killed every attempt at reaching a hostage deal in order to stay in power. He enables the criminal Ben Gvir to hold the entire country hostage and to take over the police and turn them into his personal militia. Together with Smotrich, they are destroying the country, preventing the return of the hostages, allowing more and more soldiers getting killed, and preventing the end of the war.
Hostage Updates
Sign of Life and Psychological Terror: Hamas Releases Video of Captive Idan Alexander
Hamas has released a video featuring Idan Alexander, an American citizen who came to Israel as a lone soldier and joined the Golani Brigade. In the video, Idan states that he has been held captive for over 420 days. A few months ago, his family shared that they had received some signs of life from him.
This evening (Saturday), Hamas published the video, described as psychological terror, showing Idan Alexander as a sign of life. Idan mentions his prolonged captivity, but at this stage, his family has not yet confirmed the video's release or its content.
- The Israeli politicians and media relate to the release of the video of Israeli-American hostage Idan Alexander as nothing more than psychological warfare. There is no doubt that it is aimed at putting pressure on Israel to make a deal with Hamas that will end the war and lead to a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. I look at it from the perspective of the families of the hostages. This is clear evidence that Idan was alive at the time of its filming, and that is very reassuring this his family and to the families of the other hostages. We simply do not know what is the condition of the hostages after 14 months in captivity. We don't know who is alive and who is not. According to Hamas, and I believe them on this, they do not know for sure where all of the hostages are located, who is holding them, who is alive and who is not, and what is their condition. Seeing Idan in the video is a relief for his family and for many others. I share in the relief of his family and if it puts pressure on Israel to make a deal - then I personally hope that Hamas releases a video everyday of other hostages. (Gershon Baskin, November 30, 202)
- White House: Biden administration has been in touch with Edan Alexander’s family after hostage video
The White House says that the propaganda video released today of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander “is a cruel reminder of Hamas’s terror against citizens of multiple countries, including our own.”
National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett says the Biden administration has been in touch with Alexander’s family amid the release of the clip in which the 20-year-old can be heard pleading to the leaders of Israel along with the incoming and outgoing leadership of the US to act to secure a deal for his release.
“The war in Gaza would stop tomorrow and the suffering of Gazans would end immediately — and would have ended months ago — if Hamas agreed to release the hostages. It has refused to do so, but as the President said last week, we have a critical opportunity to conclude the deal to release the hostages, stop the war, and surge humanitarian assistance into Gaza,” Savett says in a statement.
“This deal is on the table now. President Biden and the United States will continue to work around the clock to secure the release of our citizens including through diplomatic efforts and by increasing pressure on Hamas terrorists through sanctions, law enforcement actions and other measures,” he adds.
“On behalf of the Alexanders and all the families of the hostages still being held by Hamas, we will never cease in our efforts to secure their immediate release,” Savett says. link Once again and sadly, the White House and President Biden do more for the hostages and are better communication with the families than our own prime minister and his whole stinking government. Disgraceful. They are the ones directly responsible for the fact that there are hostages in Gaza and they disregard and besmirch the families and try to paint them as the enemy. How much longer can this go on?
The parents of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander call on US President-elect Donald Trump to work with President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure a hostage deal after Hamas publishes a video showing signs of life of their son.
“While this video confirms our son, Edan, is alive, it also stands as a haunting reminder that 101 innocent people remain in the clutches of Hamas,” say Yael and Adi Alexander say in a joint statement. “Every passing hour dims the prospect of their survival.”
“President-elect Trump must not wait until he is inaugurated to help reach a deal that secures the freedom for Edan, six other Americans, and the rest of the hostages. Their liberation depends on swift, decisive action. Bring them home now, before it’s too late,” they add.
Edan Alexander’s mother says PM told her ‘conditions are ripe to free all the hostages’
Yael Alexander, mother of Hamas-held hostage Edan, speaks in Hostages Square hours after Hamas published a propaganda video showing her son.
She says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised her in a phone call an hour ago that “the conditions are ripe” to bring all the hostages home.
“This is not a Hollywood movie,” says Yael Alexander after the video plays. “This is the bad movie we have been living for 421 days since October 7.”
After 421 days “when I hadn’t heard my Edan,” she says, “the film we received this afternoon shook me and my family. Along with the hope it gives, it also shows how hard are the conditions of Edan and the other hostages. And how they are shouting and pleading that we save them. Now.”
Yael says her son “speaks for all the living hostages who cannot make their voices heard. And this voice must echo, and shake up everybody.”
“My beloved Edan,” she says, addressing him directly, “I want to tell you that after your plea, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called me an hour ago, gave me strength, and promised me that now, after there is an arrangement in Lebanon, the conditions are ripe to free you all and bring you all back home.”
Many in the audience jeer at the premier’s name, but are motioned to stop.
She adds: “Edan, that is also the will of the people. The people are with you and understand that [the return of you all] is total victory.”
Yael Alexander then urges Netanyahu, “in my name and that of my family and of all of Israel, … to stand by your promise to me. Because all eyes are now on you, hoping that you will make the courageous decision. And especially be strong in the face of those in your government who oppose a deal, because most of the people support you,” she says, in an apparent reference to far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
“Be strong,” she urges Netanyahu, “like my Edan who has survived there for so long. Be strong.”
