🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 445, 2023 - December 24, 2024 🎗️
🎗️Day 445 that 100 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
*1:45am - Center of country - Ballistic missile from Yemen was intercepted over the Sharon area. video of interceptionFrom our home, we heard the many booms from the air defense systems and the interception of the missile
A 60-year-old woman was seriously injured while running to a shelter in Tel Aviv amid the sirens triggered by a missile launched by the Houthis in Yemen, Magen David Adom says.
The woman was evacuated to Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital for treatment.
MDA says it has treated 25 people who were lightly injured either while running to shelters or after suffering anxiety attacks.
Areas in the center of the country that alerts were issued and people entered shelters*10:05am - south - Gaza Envelope -Nir Am - false alarm. However, in the Gaza envelope, they only have a 15 second warning, so everyone runs for safe rooms or cover as fast as they can. Notification of false alarms comes later.
IDF announces death of 3 soldiers killed during fighting in northern Gaza today
Three Israeli soldiers were killed during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip today, the military announces.
The slain troops are named as: Cpt. Ilay Gavriel Atedgi, 22, from Kiryat Motzkin; Staff Sgt. Netanel Pessach, 21, from Elazar; and Sgt. First Class (res.) Hillel Diener, 21, from Talmon.
Soldiers killed in the northern Gaza Strip on December 23, 2024: (L-R) Cpt. Ilay Gavriel Atedgi, Staff Sgt. Netanel Pessach, and Sgt. First Class (res.) Hillel Diener. (Israel Defense Forces)MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A REVOLUTIONThey all served in the Kfir Brigade’s Shimshon Battalion.
According to an initial IDF probe, the soldiers were killed by an explosive device in the Beit Hanoun area.
Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 391. The toll includes a police officer killed in a hostage rescue mission and a Defense Ministry civilian contractor.
IDF to give parents of surveillance soldiers slain on Oct. 7 audio recordings from day before massacre
Families of Israeli surveillance soldiers who were killed by Hamas terrorists at the Nahal Oz surveillance outpost on October 7 hold up photographs of the soldiers and speak to the press after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, outside the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, July 17, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)The IDF says that it will pass on communication recordings of surveillance soldiers killed in Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught to the soldiers’ parents, who had petitioned the High Court of Justice for the documentation.
In a statement, the IDF says it updated the families of the surveillance soldiers who were killed at the Nahal Oz post in the Hamas attack that the military “is prepared to hand over the radio recordings from the last day before they fell, before the outbreak of the war, in which the voices of their loved ones can be heard.”
The decision ends a year-plus-long struggle by the bereaved families to receive the documentation of their daughters’ final moments before they were killed by Hamas terrorists.
The military says it will pass the recordings to the families as soon as possible.
The IDF says it also updated the High Court on the decision.
For weeks before Hamas’s onslaught — when thousands of terrorists streamed over the border, killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 more — surveillance soldiers reported signs of activity along the restive Gaza border, situated a kilometer from them.
While the surveillance soldiers provide real-time intelligence information to soldiers in the field, earning them the name “the eyes of the army,” members of the all-female force believe that they were not taken seriously, due to their gender — an oversight that they say led to the deaths of 15 of their number at their base next to Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7, 2023.
A further seven surveillance soldiers were taken hostage to Gaza, one of whom was rescued alive and another whose body was recovered; she was murdered in captivity. LINK This was a court case that never should have reached the point of the families having to turn to the court. The army should have made sure there were no security issues in the recordings, and if there were, to retract those parts, and then make them available to the families as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the army behaves without the necessary empathy that must exist in a people's army. The young women soldiers killed were not machines, nor were they anonymous serial numbers. They are the daughters of families who lost their dearest children in a massacre that was the army's responsibility to protect them and they failed. With that failure, there should have been the greatest effort possible made to alleviate the families from having to fight with the army to get the recordings that contain the last records of the voices of their daughters.
Army Observer Families Criticize the Army: "It Feels Like We Were Deceived by the IDF"
Shai Ashram, her family heard her voice again for the first time
The military provided families with communications recordings from the final hours of the female lookouts from Nahal Oz, who perished during the Black Saturday massacre, following a petition on the matter. However, the families claim the information is incomplete and excludes the morning of the attack and the preceding hours. "This has caused us immense and unbearable heartbreak," they said.
