🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 424, 2023 - December 3, 2024 🎗️
🎗️Day 423 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
*6:00pm yesterday - South - rockets - Nirim, Ein Hashlosha - One rocket launched from southern Gaza’s Khan Younis at Israeli border towns was intercepted by air defenses a short while ago, according to the IDF.
Sirens were activated in the southern communities of Ein Hashlosha and Nirim amid the attack.
There are no injuries.
Hostage Updates
- Biden ‘devastated and outraged’ to learn of death of US-Israeli hostage Omer Neutra on October 7
US President Joe Biden meets at the White House with relatives of American
hostages held by terrorists in Gaza, December 13, 2023 (White House)
US President Joe Biden says he is “devastated and outraged” to learn of the death of American-Israeli hostage Omer Neutra, who the IDF confirmed this morning was killed during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught and whose body is still being held in Gaza.
“A Long Island native, Omer planned to return to the United States for college. He dreamed of dedicating himself to building peace,” Biden says in a statement.
The president recalls meeting Omer’s parents last month at the White House where they again shared their story.
“They told me how Omer’s grandparents were Holocaust survivors and how their family’s strength and resilience has been carried through the generations,” Biden says.
The US president says his entire country is grieving with the Neutras.
“To all the families of those still held hostage: We see you. We are with you. And I will not stop working to bring your loved ones back home where they belong,” Biden pledges.
- The mother of US-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel has died while he is in captivity, the family says.
Hostage Updates
- Biden ‘devastated and outraged’ to learn of death of US-Israeli hostage Omer Neutra on October 7US President Joe Biden meets at the White House with relatives of American
hostages held by terrorists in Gaza, December 13, 2023 (White House)US President Joe Biden says he is “devastated and outraged” to learn of the death of American-Israeli hostage Omer Neutra, who the IDF confirmed this morning was killed during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught and whose body is still being held in Gaza.
“A Long Island native, Omer planned to return to the United States for college. He dreamed of dedicating himself to building peace,” Biden says in a statement.
The president recalls meeting Omer’s parents last month at the White House where they again shared their story.
“They told me how Omer’s grandparents were Holocaust survivors and how their family’s strength and resilience has been carried through the generations,” Biden says.
The US president says his entire country is grieving with the Neutras.
“To all the families of those still held hostage: We see you. We are with you. And I will not stop working to bring your loved ones back home where they belong,” Biden pledges.
- The mother of US-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel has died while he is in captivity, the family says.
“My father’s mother died and my father can’t say goodbye to her because he is in Hamas captivity for more than a year,” Siegal’s daughter Elan writes on Facebook.
“My father can’t stand with us tomorrow in the cemetery, he can’t say goodbye to the woman who loved him and raised him his whole life,” she writes. “A violent and murderous terror organization dictates our lives — from Gaza to the great United States and the whole world is silent.”
Siegel, 65, was taken captive with his wife, Aviva from their home on Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, when Hamas terrorists attacked their community, killing and abducting Israelis and burning kibbutz homes.
The couple was driven into Gaza in their own car, along with a neighbor and her two children.
Aviva Siegel was released on November 26 as part of a temporary ceasefire deal brokered by Qatar and the United States between Hamas and Israel. Keith remains a captive.
Elan Siegel, the daughter of Keith Siegel, speaks to crowd of protesters at hostage families demonstration in Jerusalem’s Paris Square on May 11, 2024. (Charlie Summer/Times of Israel)
- Leading activist for hostages Einav Zangauker listed among BBC’s 100 women of 2024Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is held hostage in Gaza, blocks a main road in Tel Aviv, during a protest calling for the release of the hostages, September 13, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker who has been held by Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip for 14 months, is listed among BBC’s 100 women of 2024 for her activism in favor of a deal that would return her son and the other captives.
Zangauker has become a central campaigner for a hostage deal and against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, and regularly speaks in media interviews, press conferences and demonstrations.
The BBC list also features other Israelis, as well as Palestinians and a Lebanese woman who were affected by the war against Hamas and Hezbollah.
It lists Gazan neonatal specialist Shireen Abed, who took care of newborns and trained other doctors during the war; Gazan journalist, poet and social media influencer Plestia Alaqad; Palestinian agriculture engineer Enas Al-Ghoul who invented a desalination device used in Gaza; and Lebanese photojournalist Christina Assi who was seriously injured in an Israeli strike.
It also includes Danielle Cantor, a left-wing Israeli activist for Israeli-Palestinian cultural solidarily, and Women of the Wall founder and activist for religious pluralism Anat Hoffman. link. This is an honor that Einav would have loved never to receive or to be known just to have her son back again. But, unfortunately, that has yet to happen and she is so well deserving of this honor.
Gaza and the South
Israel has significantly bolstered its presence in the central Gaza Strip in recent months, and the territory controlled by the IDF around the so-called Netzarim Corridor has rapidly expanded, according to a foreign media report, suggesting that troops are preparing to remain inside the Palestinian enclave for at least the foreseeable future.
Citing satellite images and video footage, the New York Times reports that Israeli forces have also constructed roughly a dozen new bases around the corridor over the past three months.
In response, an IDF spokesman tells the Times that “anything that has been built there can be taken down within a day.”
The Netzarim Corridor, which started as a four-mile strip of land, is built around a road south of Gaza City, enabling the IDF to carry out raids in northern and central Gaza while allowing Israel to control access to the north for Palestinians seeking to return after fleeing south. It also enables Israel to coordinate deliveries of humanitarian aid directly to northern Gaza.
In recent months, however, the corridor has significantly expanded, reaching as far as the outskirts of Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood to the north, and the Wadi Gaza stream to the south, encompassing around 18 square miles of land in total.
Over the past three months, the IDF has been attempting to create what appears to be a buffer zone around the outskirts of the military-controlled block of land, according to the report, and around 600 buildings have been demolished in the process.
Inside the expanded Netzarim Corridor area, satellite images analyzed by the Times reportedly show that the IDF has been building at a rapid pace, having either built or expanded the existing infrastructure of 12 military bases since early September.