Varda Ben Baruch, the hostage’s grandmother, who is observant, says she didn’t hear about the video of her grandson until after the Sabbath ended at sundown.
Paraphrasing Havdala, the prayer recited at the Sabbath’s end, she pleads for her grandson’s safety.
She also addresses Netanyahu: “Be brave. Be strong. Don’t be afraid to do anything that will bring home all the hostages and our Edan.”
She leads the crowd in a chant: “A deal — now!”
Released captive Emily Hand, father address rally marking hostage deal anniversary
Some 2,000 people attend the Hostages Families Forum central weekly rally at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, marking a year since the hostage deal last November, which negotiators have failed to replicate despite intensive efforts.
The rally features speeches from several people freed in last November’s deal, as well as Thomas Hand, father of 9-year-old Emily, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri and released on the second day of the week-long deal deal.
Hand, who is Irish, speaks in English.
“I am extremely lucky to have got my little Emily back in one piece,” he says to applause. “I cannot imagine how terrified she must have been.”
“When being taken from Be’eri, Emily saw dead people — people she knew and recognized, lying on the road,” he continues. “It was so bad she thought that everyone she knew — including me — were killed or being killed.”
Hand says his daughter told him the water she was given in captivity was putrid; that the hostages were forced to use the bathroom with the door open while a male terrorist watched them; and that “they were told to repeat words in Arabic, and at the end, they were told: ‘you’re Muslim now.'”
He urges Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a hostage deal.
“Make a deal, Bibi,” he says, using the premier’s nickname. “You have had more than enough time to get the job done.”
His speech is followed by brief comments in Hebrew by Emily herself.
“I know what it’s like to be there so I don’t want to imagine what it’s like for those who are there now,” she says.
The captivity survivor says she was held along with slain hostage Itai Svirsky and with Noa Argamani, who was rescued in June by security forces.
“Noa came back, but Itai won’t,” she says. “We have to bring the hostages back before it’s too late.” In English, she shouts: “Bring them home now!”
A block away, hundreds of anti-government activists protest in front of the Begin Street entrance to the IDF Headquarters.
At the entrance to the rally, a group urging “nonviolent civilian rebellion” holds an informational session about disobedience tactics and advice on what to do in case of arrest.
A seasoned activist, surrounded by some two dozen neophytes, advises against relying on their right to remain silent if they are detained: “If you use your right to remain silent, your condition in court ends up being worse,” he says.
The “civil rebellion” group is set to march to Dizengoff Square in central Tel Aviv, alongside several prominent anti-government activists, including Labor MKs Gilad Kariv, Efrat Rayten and Naama Lazimi, Democrats chairman Yair Golan, and Noam Dan, cousin of hostage Ofer Kalderon. link
In hostage deal ultimatum, Ben Gvir says he opposes terms under discussion and PM ‘very much’ doesn’t want him to bolt coalition
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir issues an ultimatum over the renewed push for a hostage-ceasefire deal, warning that the terms under discussion are not acceptable to him and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “very much” does not want him to bolt the government.
“The terms that are currently being discussed are irrelevant as far as I am concerned, and the prime minister very much does not want Otzma Yehudit to leave the government,” Ben Gvir tells Army Radio.
Ben Gvir has long been a vocal opponent of a deal to bring the hostages home.
Hamas representatives arrived in Cairo yesterday for talks with Egyptian negotiators on a potential hostage-ceasefire deal in Gaza.
The New York Times reported last week that Hamas had been showing increased flexibility in long-stalled talks for a deal. link How clear does it have to be that Netanyahu sacrifices the lives of the hostages in order to stay prime minister? He has actively killed every attempt at reaching a hostage deal in order to stay in power. He enables the criminal Ben Gvir to hold the entire country hostage and to take over the police and turn them into his personal militia. Together with Smotrich, they are destroying the country, preventing the return of the hostages, allowing more and more soldiers getting killed, and preventing the end of the war.
Gaza and the South
- International aid agency Save the Children says a staff member was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza’s Khan Younis earlier today, the second staffer killed in the enclave since the war began in October 2023.
There is no immediate comment from the IDF.
A rocket launching site within the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in the Gaza Strip was struck by the Israeli Air Force earlier today, the military says.
According to the IDF, the site in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah had armed launchers, primed for an attack on southern Israel.
A video released by the IDF shows a rocket flying out of the site following the drone strike.
To mitigate civilian harm, the IDF says it used precision munition, aerial surveillance, and other intelligence.
“The terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip systematically violate international law, cynically exploiting the humanitarian zone and the population as a human shield for terror activity,” the military says in a statement. VIDEO
There is no immediate comment from the IDF.
A rocket launching site within the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in the Gaza Strip was struck by the Israeli Air Force earlier today, the military says.
According to the IDF, the site in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah had armed launchers, primed for an attack on southern Israel.
A video released by the IDF shows a rocket flying out of the site following the drone strike.
To mitigate civilian harm, the IDF says it used precision munition, aerial surveillance, and other intelligence.