Last night (Monday), the IDF handed over communication recordings to the families of the lookouts from Nahal Oz, capturing their daughters' voices during the final hours before the war broke out. However, it soon became clear that the recordings were partial. According to the families, they received recordings from the evening before the attack and just a few seconds from the early morning hours. "It's a profound disappointment," they expressed.
For a long time, the Nahal Oz lookouts noticed unusual movements and suspicious activity along the border fence, with figures tracking their every move from the other side. They had repeatedly reported this in the lead-up to October 7, noting that terrorists were approaching the fence with vehicles. The families had hoped the recordings would shed light on what transpired at the post before the massacre.
"It feels like the IDF deceived us"
Yigal, the father of the late lookout Hadar Cohen, shared that the information provided was incomplete: "We received recordings of the shifts but only what the army decided to give us—from October 6, starting in the morning and until midnight. Hadar was on duty that day from 8 PM to midnight, but you hear nothing. For October 7, we received just two recordings of a few seconds each."
"It feels like the IDF deceived us," Cohen added. "The investigation released today by the IDF showed that the lookouts were asked to conduct checks and that they had requested the soldiers not to be near the fence—yet this isn't reflected in the recordings." The family of another lookout reported receiving about ten very short recordings, mostly communication checks, that offered no insight into what occurred in the operations room. Most of these were from times when their daughter wasn’t even on duty.
The burnt out control room at teh Nahal Oz Base
"We heard Shai's voice"
The family of the late lookout Shai Ashram, who listened to the recordings for the first time, said: "We heard Shai's voice. We heard her reporting during her final shift on Friday, October 6, in the morning—just as she had done professionally and diligently throughout her service. We even heard her laughing, a stark contrast to the last time we spoke to her, when she was crying and terrified on the morning of October 7. It's a shame we only got to hear her voice after more than a year of fighting, including filing a Supreme Court petition."
"The most important thing now is to bring back Shai's friends from captivity: Liri, Agam, Daniela, Karina, Naama, and all the kidnapped individuals," Shai's family added. "We demand that the army present us with the investigation reports immediately and appoint a state investigative committee. That is the least we deserve—the least our brave lookouts deserve."
Barak Landman, the father of the late lookout Adi Landman, also expressed frustration: "What they provided us is shameful—they kept us waiting all day. In the end, they gave us recordings up until 6:30 PM on Friday, and two recordings of just a few seconds from 4:47 AM. We still haven’t had the chance, even now, to hear Adi's voice. It's disappointing, infuriating, and makes us believe the army has something to hide. The way they’re handling this is disgraceful."
The observers who were killed on October 7
The decision to release the recordings followed a Supreme Court petition filed two months ago by the parents of the late lookouts Adi Landman, Maya Vialovo Polo, Shirat Yam Amar, Shai Ashram, Hadar Miriam Cohen, Aviv Hajaj, Shachaf Nisani, Roni Eshel, Shirel Mor, and Yam Glass, who perished in the Nahal Oz post on October 7. The parents of the late lookout Noa Marciano, who was abducted from the post and murdered in captivity in Gaza, also joined the petition.
The petition, filed against the IDF Chief of Staff and other senior officials, demanded the release of recordings and footage from the morning of October 7, the day before Black Saturday, and the final shifts of each lookout. In light of the allegations of partial information, the families’ attorney emphasized that they would continue pursuing the case in the Supreme Court.
The five observers who are still in Hamas Captivity and are believed to be alive
Parents Share the Struggle to Learn the Truth
Speaking with Channel 12 News, parents of the lookouts described their efforts to uncover what happened to their daughters during their final hours. Anat, the mother of the late lookout Staff Sergeant Yam Glass, who commanded the lookouts, said her daughter was uneasy until she left the base due to the severe disturbances near the fence. "There were weapons at the fence, and in her messages to me, she said, 'We'll see if I even make it out—until I step outside the guardhouse, I won’t feel calm.'"