All in all, the report says, the IDF has constructed at least 19 large military bases and dozens of smaller ones in the area surrounding the Netzarim Corridor since the start of the war against Hamas last October. link. The fact that the army is still setting up bases in Gaza is not a good sign. Although all of the senior officers from the General Staff down are against staying in Gaza and setting up a Military Government along the lines of the West Bank. Smotich, the failed and unqualified finance minister has said that having the military government in Gaza is a necessary precurser to settling Gaza and that the cost of doing so would only cost a few hundred million shekels. Whereas the IDF planning and budget teams came up with a figure of 25 million shekels/year. Just a small difference from what Smotrich was saying (sarcasm). He will do anything that further his mission of settlements and lying about the costs and/or having no idea about them as finance minister won't stop him from pushing his messianic agenda.
Egypt: Fatah, Hamas meeting in Cairo to reach ‘mutual understanding’ on PA control in post-war Gaza
Delegations from the Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas are meeting in Cairo to “reach a mutual understanding” on the Palestinian Authority’s management of the Gaza Strip after the end of Hamas’s war with Israel, Egypt’s foreign minister tells reporters.
“There are indeed two delegations from the Fatah and Hamas movements in Cairo consulting and deliberating to quickly reach a mutual understanding regarding the management of daily affairs in the Gaza Strip under the full control of the Palestinian Authority,” Badr Abdelatty tells a news conference in Cairo.
The talks are part of Egypt’s broader mediation efforts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas terror group and to expand humanitarian access to the enclave.
Israel rejects any role by Hamas in Gaza after the war is ended and has said it does not trust the rival Palestinian Authority of Mahmoud Abbas to run the enclave.
Mediators, including Egypt, Qatar and the United States, have so far failed to secure a truce that would end the war and facilitate a release of Israeli and foreign hostages held by terror groups in Gaza, in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners held by Israel for crimes that include terror offenses. link
Report: PA, Hamas agree to form committee to run post-war
Gaza
The Palestinian Authority and Hamas have signed a document agreeing to form a joint committee that would run the post-war Gaza Strip, the London-based pan-Arab news site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports.
The news site says it has a copy of the document that was signed to formulate the committee, to be made of 10-15 leading Palestinian figures.
The report comes a day after Egypt’s foreign minister said that rival Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas were in Cairo for talks seeking to bring post-war Gaza under the full control of the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority.
Gaza has been under the authority of Hamas since it used force to take the territory in 2007 from the Fatah movement, which currently rules over parts of the West Bank under the PA. Repeated attempts at mending the rift between Fatah and Hamas have failed, wrecked by the factions’ bitter rivalry over power.
The talks are part of Egypt’s broader mediation efforts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas terror group and to expand humanitarian access to the enclave.
The document laid out six commitments largely designed to unite the West Bank and Gaza under one political entity.
They would be responsible for overseeing health and economic services, agriculture and vital infrastructure.
It was unclear if Israel would agree to the deal being formulated. Israel rejects any role by Hamas in Gaza after the war is ended, and has said it does not trust the rival PA of Mahmoud Abbas to run the enclave.
The IDF says that a recent series of strikes carried out by the 990th Reserve Artillery Regiment in the central Gaza Strip killed numerous Hamas operatives including at least seven who participated in the October 7 onslaught.
The artillery unit is part of the 99th Division, which took responsibility for the Netzarim Corridor area last month.
The IDF names the October 7 Hamas terrorists who were killed in the recent strikes as: Abd al-Razak, a Nukhba Force operative and an engineering specialist in the Central Camps Brigade; Marzouk Alhor; Abd Abu Awd Yusri; Omar Abu Abdullah; Ahmed Zahad, a Nukhba operative; and Maad Abu Gharbua.
The army says that the division’s 179th Reserve Armored Brigade and 551st Reserve Paratroopers Brigade carried out several raids in the Netzarim Corridor area, during which buildings used by Hamas were demolished.
Numerous weapons were also located during the raids, the IDF adds.
The Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) says that some 780 aid trucks are awaiting collection on the Gazan side of the Karem Shalom crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip, after just 43 were collected yesterday by international organizations.
On Sunday, the UN agency for Palestinians said it was pausing the delivery of aid through Kerem Shalom because of looting by armed gangs in Gaza.
According to COGAT, a total of 138 humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza yesterday, carrying food, medical supplies, shelter equipment, water purification equipment, and flour for bakeries.
COGAT says 37 of the trucks entered via the Erez Crossing in the Strip’s north, 33 entered via Gate 96 in the center, and 43 were collected from Kerem Shalom in the south.
The Israeli military has said that attacking convoys and stealing aid is an ongoing problem in Gaza. COGAT has said convoys are attacked by Hamas terrorists and known crime families.
The Washington Post publishes an in-depth investigation into videos posted by Israeli reservists during 14 months of war that show actions and behavior that could violate both IDF orders and international law.
“Videos and photographs have repeatedly shown [IDF] forces demolishing entire buildings, including homes and schools, as well as looting and torching them,” says the report. “Other visuals have Israeli soldiers posing next to dead bodies and calling for the extermination and expulsion of Palestinians.”
The outlet says it has viewed thousands of videos posted by IDF soldiers, “a vast cache that gives a rare and troubling view of how some elements of the Israeli military have conducted themselves” throughout the war.
The Post also interviews IDF reservists who say they felt there was a sense of revenge motivating many of their comrades in Gaza.
Some of the videos make light of the destruction of civilian homes, which military necessity could justify in a range of scenarios in urban combat. Other videos show reservists filming Palestinian corpses in footage meant to be humorous or show a desire for revenge.
Israeli military ethicist Asa Kasher calls the phenomenon “a breakdown of not just military discipline, but a break in understanding what it takes to represent the IDF and Israel.”
The IDF says disciplinary talks have been held with some of the soldiers involved in incidents that “deviated from IDF values and principles and contradicted regulations.” It also says that if criminal conduct is involved, the military police are called in.
In February, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi sent a missive to troops, instructing them that the army is “not on a killing spree,” not acting out of revenge and not carrying out genocide in the Gaza Strip.
“We act like human beings and, unlike our enemy, maintain our humanity. We must be careful not to use force where it is not required, to distinguish between a terrorist and those who are not, not to take anything that is not ours — a souvenir or weapons — and not to film revenge videos,” Halevi said.