“The terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip systematically violate international law, cynically exploiting the humanitarian zone and the population as a human shield for terror activity,” the military says in a statement. VIDEO
The UN agency for Palestinians say it is pausing the delivery of aid through the key Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza because of looting by armed gangs in the Strip.
“We are pausing the delivery of aid through Kerem Shalom… The road out of this crossing has not been safe for months,” UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini says in a post on X.
“On 16 November, a large convoy of aid trucks was stolen by armed gangs. Yesterday, we tried to bring in a few food trucks on the same route. They were all taken,” Lazzarini says.
“This difficult decision comes at a time hunger is rapidly deepening. The delivery of humanitarian aid must never be dangerous or turn into an ordeal,” he writes.
The UN official does not specify who is carrying out the looting.
The Israeli military has said that attacking convoys and stealing aid is an ongoing problem in Gaza. COGAT, the military body in charge of humanitarian aid to Gaza, has said convoys are attacked by Hamas terrorists and known crime families.
The UN agency for Palestinians say it is pausing the delivery of aid through the key Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza because of looting by armed gangs in the Strip.
“We are pausing the delivery of aid through Kerem Shalom… The road out of this crossing has not been safe for months,” UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini says in a post on X.
“On 16 November, a large convoy of aid trucks was stolen by armed gangs. Yesterday, we tried to bring in a few food trucks on the same route. They were all taken,” Lazzarini says.
“This difficult decision comes at a time hunger is rapidly deepening. The delivery of humanitarian aid must never be dangerous or turn into an ordeal,” he writes.
The UN official does not specify who is carrying out the looting.
The Israeli military has said that attacking convoys and stealing aid is an ongoing problem in Gaza. COGAT, the military body in charge of humanitarian aid to Gaza, has said convoys are attacked by Hamas terrorists and known crime families.
Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria
- Rebels’ advances in Syria spell short-term benefits, potential trouble for Israel, intel chiefs said to tell PM
Israel is watching the jihadist rebels’ advances in Syria with considerable wariness, with intelligence chiefs telling the political echelon developments in Syria could ultimately spell trouble for Israel, Channel 12 reports.
Referring to a consultation hurriedly convened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday evening with key figures in the defense establishment, the TV report quotes intelligence officials assessing that “Iranian infrastructure in Syria has been harmed, and much of it has been captured by the rebels.”
Netanyahu was reportedly told that Hezbollah’s attention will now be shifted to Syria, and “so will its forces, in order to defend the Assad regime.”
This, in turn, will bolster the likelihood of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire holding, the prime minister was reportedly told.
As regards Syrian territory itself, where the IDF has been working to prevent the transfer of weaponry to Hezbollah and to thwart direct threats from pro-Iranian forces, Israel’s “freedom of military operation will apparently widen.”
The intelligence chiefs reportedly noted that “the latest developments appear to be positive.” But, they are said to have warned, “the collapse of the Assad regime would likely create chaos in which military threats against Israel would develop.”
Iran sees the four-day-old ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah as a chance to rebuild the Lebanon-based terror organization, according to sources close to the group quoted by the Washington Post.
The sources say that the truce gives Iran a chance to take stock of what was previously its strongest proxy in the region, rebuild, and try to restore deterrence.
The sources quoted by the Washington Post say that Hezbollah was expecting more support from Iran’s other proxies in the region during Israel’s military campaign against its sites across Lebanon in recent months.
“Lebanon was at its most vulnerable during heavy bombings, yet support from other members of the resistance axis, including Yemen and Iraq, was minimal at best,” one of the sources close to Hezbollah is quoted as saying.
Israel dealt several significant blows to Hezbollah during the war, including killing the group’s long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah in September, as well as many other top-ranking officials.
“Iran is prepared to allocate funds for reconstruction and to ensure Hezbollah’s survival, as well as to maintain support within the Shiite community,” the source adds.
Iran welcomed the ceasefire when it came into force on Wednesday, while also indicating that the development could influence its plans to avenge an October Israeli strike on the country.
Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi says he will leave Tehran for Damascus to deliver a message of support for Syria’s government and armed forces, state media said, after a lighting advance by rebels.
“I am going to Damascus to convey the message of the Islamic Republic to the Syrian government,” Araghchi said, emphasizing Tehran will “firmly support the Syrian government and army,” the IRNA state news agency reports.
The Syrian army said yesterday dozens of its soldiers had been killed in a major attack led by Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels who swept into the city of Aleppo.
The rebels’ assault, the boldest for years in a civil war where the front lines had largely been frozen since 2020, forced the army to redeploy in the biggest challenge to President Bashar Assad in years.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, once known as the Nusra Front, is designated a terrorist group by the US, Russia, Turkey and other states.
The leader of the Islamist group that swept into the Syrian city of Aleppo yesterday has been killed in a Russian airstrike, according to unconfirmed Arab media reports.
Earlier today, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air force had carried out strikes on Syrian rebels in support of the country’s army, Russian news agencies reported.
Ahmed Hussein al-Shar’a, known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani (or Golani, indicating he was born in the Golan Heights), is wanted by the United States as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, with a $10 million bounty on his head.
His group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, once known as the Nusra Front, is designated a terrorist group by the US, Russia, Turkey and other states. Syrian President Bashar Assad is a close Moscow ally.