Sharon Eshel, the mother of the late Corporal Roni Eshel, managed to discuss the dire situation in the sector with her daughter shortly before the massacre. "On Wednesday morning, Roni stood in the doorway and told me it was boiling over there, and that they knew everything about us," shared Ilan, Roni's father. "She talked about technological malfunctions in the equipment they were supposed to use in case of an attack and said the technical teams didn’t come because they were afraid."link
A 60-year-old woman was seriously injured while running to a shelter in Tel Aviv amid the sirens triggered by a missile launched by the Houthis in Yemen, Magen David Adom says.
The woman was evacuated to Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital for treatment.
MDA says it has treated 25 people who were lightly injured either while running to shelters or after suffering anxiety attacks.
IDF announces death of 3 soldiers killed during fighting in northern Gaza today
Three Israeli soldiers were killed during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip today, the military announces.
The slain troops are named as: Cpt. Ilay Gavriel Atedgi, 22, from Kiryat Motzkin; Staff Sgt. Netanel Pessach, 21, from Elazar; and Sgt. First Class (res.) Hillel Diener, 21, from Talmon.
Soldiers killed in the northern Gaza Strip on December 23, 2024: (L-R) Cpt. Ilay Gavriel Atedgi, Staff Sgt. Netanel Pessach, and Sgt. First Class (res.) Hillel Diener. (Israel Defense Forces)
They all served in the Kfir Brigade’s Shimshon Battalion.
According to an initial IDF probe, the soldiers were killed by an explosive device in the Beit Hanoun area.
Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 391. The toll includes a police officer killed in a hostage rescue mission and a Defense Ministry civilian contractor.
IDF to give parents of surveillance soldiers slain on Oct. 7 audio recordings from day before massacre
Families of Israeli surveillance soldiers who were killed by Hamas terrorists at the Nahal Oz surveillance outpost on October 7 hold up photographs of the soldiers and speak to the press after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, outside the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, July 17, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)
The IDF says that it will pass on communication recordings of surveillance soldiers killed in Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught to the soldiers’ parents, who had petitioned the High Court of Justice for the documentation.
In a statement, the IDF says it updated the families of the surveillance soldiers who were killed at the Nahal Oz post in the Hamas attack that the military “is prepared to hand over the radio recordings from the last day before they fell, before the outbreak of the war, in which the voices of their loved ones can be heard.”
The decision ends a year-plus-long struggle by the bereaved families to receive the documentation of their daughters’ final moments before they were killed by Hamas terrorists.
The military says it will pass the recordings to the families as soon as possible.
The IDF says it also updated the High Court on the decision.
For weeks before Hamas’s onslaught — when thousands of terrorists streamed over the border, killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 more — surveillance soldiers reported signs of activity along the restive Gaza border, situated a kilometer from them.
While the surveillance soldiers provide real-time intelligence information to soldiers in the field, earning them the name “the eyes of the army,” members of the all-female force believe that they were not taken seriously, due to their gender — an oversight that they say led to the deaths of 15 of their number at their base next to Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7, 2023.
A further seven surveillance soldiers were taken hostage to Gaza, one of whom was rescued alive and another whose body was recovered; she was murdered in captivity. LINK This was a court case that never should have reached the point of the families having to turn to the court. The army should have made sure there were no security issues in the recordings, and if there were, to retract those parts, and then make them available to the families as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the army behaves without the necessary empathy that must exist in a people's army. The young women soldiers killed were not machines, nor were they anonymous serial numbers. They are the daughters of families who lost their dearest children in a massacre that was the army's responsibility to protect them and they failed. With that failure, there should have been the greatest effort possible made to alleviate the families from having to fight with the army to get the recordings that contain the last records of the voices of their daughters.
Army Observer Families Criticize the Army: "It Feels Like We Were Deceived by the IDF"
The military provided families with communications recordings from the final hours of the female lookouts from Nahal Oz, who perished during the Black Saturday massacre, following a petition on the matter. However, the families claim the information is incomplete and excludes the morning of the attack and the preceding hours. "This has caused us immense and unbearable heartbreak," they said.
Last night (Monday), the IDF handed over communication recordings to the families of the lookouts from Nahal Oz, capturing their daughters' voices during the final hours before the war broke out. However, it soon became clear that the recordings were partial. According to the families, they received recordings from the evening before the attack and just a few seconds from the early morning hours. "It's a profound disappointment," they expressed.