The IDF chief’s comments came weeks after The New York Times published its own article, “What Israeli Soldiers’ Videos Reveal: Cheering Destruction and Mocking Gazans,” which showed photos and videos of Israeli soldiers making derogatory comments about Palestinians, vandalizing civilian property and smiling for the cameras while driving bulldozers and using explosives. link The war in Gaza has been the most photographed and video'ed in history, both by soldiers and by the IDF spokesperson's department. Much of the soldier's photography is very shocking and even incriminating and I have no doubt that much of it will be shown as evidence in various International Criminal Court cases for a long time to come. There is much damning material out there and it will put a shine a very bad light on so much that was done in Gaza and not for the right reasons.
Israel has significantly bolstered its presence in the central Gaza Strip in recent months, and the territory controlled by the IDF around the so-called Netzarim Corridor has rapidly expanded, according to a foreign media report, suggesting that troops are preparing to remain inside the Palestinian enclave for at least the foreseeable future.
Citing satellite images and video footage, the New York Times reports that Israeli forces have also constructed roughly a dozen new bases around the corridor over the past three months.
In response, an IDF spokesman tells the Times that “anything that has been built there can be taken down within a day.”
The Netzarim Corridor, which started as a four-mile strip of land, is built around a road south of Gaza City, enabling the IDF to carry out raids in northern and central Gaza while allowing Israel to control access to the north for Palestinians seeking to return after fleeing south. It also enables Israel to coordinate deliveries of humanitarian aid directly to northern Gaza.
Over the past three months, the IDF has been attempting to create what appears to be a buffer zone around the outskirts of the military-controlled block of land, according to the report, and around 600 buildings have been demolished in the process.
Inside the expanded Netzarim Corridor area, satellite images analyzed by the Times reportedly show that the IDF has been building at a rapid pace, having either built or expanded the existing infrastructure of 12 military bases since early September.
All in all, the report says, the IDF has constructed at least 19 large military bases and dozens of smaller ones in the area surrounding the Netzarim Corridor since the start of the war against Hamas last October. link. The fact that the army is still setting up bases in Gaza is not a good sign. Although all of the senior officers from the General Staff down are against staying in Gaza and setting up a Military Government along the lines of the West Bank. Smotich, the failed and unqualified finance minister has said that having the military government in Gaza is a necessary precurser to settling Gaza and that the cost of doing so would only cost a few hundred million shekels. Whereas the IDF planning and budget teams came up with a figure of 25 million shekels/year. Just a small difference from what Smotrich was saying (sarcasm). He will do anything that further his mission of settlements and lying about the costs and/or having no idea about them as finance minister won't stop him from pushing his messianic agenda.
Egypt: Fatah, Hamas meeting in Cairo to reach ‘mutual understanding’ on PA control in post-war Gaza
Delegations from the Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas are meeting in Cairo to “reach a mutual understanding” on the Palestinian Authority’s management of the Gaza Strip after the end of Hamas’s war with Israel, Egypt’s foreign minister tells reporters.
“There are indeed two delegations from the Fatah and Hamas movements in Cairo consulting and deliberating to quickly reach a mutual understanding regarding the management of daily affairs in the Gaza Strip under the full control of the Palestinian Authority,” Badr Abdelatty tells a news conference in Cairo.
The talks are part of Egypt’s broader mediation efforts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas terror group and to expand humanitarian access to the enclave.
Israel rejects any role by Hamas in Gaza after the war is ended and has said it does not trust the rival Palestinian Authority of Mahmoud Abbas to run the enclave.
Mediators, including Egypt, Qatar and the United States, have so far failed to secure a truce that would end the war and facilitate a release of Israeli and foreign hostages held by terror groups in Gaza, in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners held by Israel for crimes that include terror offenses. link
Report: PA, Hamas agree to form committee to run post-war
Gaza
The Palestinian Authority and Hamas have signed a document agreeing to form a joint committee that would run the post-war Gaza Strip, the London-based pan-Arab news site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports.
The news site says it has a copy of the document that was signed to formulate the committee, to be made of 10-15 leading Palestinian figures.
The report comes a day after Egypt’s foreign minister said that rival Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas were in Cairo for talks seeking to bring post-war Gaza under the full control of the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority.
Gaza has been under the authority of Hamas since it used force to take the territory in 2007 from the Fatah movement, which currently rules over parts of the West Bank under the PA. Repeated attempts at mending the rift between Fatah and Hamas have failed, wrecked by the factions’ bitter rivalry over power.
The talks are part of Egypt’s broader mediation efforts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas terror group and to expand humanitarian access to the enclave.
The document laid out six commitments largely designed to unite the West Bank and Gaza under one political entity.
They would be responsible for overseeing health and economic services, agriculture and vital infrastructure.
It was unclear if Israel would agree to the deal being formulated. Israel rejects any role by Hamas in Gaza after the war is ended, and has said it does not trust the rival PA of Mahmoud Abbas to run the enclave.
The IDF says that a recent series of strikes carried out by the 990th Reserve Artillery Regiment in the central Gaza Strip killed numerous Hamas operatives including at least seven who participated in the October 7 onslaught.
The artillery unit is part of the 99th Division, which took responsibility for the Netzarim Corridor area last month.
The IDF names the October 7 Hamas terrorists who were killed in the recent strikes as: Abd al-Razak, a Nukhba Force operative and an engineering specialist in the Central Camps Brigade; Marzouk Alhor; Abd Abu Awd Yusri; Omar Abu Abdullah; Ahmed Zahad, a Nukhba operative; and Maad Abu Gharbua.
The army says that the division’s 179th Reserve Armored Brigade and 551st Reserve Paratroopers Brigade carried out several raids in the Netzarim Corridor area, during which buildings used by Hamas were demolished.
Numerous weapons were also located during the raids, the IDF adds.
The Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) says that some 780 aid trucks are awaiting collection on the Gazan side of the Karem Shalom crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip, after just 43 were collected yesterday by international organizations.
On Sunday, the UN agency for Palestinians said it was pausing the delivery of aid through Kerem Shalom because of looting by armed gangs in Gaza.
According to COGAT, a total of 138 humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza yesterday, carrying food, medical supplies, shelter equipment, water purification equipment, and flour for bakeries.
COGAT says 37 of the trucks entered via the Erez Crossing in the Strip’s north, 33 entered via Gate 96 in the center, and 43 were collected from Kerem Shalom in the south.