Defense Ministry, IDF sign NIS 1.2 billion deal for over 10,000 bomb shelters in homes near Lebanon border
The Defense Ministry and IDF Home Front Command sign a NIS 1.2 billion deal with the treasury to install over 10,000 bomb shelters in homes near the Lebanon border.
The effort to build bomb shelters in the northern towns — dubbed Shield of the North — began several years ago, though it has seen limited progress.
As part of the agreement, the treasury and Defense Ministry will allocate NIS 875 million to allow residents living in 28 communities at a distance of one to five kilometers from the Lebanon border to independently build a bomb shelter in their homes, with a grant of up to NIS 132,000.
The grants, for at least 10,000 bomb shelters, will begin in April 2025, the Defense Ministry says.
Separately, the ministry says its Engineering and Construction Division has begun work to build 1,700 bomb shelters in homes in 21 communities adjacent to the border, up to one kilometer away.
“In the last few days, the procedure for obtaining the permits and recruiting contractors was completed. The works will start in the near future,” the ministry says.
According to the ministry, hundreds of bomb shelters have been built in homes in recent months, amid the fighting in Lebanon.
The reinforcement plan comes after years of promises to improve the shelters in northern communities, which were regularly found to be lacking, despite the high probability that these areas would be hit by barrages from Hezbollah.
A 2020 state comptroller report found that nearly 30 percent of Israeli citizens do not have access to functioning bomb shelters near their homes, including over a quarter of a million people who live near the borders with the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. link the residents of the north have been begging for this for years, given promises and then no budgets provided. Now, after they have been refugees for 14 months, it's finally going to happen (unless the government pulls the money which is always a possibility)
- Rebels’ advances in Syria spell short-term benefits, potential trouble for Israel, intel chiefs said to tell PM
Israel is watching the jihadist rebels’ advances in Syria with considerable wariness, with intelligence chiefs telling the political echelon developments in Syria could ultimately spell trouble for Israel, Channel 12 reports.
Referring to a consultation hurriedly convened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday evening with key figures in the defense establishment, the TV report quotes intelligence officials assessing that “Iranian infrastructure in Syria has been harmed, and much of it has been captured by the rebels.”
Netanyahu was reportedly told that Hezbollah’s attention will now be shifted to Syria, and “so will its forces, in order to defend the Assad regime.”
This, in turn, will bolster the likelihood of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire holding, the prime minister was reportedly told.
As regards Syrian territory itself, where the IDF has been working to prevent the transfer of weaponry to Hezbollah and to thwart direct threats from pro-Iranian forces, Israel’s “freedom of military operation will apparently widen.”
The intelligence chiefs reportedly noted that “the latest developments appear to be positive.” But, they are said to have warned, “the collapse of the Assad regime would likely create chaos in which military threats against Israel would develop.”
Iran sees the four-day-old ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah as a chance to rebuild the Lebanon-based terror organization, according to sources close to the group quoted by the Washington Post.
The sources say that the truce gives Iran a chance to take stock of what was previously its strongest proxy in the region, rebuild, and try to restore deterrence.
The sources quoted by the Washington Post say that Hezbollah was expecting more support from Iran’s other proxies in the region during Israel’s military campaign against its sites across Lebanon in recent months.
“Lebanon was at its most vulnerable during heavy bombings, yet support from other members of the resistance axis, including Yemen and Iraq, was minimal at best,” one of the sources close to Hezbollah is quoted as saying.
Israel dealt several significant blows to Hezbollah during the war, including killing the group’s long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah in September, as well as many other top-ranking officials.
“Iran is prepared to allocate funds for reconstruction and to ensure Hezbollah’s survival, as well as to maintain support within the Shiite community,” the source adds.
Iran welcomed the ceasefire when it came into force on Wednesday, while also indicating that the development could influence its plans to avenge an October Israeli strike on the country.
Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi says he will leave Tehran for Damascus to deliver a message of support for Syria’s government and armed forces, state media said, after a lighting advance by rebels.
“I am going to Damascus to convey the message of the Islamic Republic to the Syrian government,” Araghchi said, emphasizing Tehran will “firmly support the Syrian government and army,” the IRNA state news agency reports.
The Syrian army said yesterday dozens of its soldiers had been killed in a major attack led by Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels who swept into the city of Aleppo.
The rebels’ assault, the boldest for years in a civil war where the front lines had largely been frozen since 2020, forced the army to redeploy in the biggest challenge to President Bashar Assad in years.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, once known as the Nusra Front, is designated a terrorist group by the US, Russia, Turkey and other states.
The leader of the Islamist group that swept into the Syrian city of Aleppo yesterday has been killed in a Russian airstrike, according to unconfirmed Arab media reports.
Earlier today, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air force had carried out strikes on Syrian rebels in support of the country’s army, Russian news agencies reported.
Ahmed Hussein al-Shar’a, known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani (or Golani, indicating he was born in the Golan Heights), is wanted by the United States as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, with a $10 million bounty on his head.
His group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, once known as the Nusra Front, is designated a terrorist group by the US, Russia, Turkey and other states. Syrian President Bashar Assad is a close Moscow ally.