For a long time, the Nahal Oz lookouts noticed unusual movements and suspicious activity along the border fence, with figures tracking their every move from the other side. They had repeatedly reported this in the lead-up to October 7, noting that terrorists were approaching the fence with vehicles. The families had hoped the recordings would shed light on what transpired at the post before the massacre.
"It feels like the IDF deceived us"
Yigal, the father of the late lookout Hadar Cohen, shared that the information provided was incomplete: "We received recordings of the shifts but only what the army decided to give us—from October 6, starting in the morning and until midnight. Hadar was on duty that day from 8 PM to midnight, but you hear nothing. For October 7, we received just two recordings of a few seconds each."
"It feels like the IDF deceived us," Cohen added. "The investigation released today by the IDF showed that the lookouts were asked to conduct checks and that they had requested the soldiers not to be near the fence—yet this isn't reflected in the recordings." The family of another lookout reported receiving about ten very short recordings, mostly communication checks, that offered no insight into what occurred in the operations room. Most of these were from times when their daughter wasn’t even on duty.
"We heard Shai's voice"
The family of the late lookout Shai Ashram, who listened to the recordings for the first time, said: "We heard Shai's voice. We heard her reporting during her final shift on Friday, October 6, in the morning—just as she had done professionally and diligently throughout her service. We even heard her laughing, a stark contrast to the last time we spoke to her, when she was crying and terrified on the morning of October 7. It's a shame we only got to hear her voice after more than a year of fighting, including filing a Supreme Court petition."
"The most important thing now is to bring back Shai's friends from captivity: Liri, Agam, Daniela, Karina, Naama, and all the kidnapped individuals," Shai's family added. "We demand that the army present us with the investigation reports immediately and appoint a state investigative committee. That is the least we deserve—the least our brave lookouts deserve."
Barak Landman, the father of the late lookout Adi Landman, also expressed frustration: "What they provided us is shameful—they kept us waiting all day. In the end, they gave us recordings up until 6:30 PM on Friday, and two recordings of just a few seconds from 4:47 AM. We still haven’t had the chance, even now, to hear Adi's voice. It's disappointing, infuriating, and makes us believe the army has something to hide. The way they’re handling this is disgraceful."
The decision to release the recordings followed a Supreme Court petition filed two months ago by the parents of the late lookouts Adi Landman, Maya Vialovo Polo, Shirat Yam Amar, Shai Ashram, Hadar Miriam Cohen, Aviv Hajaj, Shachaf Nisani, Roni Eshel, Shirel Mor, and Yam Glass, who perished in the Nahal Oz post on October 7. The parents of the late lookout Noa Marciano, who was abducted from the post and murdered in captivity in Gaza, also joined the petition.
The petition, filed against the IDF Chief of Staff and other senior officials, demanded the release of recordings and footage from the morning of October 7, the day before Black Saturday, and the final shifts of each lookout. In light of the allegations of partial information, the families’ attorney emphasized that they would continue pursuing the case in the Supreme Court.
Parents Share the Struggle to Learn the Truth
Speaking with Channel 12 News, parents of the lookouts described their efforts to uncover what happened to their daughters during their final hours. Anat, the mother of the late lookout Staff Sergeant Yam Glass, who commanded the lookouts, said her daughter was uneasy until she left the base due to the severe disturbances near the fence. "There were weapons at the fence, and in her messages to me, she said, 'We'll see if I even make it out—until I step outside the guardhouse, I won’t feel calm.'"
Sharon Eshel, the mother of the late Corporal Roni Eshel, managed to discuss the dire situation in the sector with her daughter shortly before the massacre. "On Wednesday morning, Roni stood in the doorway and told me it was boiling over there, and that they knew everything about us," shared Ilan, Roni's father. "She talked about technological malfunctions in the equipment they were supposed to use in case of an attack and said the technical teams didn’t come because they were afraid."link
Hostage Updates
- Former Hamas hostage Hanna Katzir dies at 78
Hanna Katzir, who endured nearly two months of Hamas captivity in Gaza, has died at 78, her hometown of Kibbutz Nir Oz announces.