The Israeli military has said that attacking convoys and stealing aid is an ongoing problem in Gaza. COGAT has said convoys are attacked by Hamas terrorists and known crime families.
The Washington Post publishes an in-depth investigation into videos posted by Israeli reservists during 14 months of war that show actions and behavior that could violate both IDF orders and international law.
“Videos and photographs have repeatedly shown [IDF] forces demolishing entire buildings, including homes and schools, as well as looting and torching them,” says the report. “Other visuals have Israeli soldiers posing next to dead bodies and calling for the extermination and expulsion of Palestinians.”
The outlet says it has viewed thousands of videos posted by IDF soldiers, “a vast cache that gives a rare and troubling view of how some elements of the Israeli military have conducted themselves” throughout the war.
The Post also interviews IDF reservists who say they felt there was a sense of revenge motivating many of their comrades in Gaza.
Some of the videos make light of the destruction of civilian homes, which military necessity could justify in a range of scenarios in urban combat. Other videos show reservists filming Palestinian corpses in footage meant to be humorous or show a desire for revenge.
Israeli military ethicist Asa Kasher calls the phenomenon “a breakdown of not just military discipline, but a break in understanding what it takes to represent the IDF and Israel.”
The IDF says disciplinary talks have been held with some of the soldiers involved in incidents that “deviated from IDF values and principles and contradicted regulations.” It also says that if criminal conduct is involved, the military police are called in.
In February, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi sent a missive to troops, instructing them that the army is “not on a killing spree,” not acting out of revenge and not carrying out genocide in the Gaza Strip.
“We act like human beings and, unlike our enemy, maintain our humanity. We must be careful not to use force where it is not required, to distinguish between a terrorist and those who are not, not to take anything that is not ours — a souvenir or weapons — and not to film revenge videos,” Halevi said.
The IDF chief’s comments came weeks after The New York Times published its own article, “What Israeli Soldiers’ Videos Reveal: Cheering Destruction and Mocking Gazans,” which showed photos and videos of Israeli soldiers making derogatory comments about Palestinians, vandalizing civilian property and smiling for the cameras while driving bulldozers and using explosives. link The war in Gaza has been the most photographed and video'ed in history, both by soldiers and by the IDF spokesperson's department. Much of the soldier's photography is very shocking and even incriminating and I have no doubt that much of it will be shown as evidence in various International Criminal Court cases for a long time to come. There is much damning material out there and it will put a shine a very bad light on so much that was done in Gaza and not for the right reasons.
Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria
Lebanese media report a series of IDF airstrikes in southern Lebanon.
There is no immediate comment from the military.
The strikes come after Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that the IDF would respond to a Hezbollah mortar attack on an army position on the border this evening, the first fire on Israel during the ceasefire.
- Lebanese army launches recruitment drive to bolster presence in the south
The Lebanese army is looking for more recruits as it beefs up its presence in southern Lebanon after the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire went into effect last week.
Lebanon’s army kept to the sidelines during the nearly 14-month conflict.
During an initial 60-day truce, thousands of Lebanese troops are supposed to deploy in southern Lebanon, where UN peacekeepers also have a presence. Hezbollah forces are to pull back from areas near the border as Israel withdraws its ground forces.
The army says those interested in joining up have a one-month period to apply, starting Tuesday.
The Lebanese army has about 80,000 troops, with around 5,000 of them deployed in the south.
Defense Minister Israel Katz, in a warning to the Lebanese government, says that if the ceasefire with Hezbollah collapses, “there will no longer be an exemption for the state of Lebanon,” and Israel will not see a separation between the terror group and the country.
“We will work with all our might to enforce all the understandings of the ceasefire agreement, and we show maximum response and zero tolerance,” Katz says during a visit to the northern border.
“Yesterday was the first test, [Hezbollah] shooting at Mount Dov. We reacted strongly and this is exactly what we will do, and we will not allow Hezbollah to return to the old methods they had, such as the tent that was set up [by Hezbollah on the border several years ago] and not attacked,” he says.
Katz says that Lebanon must “authorize the Lebanese army to enforce their part, to keep Hezbollah away beyond the Litani [River] and to dismantle all the infrastructure.”
“If they don’t do it and this whole agreement collapses then the reality will be very clear. First of all, if we return to war we will act strongly, we will go deeper, and the most important thing they need to know, that there will be no longer be an exemption for the state of Lebanon,” he continues.
“If until now we have distinguished between the state of Lebanon and Hezbollah, and between Beirut as a whole and [its southern suburb, a Hezbollah stronghold] Dahiyeh, which we have struck very hard, this will no longer be [the case],” Katz warns.
The Israeli military fears that amid the Syrian rebel assault and their taking over of military sites belonging to the Assad regime in the country, chemical weapons could fall into the wrong hands, Haaretz reports.
The report says that the main concern is that rebels or Iran-backed militias could reach weapons in Syria that pose a significant threat to Israel, such as missiles or chemical weapons.
If such weapons fall into the hands of the rebels or Iranian militias, Israel would have to act in a way that “may affect Syria and the entire Middle East,” according to Haaretz.
The report adds that Israel recently conveyed messages to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, via Russia, demanding that he “uphold his sovereignty and not allow Iran to operate in his territory.”
Yesterday, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that Israel was closely monitoring the developments in Syria, stressing that “we need to make sure that we are not threatened.”
Lebanese media report a series of IDF airstrikes in southern Lebanon.
There is no immediate comment from the military.
The strikes come after Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that the IDF would respond to a Hezbollah mortar attack on an army position on the border this evening, the first fire on Israel during the ceasefire.
The Lebanese army is looking for more recruits as it beefs up its presence in southern Lebanon after the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire went into effect last week.
Lebanon’s army kept to the sidelines during the nearly 14-month conflict.
During an initial 60-day truce, thousands of Lebanese troops are supposed to deploy in southern Lebanon, where UN peacekeepers also have a presence. Hezbollah forces are to pull back from areas near the border as Israel withdraws its ground forces.
The army says those interested in joining up have a one-month period to apply, starting Tuesday.
The Lebanese army has about 80,000 troops, with around 5,000 of them deployed in the south.
Defense Minister Israel Katz, in a warning to the Lebanese government, says that if the ceasefire with Hezbollah collapses, “there will no longer be an exemption for the state of Lebanon,” and Israel will not see a separation between the terror group and the country.