Defense Ministry, IDF sign NIS 1.2 billion deal for over 10,000 bomb shelters in homes near Lebanon border
The Defense Ministry and IDF Home Front Command sign a NIS 1.2 billion deal with the treasury to install over 10,000 bomb shelters in homes near the Lebanon border.
The effort to build bomb shelters in the northern towns — dubbed Shield of the North — began several years ago, though it has seen limited progress.
As part of the agreement, the treasury and Defense Ministry will allocate NIS 875 million to allow residents living in 28 communities at a distance of one to five kilometers from the Lebanon border to independently build a bomb shelter in their homes, with a grant of up to NIS 132,000.
The grants, for at least 10,000 bomb shelters, will begin in April 2025, the Defense Ministry says.
Separately, the ministry says its Engineering and Construction Division has begun work to build 1,700 bomb shelters in homes in 21 communities adjacent to the border, up to one kilometer away.
“In the last few days, the procedure for obtaining the permits and recruiting contractors was completed. The works will start in the near future,” the ministry says.
According to the ministry, hundreds of bomb shelters have been built in homes in recent months, amid the fighting in Lebanon.
The reinforcement plan comes after years of promises to improve the shelters in northern communities, which were regularly found to be lacking, despite the high probability that these areas would be hit by barrages from Hezbollah.
A 2020 state comptroller report found that nearly 30 percent of Israeli citizens do not have access to functioning bomb shelters near their homes, including over a quarter of a million people who live near the borders with the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. link the residents of the north have been begging for this for years, given promises and then no budgets provided. Now, after they have been refugees for 14 months, it's finally going to happen (unless the government pulls the money which is always a possibility)
West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel
- The IDF says it carried out a drone strike against a group of terror operatives in the West Bank city of Jenin.
Further details will be provided later, the military adds.
Further details will be provided later, the military adds.
Politics and the War (general news)
- Ministers to discuss law barring ‘terror-supporting’ Qatar from mediating with Hamas
Bill, proposed by MKs from Likud and far-right parties, says Doha is ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’; 2nd bill would let defense minister sanction workers in ‘terror-supporting’ groups
The government on Sunday will deliberate proposed legislation that would ban Qatar from mediating between Israel and the Hamas terror group, as well as a bill to sanction workers in “terror-supporting organizations,” according to an itinerary of the Ministerial Committee for Legislation published Thursday.
Qatar, until recently a mediator in talks to end the war in Gaza and release Israeli hostages held by terrorists, has been accused by Israel of failing to apply pressure on Hamas to reach a hostage-ceasefire agreement.
Much of the terror group’s leadership was based in Doha, but departed to Turkey in recent weeks, though Qatar has framed that move as reversible.
The “combating terror-supporting states” bill, if passed, will forbid the government from engaging with any country or other body through the mediation of a “terror-supporting” state.
The prime minister would be empowered to define states as such, if they provide “funding, training, material or other support to terrorist activities” in Israel or against Israelis and Jews worldwide.
A new statutory body would also be established in the National Security Council to oversee the fight against such states and the implementation of the law. The bill was proposed by Likud MKs Moshe Saada and Dan Illouz, Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Kroizer and Religious Zionism MK Michal Woldiger.
The preamble to the draft legislation describes Qatar as the world’s largest sponsor of terror groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic State and the Taliban.
It adds that “for the past twenty years, Qatar has acted as a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing.'”
A confidential April report by US and Israeli intelligence professionals, working on behalf of the families of those victimized in Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, alleged that Qatar, despite its posture as a neutral arbiter, has intentionally supported terrorism for more than a decade, and that “Qatari funding and policies led directly to October 7.”
The report also noted the Qatari-funded media outlet Al Jazeera, whose operations Israel banned earlier this year. The Israeli military says that some half-dozen Al Jazeera journalists are proven terror operatives, and that Hamas worked closely with the network. All the allegations, though presented with documentary evidence, are denied by the network.
The legislation comes after the Gulf state booted Hamas’s senior leadership, reportedly under pressure from the US to do so, but indicated that the terror group’s Doha mission could remain open, and that the decision to banish its officials may be reversed in the future.
Turkey has confirmed that Hamas’s key foreign leaders are now in Ankara, and Israel appears to have begun engaging more intensively with Turkish officials in order to jumpstart hostage negotiations.
It is believed that 97 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF. Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.
While Israel does not have formal diplomatic relations with Qatar, the Gulf state has been a major partner in Israel’s policy regarding the Palestinians for years, including by funding the Hamas government in Gaza.
According to a recent Channel 12 report, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chose to ignore intelligence that Qatar was funding Hamas’s military wing, and dispatched officials to the Gulf state on several occasions to ensure it would keep funding the terror regime. The Prime Minister’s Office called the report “baseless.”
Netanyahu’s senior aides also reportedly conducted a PR blitz in 2022 to paint the Gulf state as a peacemaker, in a bid to solicit Jewish tourism there during that year’s World Cup.
Also Sunday, ministers are expected to consider another bill, proposed by Religious Zionist MK Zvi Sukkot and New Hope Minister Ze’ev Elkin, that would empower the defense minister to impose sanctions on workers in “terror-supporting organizations.”