Katzir was kidnapped from her home in the kibbutz on October 7, 2023. She was released on the first day of a weeklong truce in November 2023, but her family reported soon after that she had returned in extremely poor health and needed to be hospitalized for heart issues.
“Mom was a loving woman, wife and mother who gave nothing but love,” her daughter Carmit Palty Katzir says in a message sent out by the Hostage and Missing Families Forum. “Her heart could not withstand the terrible suffering since October 7.”
People cheer as a vehicle carrying hostages released by Hamas drives towards Hatzerim army base in Ofakim, southern Israel, on November 26, 2023, after they were released from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip. (Menahem Kahana/AFP)Katzir’s husband Rami, 79, was killed during the attack and her son Elad was taken hostage. According to the IDF, Elad was likely killed by his captors in January. His body was recovered in April.
Katzir is scheduled to be buried in the Kibbutz Nir Oz cemetery later today.
Palty Katzir notes that those still in captivity are also in extreme danger, urging leaders to reach a deal with Hamas to free them.
- יום הולדת 56 לחטוף אוהד בן-עמי
Today is Ohad Ben Ami's 2nd birthday in Hamas captivity.From December 2023 Times of Israel - nothing has changed in a year
Taken captive: Ohad Ben Ami, dual Israeli-German citizenDual German citizen, Be’eri resident Ben Ami remains hostage after his wife, Raz, was releasedOhad Ben Ami, 57, was taken hostage with his wife, Raz Ben Ami, also 57, from their home in Kibbutz Be’eri by Hamas terrorists on October 7, as the terror group slaughtered and kidnapped residents, committing brutal atrocities.
Raz Ben Ami was released on November 29 as part of an extended temporary ceasefire deal brokered by Qatar and the United States between Hamas and Israel.
One of their three daughters, Ela, was also on Be’eri and survived.
She had been in touch with her father on WhatsApp that morning, until the moment he was kidnapped, around 10 a.m.
Another daughter, Natalie Ben Ami, lives nearby on Kibbutz Nahal Oz with her boyfriend and was also in touch with her parents until the moment they were abducted.
Ohad’s last message on WhatsApp said, “Shma Yisrael, they’re here,” citing the foundational Jewish prayer.
He then gave her instructions about his will. Both Ohad and Raz also have German citizenship.
A photo of Ohad appeared on social media two weeks later, showing him in a T-shirt and underwear, being pulled by his shirt by a terrorist.
Two days after Raz Ben Ami was released, she made her way to Tel Aviv’s temporary Hostages Square on Friday to call for her husband’s release.
Raz Ben-Ami, a released hostage whose husband is still captive in Gaza, and other families of Israelis held hostage by Hamas terrorists, hold a press conference at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square on December 16, 2023.(Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)The Ben Amis have all been active since Raz’s release, speaking publicly, giving interviews and calling on the government to initiate a new agreement for the release of their loved ones.
“I won’t give up until he’s here,” said Raz Ben Ami, who suffers brain tumors that press on nerves in her skull.
Ben Ami adds that she warned members of the government that the ground offensive in Gaza was putting hostages at risk.
“Unfortunately we were right,” she says, “A military operation alone will not save the lives of the hostages.”
Even if the Israeli-Hamas negotiations are on the path to success, the fact that it goes through mediators, the Qataris and the Egyptians and involves the negotiators flying to Doha and to Cairo complicates the issues and makes it difficult to reach an agreement, even if there is a desire to reach an agreement. The best track for this kind of negotiations is a direct back channel between Israel and Hamas where they can communicate directly and raise solutions to the issues that have been brought up in negotiations that seem to be obstacles. Problem solving and finding solutions is easier when you talk directly. All of this, of course is taking into account that the Prime Minister wants to reach an agreement. I don’t believe that he does though. He wants the hostage to be brought home, but he wants Hamas to surrender and Hamas will not surrender. They will continue to fight as long as Israeli soldiers remain in Gaza. They will continue to kill Israeli soldiers and Israeli soldiers will continue to kill Gazans including many innocent civilians. The people of Gaza want Hamas gone and Hamas is willing to give up control but not before the war is over. Netanyahu and Hamas- do the deal to bring the hostages home now and end the war. (Gershon Baskin, December 24, 2024)
Knesset speaker visits jailed leak suspect, drawing anger from hostage relative
Speaker Amir Ohana is being criticized after he visited a reservist who is jailed over allegations he helped leak sensitive military information to a foreign news outlet as part of a ploy to torpedo a potential hostage deal.