“We will work with all our might to enforce all the understandings of the ceasefire agreement, and we show maximum response and zero tolerance,” Katz says during a visit to the northern border.
“Yesterday was the first test, [Hezbollah] shooting at Mount Dov. We reacted strongly and this is exactly what we will do, and we will not allow Hezbollah to return to the old methods they had, such as the tent that was set up [by Hezbollah on the border several years ago] and not attacked,” he says.
Katz says that Lebanon must “authorize the Lebanese army to enforce their part, to keep Hezbollah away beyond the Litani [River] and to dismantle all the infrastructure.”
“If they don’t do it and this whole agreement collapses then the reality will be very clear. First of all, if we return to war we will act strongly, we will go deeper, and the most important thing they need to know, that there will be no longer be an exemption for the state of Lebanon,” he continues.
“If until now we have distinguished between the state of Lebanon and Hezbollah, and between Beirut as a whole and [its southern suburb, a Hezbollah stronghold] Dahiyeh, which we have struck very hard, this will no longer be [the case],” Katz warns.
The Israeli military fears that amid the Syrian rebel assault and their taking over of military sites belonging to the Assad regime in the country, chemical weapons could fall into the wrong hands, Haaretz reports.
The report says that the main concern is that rebels or Iran-backed militias could reach weapons in Syria that pose a significant threat to Israel, such as missiles or chemical weapons.
If such weapons fall into the hands of the rebels or Iranian militias, Israel would have to act in a way that “may affect Syria and the entire Middle East,” according to Haaretz.
The report adds that Israel recently conveyed messages to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, via Russia, demanding that he “uphold his sovereignty and not allow Iran to operate in his territory.”
Yesterday, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that Israel was closely monitoring the developments in Syria, stressing that “we need to make sure that we are not threatened.”
The entrance to a Hezbollah bunker in the Mount Dov area, in a handout photo released by the IDF on December 3, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)IDF destroys Hezbollah bunkers, clearing ‘all threats’ in Mount Dov border area
Hezbollah bunkers on the Lebanese side of the Mount Dov border area were recently demolished by combat engineers, the IDF says, in an operation that “neutralized all the threats” in the area.
The military says troops of the 810th “Mountains” Regional Brigade, alongside combat engineers and the Golani Brigade’s 51st Battalion, carried out a raid in the Mount Dov area in recent weeks, “as part of the defensive effort to destroy tunnels of the Hezbollah terror organization in the enemy’s staging grounds.”
The soldiers found and explored several underground sites belonging to Hezbollah, and seized weapons and equipment in them.
The IDF says that this past week, combat engineers “demolished all of the findings and underground infrastructures, and neutralized all the threats in this area.”
- Reports say Hezbollah liaison with Syria army killed in Israeli strike near Damascus
The Saudi Al-Hadath outlet reports that a senior Hezbollah official was killed in an Israeli airstrike near Damascus today.
Al-Hadath names the official as Salman Jumaa, and says he was Hezbollah’s representative in the Syrian army.
The Reuters news agency, citing a security source, also reports that the strike killed Hezbollah’s liaison with the Syrian army.
Syria’s state news agency SANA said the IDF drone strike hit a car on a road leading to Damascus International Airport.
The Israeli military has not commented. link Without discussing the various infringements to the ceasefire agreement by both sides, there is nothing in the agreement that prevents us from attacking within Syrian territory. It was even requested by the Americans to do so when possible instead of within Lebanon.
IDF destroys Hezbollah bunkers, clearing ‘all threats’ in Mount Dov border area
Hezbollah bunkers on the Lebanese side of the Mount Dov border area were recently demolished by combat engineers, the IDF says, in an operation that “neutralized all the threats” in the area.
The military says troops of the 810th “Mountains” Regional Brigade, alongside combat engineers and the Golani Brigade’s 51st Battalion, carried out a raid in the Mount Dov area in recent weeks, “as part of the defensive effort to destroy tunnels of the Hezbollah terror organization in the enemy’s staging grounds.”
The soldiers found and explored several underground sites belonging to Hezbollah, and seized weapons and equipment in them.
The IDF says that this past week, combat engineers “demolished all of the findings and underground infrastructures, and neutralized all the threats in this area.”
The Saudi Al-Hadath outlet reports that a senior Hezbollah official was killed in an Israeli airstrike near Damascus today.
Al-Hadath names the official as Salman Jumaa, and says he was Hezbollah’s representative in the Syrian army.
The Reuters news agency, citing a security source, also reports that the strike killed Hezbollah’s liaison with the Syrian army.
Syria’s state news agency SANA said the IDF drone strike hit a car on a road leading to Damascus International Airport.
The Israeli military has not commented. link Without discussing the various infringements to the ceasefire agreement by both sides, there is nothing in the agreement that prevents us from attacking within Syrian territory. It was even requested by the Americans to do so when possible instead of within Lebanon.
West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel
- The Palestinian Authority health ministry reports two dead and one moderately wounded in an IDF drone strike against a car near the village of Aqabah in the northern West Bank.
The army said it targeted a terror cell.
B’Tselem publishes a report asserting that Israeli forces routinely abuse Palestinians in the West Bank city of Hebron.
Presenting over 20 accounts from people who say they suffered abuse between May and August this year, the left-wing rights group argues that “the wave of violence unleashed on Palestinians this past year has changed norms of conduct in the military,” in the shadow of the war against Hamas in Gaza.
It adds: “Victims describe being randomly seized by soldiers, mostly as they were walking down the streets of the city, going about their daily affairs. They were beaten and subjected to severe abuse by soldiers, sometimes in the street, and at other times inside military outposts where they were taken.” Videos with English subtitles
The army said it targeted a terror cell.
B’Tselem publishes a report asserting that Israeli forces routinely abuse Palestinians in the West Bank city of Hebron.
Presenting over 20 accounts from people who say they suffered abuse between May and August this year, the left-wing rights group argues that “the wave of violence unleashed on Palestinians this past year has changed norms of conduct in the military,” in the shadow of the war against Hamas in Gaza.