An organization would be considered “terror-supporting,” according to the bill, if it “transfers funds to a terror operative while he is detained or after he is released, or to members of his family because he is a terror operative,” according to Haaretz.
The sanctions include a ban on entry to Israel, confiscation of property, and a ban on business with Israelis, the newspaper reported. link. This law has a veil of good intentions but it is far from that. The intentions of those who pushed the bill is to extend the law against organizations and individuals they deem to be 'dangerous' such as left wing and human rights organizations and workers. For years, these extremists have labels left wing and human rights organizations as traitors (if they are Israeli Jews) and terrorists if they are anyone else. They have also labeled the Jews as terrorists on many occasions. So, make no mistake, they have every intention of using this laws and others against Israeli citizens who work with and support left wing organizations and causes as well as human rights organizations, especially those who seek to protect Palestinian civilians such as those who are constantly attacked physically by settler extremists.
- Top politician from the Middle East on a quick visit in Stockholm: Wants support for a two-state solution
Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M): "The only way to resolve this conflict in the long term"
Bill, proposed by MKs from Likud and far-right parties, says Doha is ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’; 2nd bill would let defense minister sanction workers in ‘terror-supporting’ groups
The government on Sunday will deliberate proposed legislation that would ban Qatar from mediating between Israel and the Hamas terror group, as well as a bill to sanction workers in “terror-supporting organizations,” according to an itinerary of the Ministerial Committee for Legislation published Thursday.
Qatar, until recently a mediator in talks to end the war in Gaza and release Israeli hostages held by terrorists, has been accused by Israel of failing to apply pressure on Hamas to reach a hostage-ceasefire agreement.
Much of the terror group’s leadership was based in Doha, but departed to Turkey in recent weeks, though Qatar has framed that move as reversible.
The “combating terror-supporting states” bill, if passed, will forbid the government from engaging with any country or other body through the mediation of a “terror-supporting” state.
The prime minister would be empowered to define states as such, if they provide “funding, training, material or other support to terrorist activities” in Israel or against Israelis and Jews worldwide.
A new statutory body would also be established in the National Security Council to oversee the fight against such states and the implementation of the law. The bill was proposed by Likud MKs Moshe Saada and Dan Illouz, Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Kroizer and Religious Zionism MK Michal Woldiger.
The preamble to the draft legislation describes Qatar as the world’s largest sponsor of terror groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic State and the Taliban.
It adds that “for the past twenty years, Qatar has acted as a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing.'”
A confidential April report by US and Israeli intelligence professionals, working on behalf of the families of those victimized in Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, alleged that Qatar, despite its posture as a neutral arbiter, has intentionally supported terrorism for more than a decade, and that “Qatari funding and policies led directly to October 7.”
The report also noted the Qatari-funded media outlet Al Jazeera, whose operations Israel banned earlier this year. The Israeli military says that some half-dozen Al Jazeera journalists are proven terror operatives, and that Hamas worked closely with the network. All the allegations, though presented with documentary evidence, are denied by the network.
The legislation comes after the Gulf state booted Hamas’s senior leadership, reportedly under pressure from the US to do so, but indicated that the terror group’s Doha mission could remain open, and that the decision to banish its officials may be reversed in the future.
Turkey has confirmed that Hamas’s key foreign leaders are now in Ankara, and Israel appears to have begun engaging more intensively with Turkish officials in order to jumpstart hostage negotiations.
It is believed that 97 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF. Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.
While Israel does not have formal diplomatic relations with Qatar, the Gulf state has been a major partner in Israel’s policy regarding the Palestinians for years, including by funding the Hamas government in Gaza.
According to a recent Channel 12 report, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chose to ignore intelligence that Qatar was funding Hamas’s military wing, and dispatched officials to the Gulf state on several occasions to ensure it would keep funding the terror regime. The Prime Minister’s Office called the report “baseless.”
Netanyahu’s senior aides also reportedly conducted a PR blitz in 2022 to paint the Gulf state as a peacemaker, in a bid to solicit Jewish tourism there during that year’s World Cup.
Also Sunday, ministers are expected to consider another bill, proposed by Religious Zionist MK Zvi Sukkot and New Hope Minister Ze’ev Elkin, that would empower the defense minister to impose sanctions on workers in “terror-supporting organizations.”
An organization would be considered “terror-supporting,” according to the bill, if it “transfers funds to a terror operative while he is detained or after he is released, or to members of his family because he is a terror operative,” according to Haaretz.
The sanctions include a ban on entry to Israel, confiscation of property, and a ban on business with Israelis, the newspaper reported. link. This law has a veil of good intentions but it is far from that. The intentions of those who pushed the bill is to extend the law against organizations and individuals they deem to be 'dangerous' such as left wing and human rights organizations and workers. For years, these extremists have labels left wing and human rights organizations as traitors (if they are Israeli Jews) and terrorists if they are anyone else. They have also labeled the Jews as terrorists on many occasions. So, make no mistake, they have every intention of using this laws and others against Israeli citizens who work with and support left wing organizations and causes as well as human rights organizations, especially those who seek to protect Palestinian civilians such as those who are constantly attacked physically by settler extremists.
Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M): "The only way to resolve this conflict in the long term"
Israel's former prime minister and the Palestinians' former foreign minister came on a quick visit to Stockholm today for a meeting with foreign minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M) to discuss a two-state solution.
The two top politicians from the Middle East, Israel's former prime minister Ehud Olmert and the Palestinians' former foreign minister and UN ambassador Nasser al-Quidwa are currently traveling around with a peace proposal that has been supported by, among others, Pope Francis, French President Emmanuel Macron and the EU's foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell.
During Saturday, top politicians visited Stockholm and Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M).
I am grateful that there are forces from both sides with backgrounds in both Israel and Palestine who want to find concrete ways forward towards a two-state solution. Many of us are talking about it as the only way to solve this conflict in the long run. But we also feel a great deal of frustration that we do not see concrete proposals and therefore it was very interesting to take part in their proposals, says Maria Malmer Stenergard
There are constructive forces that really want to move forward, want to find a peaceful solution and want to get a ceasefire as soon as possible. This is so we can work towards a two-state solution and release the hostages but also reduce the suffering in Gaza.
This is what the peace plan looks like
The Middle East politicians' plan for a two-state solution includes, among other things, a demilitarized Palestinian state, an exchange of certain lands, a corridor between the West Bank and Gaza - and an international administration of Jerusalem.
There is great opposition to such a solution from both Israelis and Palestinians, but Maria Malmer Stenergard believes that it is possible to move forward with the proposal.
I think you have to have the attitude that it will work and I am convinced that there are forces that also want to conduct negotiations and reach an agreement where both peoples can live side by side in peace. "Can't get any worse" Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmer believes that it is time to get over the hatred and resentment on both sides. - The situation we are in today, it cannot get worse. It can only get better. The challenge we face is not about forgetting anything and not forgiving anything - but looking ahead with hope, says Ehud Olmer to TV4 Nyheterna.
The Region and the World
- The National Security Council warns that the “terrorist infrastructure” that murdered Rabbi Zvi Kogan in the UAE last week is planning additional attacks on Israelis and Jews in Southeast Asia, especially Thailand.
Thailand is a popular tourist destination for Israelis.
The NSC recommends that Israelis in Southeast Asia avoid going to places identified with Israel and/or Jews; maintain increased vigilance in public places; refrain from displaying Israeli symbols; contact local authorities in case of a threat or violence; avoid posting details of the trip on social media, and lock social media profiles; and avoid sharing details about service in the IDF or other security services online or in conversation.
“Israeli security officials continue to work with all relevant partners in order to remove the threat,” the NSC says.
Personal Stories Taken captive: Eviatar David, IDed in a Hamas photo on Telegram
The 23-year-old from Kfar Saba was at the Supernova rave with friends on October 7Eviatar David, 23, was taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7 from the Supernova desert rave.
As his family woke up to sirens on that Shabbat morning, they texted with David, who wrote that the party was being closed down because “they are bombarding the party,” he wrote.
At the time, his family wasn’t sure what he meant.
After they were in contact with the parent of one of David’s friends who was with him at the party, they heard about Hamas terrorists attacking the party, shooting and killing partygoers.
They later found out that David’s friend had been killed.
As David stopped answering his phone, his family wondered what would be better, if he were killed or kidnapped, his sister Ye'ela told Ynet.
The family frantically searched on social media to find any sign of life of David, and then Ye'ela received a message from an unknown number with a photo.
The text said that David had been identified in a Hamas photo on Telegram.
“We looked and saw that it was him,” said Ye'ela in the Ynet interview. “And that’s how we figured out that Eviatar is a captive in Gaza. Through Telegram.”
In the photo, David’s face can be seen clearly with a flashlight being shone on him, said his sister. Another photo put up later by Hamas shows him with his hands tied onto the shoulders of a terrorist who has a gun.
“That was shocking,” said Ye'ela.
The army later confirmed that David had been taken hostage in Gaza.
Several days later, the family was visited by friends of David who survived the party and came to speak to them at their Kfar Saba home, said Ye'ela in a Kan video.
The friends said that during the party, they all stood in a circle and spoke about how good life is and how good their lives are, said Yaela.
Sister of Gaza hostage: I can’t sing the national anthem, I don’t feel safe in Israel anymore
Ye’ela David, sister of Eviatar David, who was taken hostage from the Supernova Music Festival on October 7, takes the stage at the anti-government rally at Tel Aviv’s HaBima Square.
She talks about the conditions in which young male hostages are being held by Hamas in Gaza, saying, “We hear testimonies about the inhumane treatment… the attempt to make these people into empty shells. Including through sexual abuse,” she says.
Referencing the Holocaust, she says, “We say ‘never again’ every year, meaning this catastrophe can never repeat itself; 113 days ago it happened in our home.”
“I can no longer sing the national anthem line ‘to be a free nation in our land,'” she tells the audience, saying she no longer feels safe in her own country. “I can no longer hear the words ‘destroying Hamas’ before I hear ‘returning the hostages.’ If we don’t get them back, it will forever be a moral blemish on this country’s character,” she adds. link
Thailand is a popular tourist destination for Israelis.