Ohana had been to Ayalon Prison, where Aaron Rosenfeld has been held for a month as he awaits trial in a case that has embroiled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and drawn the ire of his right-wing allies.
A spokesperson for Ohana says he visited to show support for Rosenfeld and his bid to be released on bail and freed “from draconian conditions.”
Responding to the visit, Gil Dickmann, whose cousin Carmel Gat was one of six hostages executed by Hamas in a tunnel several months ago, expresses anger over Ohana’s priorities.
“We have invited, requested, pleaded, but for 14 months the Knesset speaker has not visited Hostages Square,” he is quoted saying by Ynet. “I wish the Knesset had a speaker that cared for the hostages as much as they care for officers suspected of killing a hostage deal.”
Gaza and the South
- Israel Police, Shin Bet foil attempt to smuggle weapons over Egypt border using drone; 2 arrested
A photo cleared for publication on December 23, 2024, shows a drone used in an attempt to smuggle weapons over the border with Egypt. (Israel Police)
Two suspects were arrested in November on suspicion of smuggling weapons across the border from Egypt via the Sinai Desert, Israel Police and the Shin Bet security agency announce in a statement.
The security forces name the suspects as Zaher Abu Rakeik, from the Bedouin town of Bir Hadaj in the Negev, and Imad Huashla, from nearby Qasr a-Sir, outside Dimona.
A joint Israel Police-Shin Bet operation found that Zaher and Emad were involved in smuggling eight pistols and cartridges across the border from Sinai on October 19 using a drone, according to the statement, among other incidents.
The two suspects were charged today, the statement adds.
- IDF says senior member of Hamas security forces killed in Gaza airstrike
People carry a man injured in an Israeli strike on the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 22, 2024. (Eyad BABA / AFP)
A senior member of Hamas’s general security forces was killed in an airstrike in Gaza City yesterday, the IDF and Shin Bet announce.
According to the military, the target of the strike, Tharwat Muhammad Ahmad al-Bayk, served as the head of the security directorate in Hamas’s General Security Service.
Al-Bayk was targeted while at a Hamas command center embedded within the Musa Ibn Nusayr, in Gaza City’s Daraj neighborhood, the IDF says.
The school was serving as a shelter for displaced Gazans, and Palestinian media reported at least eight dead in the strike.
The IDF and Shin Bet say that the security directorate in the General Security Service is a Hamas body that is tasked with building an intelligence picture to help the terror group make decisions.
The unit is also responsible for the protection of Hamas’s top officials, and is tasked with providing shelters for the senior commanders and leaders to enable them to continue their military activity, the joint statement says.
“Al-Bayk was considered one of the main links in the mechanism, and a significant factor in [Hamas’s] decision-making,” the statement continues.
The IDF says it took steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strike, including by using a precision munition and aerial surveillance.
- Hamas health officials claim IDF targeting northern Gaza hospitals
A photo cleared for publication on December 23, 2024, shows a drone used in an attempt to smuggle weapons over the border with Egypt. (Israel Police)
Two suspects were arrested in November on suspicion of smuggling weapons across the border from Egypt via the Sinai Desert, Israel Police and the Shin Bet security agency announce in a statement.
The security forces name the suspects as Zaher Abu Rakeik, from the Bedouin town of Bir Hadaj in the Negev, and Imad Huashla, from nearby Qasr a-Sir, outside Dimona.
A joint Israel Police-Shin Bet operation found that Zaher and Emad were involved in smuggling eight pistols and cartridges across the border from Sinai on October 19 using a drone, according to the statement, among other incidents.
The two suspects were charged today, the statement adds.
People carry a man injured in an Israeli strike on the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 22, 2024. (Eyad BABA / AFP)
A senior member of Hamas’s general security forces was killed in an airstrike in Gaza City yesterday, the IDF and Shin Bet announce.