It adds: “Victims describe being randomly seized by soldiers, mostly as they were walking down the streets of the city, going about their daily affairs. They were beaten and subjected to severe abuse by soldiers, sometimes in the street, and at other times inside military outposts where they were taken.” Videos with English subtitles
Politics and the War (general news)
- Railing against civilian probe, Likud MK Tali Gotliv points finger at Shin Bet over Oct. 7 onslaught
Railing against an independent investigation into the government’s failures that led to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre, Likud MK Tali Gotliv points a finger at the Shin Bet security service for failing to prevent the devastating onslaught.
“If you were serious about your work, about this civilian probe, you would have first brought members of the Shin Bet and asked them questions,” she says during a meeting of the Knesset’s State Control Committee, going on to claim that she herself had published a warning on October 3, four days before the onslaught, about a Hamas drill in Gaza.
“I want to know,” she says, addressing the relatives of the victims of the Hamas massacre who established the Civilian Commission of Inquiry, “are you capable of asking the Shin Bet, ‘Where were you?'”
The civilian probe issued a scathing report last week alleging that the entire government had “failed its primary mission” and that the Israel Defense Forces, Shin Bet, and other organizations “completely failed to fulfill their sole objective — protecting the citizens of Israel.”
The firebrand MK then voices opposition to the establishment of a state commission of inquiry, the body that enjoys the broadest powers under Israeli law, as she charges it would be unable to reveal the truth because it wouldn’t have access to the appropriate intelligence material, and instead calls for another civilian probe.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly put off the establishment of a state inquiry, claiming that all investigations must wait until the fighting in Gaza ends.
He is reportedly attempting to promote legislation that will ban the establishment of a state commission into the October 7 onslaught in favor of a political probe chaired by one coalition lawmaker and one opposition lawmaker with the participation of senior security officials.
During her comments in the Knesset committee meeting, Gotliv also says that 4,800 terrorists burst into Israel from Gaza during the Hamas massacre.
The IDF estimates that some 3,000 Hamas-led terrorists burst across the border into Israel by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages, mostly civilians, amid acts of brutality and sexual assault. This figure includes only armed terror operatives and not the waves of Gazan civilians who took advantage of the enormous gaps in the fence to also make their way inside later in the day. link. Tali Gotlieb is one of the Knesset members that is despised throughout the Knesset and by large swarths of the public. She is vile, attacks and doesn't speak and is always siding with the most evil of the agendas. It is no wonder that she spent her legal career proudly defending rapists and sexual predators. Much of the time, she is the shouting and ranting voice backing Netanyahu in front of all the microphones she can find, Other times she bites the hand that feeds her. In this case, she is certainly Netanyahu's attack dog promoting a bill that would make it illegal to establish an Official State Commission of Inquiry into October 7 and the war. How absurd that 'the people's house' is pushing for exactly the opposite of what overwhelming majority of the population is demanding but it is all being done to alleviate every failed member of this failed government from having the face the music and responsibility for all that happened leading up to October 7 and throughout the war. It is truly unbelieveable that Netanyahu and his cronies would actually resort to pushing through a law that would forbid a Official Commission of Inquiry. It is only too clear that Netanyahu knows what the outcome would be - that he bears the lion's share of responsibility and blame for October 7 and the failures of the war, mostly to bring the hostages home. There could even be criminal charges that would stem from such an investigation. Every one must stand up and demand that this commission is created and starts its critically important work as soon as possible and not when Netanyahu declares 'total victory' which will never happen.
Railing against an independent investigation into the government’s failures that led to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre, Likud MK Tali Gotliv points a finger at the Shin Bet security service for failing to prevent the devastating onslaught.
“If you were serious about your work, about this civilian probe, you would have first brought members of the Shin Bet and asked them questions,” she says during a meeting of the Knesset’s State Control Committee, going on to claim that she herself had published a warning on October 3, four days before the onslaught, about a Hamas drill in Gaza.
“I want to know,” she says, addressing the relatives of the victims of the Hamas massacre who established the Civilian Commission of Inquiry, “are you capable of asking the Shin Bet, ‘Where were you?'”
The civilian probe issued a scathing report last week alleging that the entire government had “failed its primary mission” and that the Israel Defense Forces, Shin Bet, and other organizations “completely failed to fulfill their sole objective — protecting the citizens of Israel.”
The firebrand MK then voices opposition to the establishment of a state commission of inquiry, the body that enjoys the broadest powers under Israeli law, as she charges it would be unable to reveal the truth because it wouldn’t have access to the appropriate intelligence material, and instead calls for another civilian probe.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly put off the establishment of a state inquiry, claiming that all investigations must wait until the fighting in Gaza ends.
He is reportedly attempting to promote legislation that will ban the establishment of a state commission into the October 7 onslaught in favor of a political probe chaired by one coalition lawmaker and one opposition lawmaker with the participation of senior security officials.
During her comments in the Knesset committee meeting, Gotliv also says that 4,800 terrorists burst into Israel from Gaza during the Hamas massacre.
The IDF estimates that some 3,000 Hamas-led terrorists burst across the border into Israel by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages, mostly civilians, amid acts of brutality and sexual assault. This figure includes only armed terror operatives and not the waves of Gazan civilians who took advantage of the enormous gaps in the fence to also make their way inside later in the day. link. Tali Gotlieb is one of the Knesset members that is despised throughout the Knesset and by large swarths of the public. She is vile, attacks and doesn't speak and is always siding with the most evil of the agendas. It is no wonder that she spent her legal career proudly defending rapists and sexual predators. Much of the time, she is the shouting and ranting voice backing Netanyahu in front of all the microphones she can find, Other times she bites the hand that feeds her. In this case, she is certainly Netanyahu's attack dog promoting a bill that would make it illegal to establish an Official State Commission of Inquiry into October 7 and the war. How absurd that 'the people's house' is pushing for exactly the opposite of what overwhelming majority of the population is demanding but it is all being done to alleviate every failed member of this failed government from having the face the music and responsibility for all that happened leading up to October 7 and throughout the war. It is truly unbelieveable that Netanyahu and his cronies would actually resort to pushing through a law that would forbid a Official Commission of Inquiry. It is only too clear that Netanyahu knows what the outcome would be - that he bears the lion's share of responsibility and blame for October 7 and the failures of the war, mostly to bring the hostages home. There could even be criminal charges that would stem from such an investigation. Every one must stand up and demand that this commission is created and starts its critically important work as soon as possible and not when Netanyahu declares 'total victory' which will never happen.