The NSC recommends that Israelis in Southeast Asia avoid going to places identified with Israel and/or Jews; maintain increased vigilance in public places; refrain from displaying Israeli symbols; contact local authorities in case of a threat or violence; avoid posting details of the trip on social media, and lock social media profiles; and avoid sharing details about service in the IDF or other security services online or in conversation.
“Israeli security officials continue to work with all relevant partners in order to remove the threat,” the NSC says.
Eviatar David, 23, was taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7 from the Supernova desert rave.
As his family woke up to sirens on that Shabbat morning, they texted with David, who wrote that the party was being closed down because “they are bombarding the party,” he wrote.
At the time, his family wasn’t sure what he meant.
After they were in contact with the parent of one of David’s friends who was with him at the party, they heard about Hamas terrorists attacking the party, shooting and killing partygoers.
They later found out that David’s friend had been killed.
As David stopped answering his phone, his family wondered what would be better, if he were killed or kidnapped, his sister Ye'ela told Ynet.
The family frantically searched on social media to find any sign of life of David, and then Ye'ela received a message from an unknown number with a photo.
The text said that David had been identified in a Hamas photo on Telegram.
“We looked and saw that it was him,” said Ye'ela in the Ynet interview. “And that’s how we figured out that Eviatar is a captive in Gaza. Through Telegram.”
In the photo, David’s face can be seen clearly with a flashlight being shone on him, said his sister. Another photo put up later by Hamas shows him with his hands tied onto the shoulders of a terrorist who has a gun.
“That was shocking,” said Ye'ela.
The army later confirmed that David had been taken hostage in Gaza.
Several days later, the family was visited by friends of David who survived the party and came to speak to them at their Kfar Saba home, said Ye'ela in a Kan video.
The friends said that during the party, they all stood in a circle and spoke about how good life is and how good their lives are, said Yaela.
Ye’ela David, sister of Eviatar David, who was taken hostage from the Supernova Music Festival on October 7, takes the stage at the anti-government rally at Tel Aviv’s HaBima Square.
She talks about the conditions in which young male hostages are being held by Hamas in Gaza, saying, “We hear testimonies about the inhumane treatment… the attempt to make these people into empty shells. Including through sexual abuse,” she says.
Referencing the Holocaust, she says, “We say ‘never again’ every year, meaning this catastrophe can never repeat itself; 113 days ago it happened in our home.”
“I can no longer sing the national anthem line ‘to be a free nation in our land,'” she tells the audience, saying she no longer feels safe in her own country. “I can no longer hear the words ‘destroying Hamas’ before I hear ‘returning the hostages.’ If we don’t get them back, it will forever be a moral blemish on this country’s character,” she adds. link
Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages
ShatterYasmin PoratFled from the Nova Festival. She is one of only two survivors from the Be’eri hostage incident.
I have never been a supporter of Benjamin Netanyahu. I was absolutely convinced that he was causing harm to our country. I saw with my own eyes and had first-hand experience with the destruction of our health and education systems and of the economy, and the way his leadership is tearing us apart as a society.At the same time, I was unable to argue with Netanyahu’s supporters’ claim that he is "Mr. Security." I admit that I felt safe in my country. With this feeling of security, I went to dance at the Nova Festival without fear. I was well aware of the event’s location, but I felt safe. I trusted the army; I knew I was being protected.On the morning of October 7th, when the invasion began and we realized the gravity of the situation, we began to flee. We arrived at Kibbutz Be’eri, believing we would be protected there. A yellow gate, a perimeter fence, security squad, a safe place. But the next 24 hours proved without a doubt that I had made a grave mistake. My perception of safety, the belief that I am protected anywhere in the State of Israel, was shattered to pieces. When the terrorists gathered us at Pesi Cohen's house, I understood that what had been, would never be again. I was held hostage in murderous hands, without help or rescue.At 11 a.m., as we were fighting for our lives in the burning kibbutz, Netanyahu gave a speech to the nation. There is no word more suitable than "broken" to describe the feelings that flooded me in the face of his smiling speech; something inside me broke. I couldn't believe that while people were being burned and tortured and women were being raped, he chose to make a speech like the one he made, instead of taking action. The man who is responsible for all this. Inside I cried, “Save us! Do something! Why are you making a speech now?”The terrorist guarding me decided to surrender. I was his human shield and he was mine, and thanks to that my life was saved. The fate of the other hostages was bitter. Thirteen people - men, women, a boy and a girl - whose only sin was that they were in Kibbutz Be’eri, lost their lives in that horrifying event, from which I was saved.My friends and I were abandoned. An entire region was abandoned that day, it was not a safe place. Netanyahu, who is responsible for forsaking it, continues to behave like a despot. Like Pharaoh or Herod, he has no interest in us, the citizens. The fate of the abandoned hostages, who are still imprisoned in Hamas tunnels, does not bother him either.The State of Israel must wake up.
Acronyms and Glossary
ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague
IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague
MDA - Magen David Adom - Israel Ambulance Corp
PA - Palestinian Authority - President Mahmud Abbas, aka Abu Mazen
PMO- Prime Minister's Office
UAV - Unmanned Aerial vehicle, Drone. Could be used for surveillance and reconnaissance, or be weaponized with missiles or contain explosives for 'suicide' explosion mission
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