According to the military, the target of the strike, Tharwat Muhammad Ahmad al-Bayk, served as the head of the security directorate in Hamas’s General Security Service.
Al-Bayk was targeted while at a Hamas command center embedded within the Musa Ibn Nusayr, in Gaza City’s Daraj neighborhood, the IDF says.
The school was serving as a shelter for displaced Gazans, and Palestinian media reported at least eight dead in the strike.
The IDF and Shin Bet say that the security directorate in the General Security Service is a Hamas body that is tasked with building an intelligence picture to help the terror group make decisions.
The unit is also responsible for the protection of Hamas’s top officials, and is tasked with providing shelters for the senior commanders and leaders to enable them to continue their military activity, the joint statement says.
“Al-Bayk was considered one of the main links in the mechanism, and a significant factor in [Hamas’s] decision-making,” the statement continues.
The IDF says it took steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strike, including by using a precision munition and aerial surveillance.
Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria
- US said urging Israel to nurture ties with new Syrian leader; Israel listening but unconvinced
Senior American officials have urged their Israeli counterparts to nurture ties with Syria’s new leader, Channel 12 reports.
“Cooperation and communication channels of yours with al-Julani will bolster Israel’s influence in the entire area,” the report quotes US officials saying. “We are talking about a pragmatic leader who wants to develop strategic relations with the nations of the region.”
Israel is listening to what the Americans are saying, but also suspects that al-Julani is playing the US and international community, and trying to stabilize his control, but has not truly changed his spots.
The US, nonetheless, believes cooperation could help ensure that Iran does not return to Syria, the report says.
Syrian rebels groups agree to dissolve, integrate into state, new leadership says link
Lebanese PM said seeking to meet US, French officials over claims Israel breaking truce
Senior American officials have urged their Israeli counterparts to nurture ties with Syria’s new leader, Channel 12 reports.
“Cooperation and communication channels of yours with al-Julani will bolster Israel’s influence in the entire area,” the report quotes US officials saying. “We are talking about a pragmatic leader who wants to develop strategic relations with the nations of the region.”
Israel is listening to what the Americans are saying, but also suspects that al-Julani is playing the US and international community, and trying to stabilize his control, but has not truly changed his spots.
The US, nonetheless, believes cooperation could help ensure that Iran does not return to Syria, the report says.
Syrian rebels groups agree to dissolve, integrate into state, new leadership says link
Lebanese PM said seeking to meet US, French officials over claims Israel breaking truce
West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel
- Palestinian poll finds Gazans prefer PA rule while West Bankers want Hamas
A new poll by Arab World Research and Development, a Ramallah-based research center, finds that Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are unhappy with their leaders and would prefer an alternative.
In Gaza, which Hamas has ruled for nearly two decades, only 5 percent say they would support a Hamas-led government, while 31% would support a government led by the Palestinian Authority.
In contrast, in the West Bank, where the PA President Mahmoud Abbas is in charge, respondents prefer Hamas to the PA by a margin of 25% to 10%.
The poll also finds that 29% of West Bank Palestinians are “very or somewhat satisfied” with the performance of Abbas and his government.
The survey, published Saturday, was conducted between November 27 and December 2 among 704 adult Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
The poll revealed a stark contrast in outlook between Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank when it comes to looking ahead. In Gaza, the percentage of respondents who believe that things are heading in the “wrong direction” dropped to 60% from 84% in an October poll. In the West Bank, the pessimistic outlook jumps from 59% of respondents in October to 79% in the current survey.
According to the research center, in the West Bank, Palestinians have seen “deteriorating political, security and economic prospects,” while in Gaza they have felt encouraged by the ceasefire signed between Israel and Hezbollah in November. link In Gaza, most Gazans wanted to get rid of Hamas long before the war. Hamas was an autocratic dictatorial rule which arrested, punished, tortured and killed any opposition and did very little for the good of the Gazan population.
In the West Bank, they have lived under the rule of Abbas (Abu Mazen) for so many years and have seen very little happen positively. Netanyahu has succeeded in weakening the PA so much and has never been willing to talk to Abu Mazen about ending the conflict, so nothing of measure could improve in the West Bank. The Palestinians in the West Bank certainly do not support a religious governing body, but they want change and the only other strong body is Hamas. If presented with other significant alternatives, very few would actually support Hamas, if and when elections are held
Official Palestinian news outlet Wafa reports that a man has been killed amid clashes with Israeli troops during a raid in the West Bank city of Tulkarem.