The Region and the World
- Hezbollah does not currently intend to send operatives to northern Syria to support the Syrian army there, three sources familiar with the Iran-backed group’s thinking tell Reuters.
An alliance of Islamist rebel fighters launched a surprise offensive last week on northern Syria, sweeping through government-held territory in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib and forcing government troops out of Aleppo city in the biggest setback for Syrian President Bashar Assad in years.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said earlier today that Syria’s military is capable of confronting the rebels but “resistance groups will help and Iran will provide any support needed,” referring to Tehran’s so-called “axis of resistance,” which includes Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Syrian and Iraqi militant groups.
The sources tell Reuters that Hezbollah has not yet been asked to intervene, adding that the group isn’t ready to send forces to Syria at this stage following more than a year of cross-border fighting with Israel, including two months of heavy ground fighting in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah-led forces began attacking Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis on October 8, 2023, with the group saying it was doing so to support Gaza amid the war there. A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect last week.
One of the sources says the terror group had pulled senior officers responsible for Aleppo out of northern Syria to help fight the ground war against Israel.
Two other sources, one Lebanese and one Syrian, say Hezbollah pulled back forces from Syria in mid-October when the fighting with Israel along the border intensified.
Hezbollah does not immediately respond to a request for comment.
US official says Israel ineligible for multimillion-dollar bounty for top terrorists killed by IDF
Despite killing a number of terrorists with a multimillion-dollar US Rewards for Justice (RFJ) bounty on their heads, Israel is not eligible to receive any money, a US Embassy official tells The Times of Israel.
“Under RFJ’s statute, officers or employees of a foreign government are not eligible for RFJ rewards for information furnished in the performance of their official duties,” says the spokesperson.
In September, Israel killed Hezbollah Radwan Force commander Ibrahim Aqil, who had a $7 million bounty on his head. Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr, taken out by Israel in August, had a $5 million bounty. Both men were accused of orchestrating the 1983 Beirut Marine barracks bombing that killed 241 US troops.
The US was offering $10 million for information on the whereabouts of Hezbollah operative Salim Jamil Ayyash, sentenced in absentia for his role in the 2005 bombing that killed Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The Israeli Air Force killed him in November.
Personal Stories Taken captive: Eliya Cohen, dragged from a pile of dead bodiesShot and wounded during the Supernova party massacre, Cohen was hiding with his girlfriend, Ziv, but discovered by terrorists
Jerusalemite Eliya Cohen, 26, was with his girlfriend, Ziv, at the Supernova desert rave when Hamas gunmen attacked, said his mother, Sigi Cohen.
The two tried to escape the falling rockets in their car, and were chased by terrorists with grenades and an RPG, and were both shot.
They two ran and hid, looked at each other and held hands, Sigi said, who was repeating what Ziv, who escaped, told her.
“Eliya whispered and said he was wounded but okay,” Sigi said.
The two were hidden by a pile of dead bodies, said Sigi. Ziv told Sigi that she felt Eliya being pulled up, and then placed on a pickup truck and driven away.
The family eventually found a photo of Eliya in Gaza, presumably taken captive. link Eliya is actually from my town of Tsur Hadassah, in the mountains outside of Jerusalem. He and his girlfriend lived in Jerusalem. I don't know Eliya but met his mother. His father is handicapped and has difficulty working on the fight to get Eliya and the rest of the hostages home.
Not at the expense of hostagesAs I long for Eliya's return, I'm left speechless, clinging to hope for a miracle.My son Eliya has been in Gaza for 354 days. He was kidnapped from the shelter where four young men were abducted, 16 were murdered, and seven survived, including Eliya's partner, Ziv.
In a few days, we'll mark the anniversary of the abduction and remember the terrible massacre that befell Israel. I ask you: Have we learned anything from that cursed day? Have we taken it upon ourselves to be better?
To love more? To be more accepting? To show greater mutual responsibility for one another?
If we haven't learned to change, to come together, to accept each other with love and understanding, and if we return to what we were before the terrible massacre, the enemy will again see us as weak and strike us once more.
We must learn to accept one another, regardless of our background, skin color, or political views.
Unity and mutual responsibility are essential, as they are our only path to defeating the enemy. Our strength lies in our unity. When Israel is united, nothing can harm us.
This coming Saturday, the last Sabbath of this year, we read the Torah portion Nitzavim: "You stand this day, all of you, before the Lord your God." All of you – all of us together – this is the strength of Israel in all its diversity, as one person with one heart, so that God may bestow His blessing for a good and sweet year.
For so long, I've been missing Eliya, praying and hoping for this nightmare to end and for all of them to return. Yet every time someone asks me out of politeness, habit, or genuine interest, "How are you?" or "What's new?", I reply that I've run out of words and can only pray for a miracle to bring them back.
So, from this place of speechlessness, let's close our eyes and imagine the hostages returning to Israel. Thoughts create reality. I'll conclude with a prayer for the nation's peace: Our Father in Heaven, Rock and Redeemer of Israel, bless the State of Israel, the dawn of our redemption. Shield it beneath the wings of Your loving kindness and spread over it Your canopy of peace. Grant peace in the land and everlasting joy to its inhabitants.
I wish us all a good and sweet year, that the wounded and sick recover and regain their strength, that God protect the soldiers in the south and north, and that the hostages return to Israel. We're in the midst of a just war in the north and south, but we must not forget that 101 hostages have been held in Hamas tunnels for a year in deplorable conditions, waiting to be rescued. Every passing day could be critical for them – their immediate return is crucial and should be a top priority. link
An alliance of Islamist rebel fighters launched a surprise offensive last week on northern Syria, sweeping through government-held territory in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib and forcing government troops out of Aleppo city in the biggest setback for Syrian President Bashar Assad in years.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said earlier today that Syria’s military is capable of confronting the rebels but “resistance groups will help and Iran will provide any support needed,” referring to Tehran’s so-called “axis of resistance,” which includes Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Syrian and Iraqi militant groups.
The sources tell Reuters that Hezbollah has not yet been asked to intervene, adding that the group isn’t ready to send forces to Syria at this stage following more than a year of cross-border fighting with Israel, including two months of heavy ground fighting in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah-led forces began attacking Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis on October 8, 2023, with the group saying it was doing so to support Gaza amid the war there. A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect last week.
One of the sources says the terror group had pulled senior officers responsible for Aleppo out of northern Syria to help fight the ground war against Israel.
Two other sources, one Lebanese and one Syrian, say Hezbollah pulled back forces from Syria in mid-October when the fighting with Israel along the border intensified.
Hezbollah does not immediately respond to a request for comment.
US official says Israel ineligible for multimillion-dollar bounty for top terrorists killed by IDF
Despite killing a number of terrorists with a multimillion-dollar US Rewards for Justice (RFJ) bounty on their heads, Israel is not eligible to receive any money, a US Embassy official tells The Times of Israel.
“Under RFJ’s statute, officers or employees of a foreign government are not eligible for RFJ rewards for information furnished in the performance of their official duties,” says the spokesperson.
In September, Israel killed Hezbollah Radwan Force commander Ibrahim Aqil, who had a $7 million bounty on his head. Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr, taken out by Israel in August, had a $5 million bounty. Both men were accused of orchestrating the 1983 Beirut Marine barracks bombing that killed 241 US troops.
The US was offering $10 million for information on the whereabouts of Hezbollah operative Salim Jamil Ayyash, sentenced in absentia for his role in the 2005 bombing that killed Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The Israeli Air Force killed him in November.
Jerusalemite Eliya Cohen, 26, was with his girlfriend, Ziv, at the Supernova desert rave when Hamas gunmen attacked, said his mother, Sigi Cohen.
The two tried to escape the falling rockets in their car, and were chased by terrorists with grenades and an RPG, and were both shot.
They two ran and hid, looked at each other and held hands, Sigi said, who was repeating what Ziv, who escaped, told her.
“Eliya whispered and said he was wounded but okay,” Sigi said.
The two were hidden by a pile of dead bodies, said Sigi. Ziv told Sigi that she felt Eliya being pulled up, and then placed on a pickup truck and driven away.
The family eventually found a photo of Eliya in Gaza, presumably taken captive. link Eliya is actually from my town of Tsur Hadassah, in the mountains outside of Jerusalem. He and his girlfriend lived in Jerusalem. I don't know Eliya but met his mother. His father is handicapped and has difficulty working on the fight to get Eliya and the rest of the hostages home.
My son Eliya has been in Gaza for 354 days. He was kidnapped from the shelter where four young men were abducted, 16 were murdered, and seven survived, including Eliya's partner, Ziv.
In a few days, we'll mark the anniversary of the abduction and remember the terrible massacre that befell Israel. I ask you: Have we learned anything from that cursed day? Have we taken it upon ourselves to be better?
To love more? To be more accepting? To show greater mutual responsibility for one another?
If we haven't learned to change, to come together, to accept each other with love and understanding, and if we return to what we were before the terrible massacre, the enemy will again see us as weak and strike us once more.
We must learn to accept one another, regardless of our background, skin color, or political views.
Unity and mutual responsibility are essential, as they are our only path to defeating the enemy. Our strength lies in our unity. When Israel is united, nothing can harm us.
This coming Saturday, the last Sabbath of this year, we read the Torah portion Nitzavim: "You stand this day, all of you, before the Lord your God." All of you – all of us together – this is the strength of Israel in all its diversity, as one person with one heart, so that God may bestow His blessing for a good and sweet year.
For so long, I've been missing Eliya, praying and hoping for this nightmare to end and for all of them to return. Yet every time someone asks me out of politeness, habit, or genuine interest, "How are you?" or "What's new?", I reply that I've run out of words and can only pray for a miracle to bring them back.
So, from this place of speechlessness, let's close our eyes and imagine the hostages returning to Israel. Thoughts create reality. I'll conclude with a prayer for the nation's peace: Our Father in Heaven, Rock and Redeemer of Israel, bless the State of Israel, the dawn of our redemption. Shield it beneath the wings of Your loving kindness and spread over it Your canopy of peace. Grant peace in the land and everlasting joy to its inhabitants.
I wish us all a good and sweet year, that the wounded and sick recover and regain their strength, that God protect the soldiers in the south and north, and that the hostages return to Israel. We're in the midst of a just war in the north and south, but we must not forget that 101 hostages have been held in Hamas tunnels for a year in deplorable conditions, waiting to be rescued. Every passing day could be critical for them – their immediate return is crucial and should be a top priority. link
Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages
A Night on the Caesaria CoastEphraim SidonAuthor, playwright, and satirist.
We sit here together, us twoIn our quiet home feeling the breeze We sit here there’s not much to do We are well, we are really at ease.
The boys, they are fine, touch woodAs Ben Gurion, who is long gone, saidWe always do all that we humanly couldSo all mothers (named Sara) sleep calmly in bed.
Peaceful and free of worryThere is no drafting order at the door Nor three officers saying ‘we’re sorry’ We just rest and enjoy the boredom.
The polls may be quite pessimistic But I am fighting for votes in all ways
I am told that at Gaza’s bordersThere are fewer left-voters nowadaysThere are hardly any Meretz supportersWho’d have thought it, but I was rightSome in Gaza, some whose lives were made shorter Thank God for the rule of the Right.
A night in Caesaria the world is still turning It is all going well, in full force,No danger, nothing is burningexcept for half of the North.
But why be tight-assed, and negative always I’ve heard it today for a factThere are still two chicken coops left in Shtula And one house in Metula intact.Siren alarms, injured people and drones But I am relaxed for onceBecause the hotels are like homesI am told they are really a blast.(And I know all about hotels).
And nowadays everyone in the northWith my kind assistance can cramFor months in one room with the wife and kids, both Stop complaining already, be calm.
My motto:Keep your head forever up highNo matter how big your debacleI know Golda wanted to dieI just swim in my new pool and chuckle
Therefore, our sons must keep fighting ‘Ours’ means ‘yours’, that’s the briefI shall not attend their funeralsSorry, I’m allergic to grief.(Photo-ops with rescued hostages, on the other hand...) A night in Caesarea, no rattleA lovely silent nightFull of bottles out to recycleAnd security men on site.
And I ask with a tear in my eyeWith full honesty, you can betWhat more could I do for my countryThat I have not done yet?(Well, there are those 120 hostages left...Big deal, really.)
The polls may be quite pessimistic
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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