Palestinians inspect the damage caused by an Israeli airstrike in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, October 4, 2024. (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)The man is named as Fathi Saeed Awda Salem. The report does not say if he was involved in fighting with troops.
There is no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
According to Wafa, heavy fighting broke out as Israeli troops entered the al-Hadaida neighborhood of Tulkarem overnight, using bulldozers to destroy roads, buildings and other infrastructure.
A new poll by Arab World Research and Development, a Ramallah-based research center, finds that Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are unhappy with their leaders and would prefer an alternative.
In Gaza, which Hamas has ruled for nearly two decades, only 5 percent say they would support a Hamas-led government, while 31% would support a government led by the Palestinian Authority.
In contrast, in the West Bank, where the PA President Mahmoud Abbas is in charge, respondents prefer Hamas to the PA by a margin of 25% to 10%.
The poll also finds that 29% of West Bank Palestinians are “very or somewhat satisfied” with the performance of Abbas and his government.
The survey, published Saturday, was conducted between November 27 and December 2 among 704 adult Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
The poll revealed a stark contrast in outlook between Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank when it comes to looking ahead. In Gaza, the percentage of respondents who believe that things are heading in the “wrong direction” dropped to 60% from 84% in an October poll. In the West Bank, the pessimistic outlook jumps from 59% of respondents in October to 79% in the current survey.
According to the research center, in the West Bank, Palestinians have seen “deteriorating political, security and economic prospects,” while in Gaza they have felt encouraged by the ceasefire signed between Israel and Hezbollah in November. link In Gaza, most Gazans wanted to get rid of Hamas long before the war. Hamas was an autocratic dictatorial rule which arrested, punished, tortured and killed any opposition and did very little for the good of the Gazan population.
In the West Bank, they have lived under the rule of Abbas (Abu Mazen) for so many years and have seen very little happen positively. Netanyahu has succeeded in weakening the PA so much and has never been willing to talk to Abu Mazen about ending the conflict, so nothing of measure could improve in the West Bank. The Palestinians in the West Bank certainly do not support a religious governing body, but they want change and the only other strong body is Hamas. If presented with other significant alternatives, very few would actually support Hamas, if and when elections are held
Official Palestinian news outlet Wafa reports that a man has been killed amid clashes with Israeli troops during a raid in the West Bank city of Tulkarem.
The man is named as Fathi Saeed Awda Salem. The report does not say if he was involved in fighting with troops.
There is no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
According to Wafa, heavy fighting broke out as Israeli troops entered the al-Hadaida neighborhood of Tulkarem overnight, using bulldozers to destroy roads, buildings and other infrastructure.
Politics and the War (general news)
‘Out of respect for the PM, I won’t say what I saw that day’: Lapid hints at Netanyahu’s emotional state on Oct. 7
Opposition leader Yair Lapid insinuates that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in a bad emotional state on October 7, 2023, as Hamas’s brutal massacre in southern Israel was unfolding, hinting at a story that the premier would not want to go public.
“I want to remind you,” Lapid says to the prime minister from the Knesset podium, “You and I met on October 7, 2023. I suggest that you don’t speak to me about withstanding pressure. I saw you then. Out of respect for the prime minister, I won’t say what I saw that day.”
The opposition leader’s quip came after the prime minister commented on a speech Lapid gave at a rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday night in which he vowed to topple the government.
“I don’t want to say that there’s no pressure on the opposition leader, but there’s no need to get carried away. You’ve gotta stay calm,” Netanyahu said of Lapid’s fiery speech.
‘Out of respect for the PM, I won’t say what I saw that day’: Lapid hints at Netanyahu’s emotional state on Oct. 7
Opposition leader Yair Lapid insinuates that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in a bad emotional state on October 7, 2023, as Hamas’s brutal massacre in southern Israel was unfolding, hinting at a story that the premier would not want to go public.
“I want to remind you,” Lapid says to the prime minister from the Knesset podium, “You and I met on October 7, 2023. I suggest that you don’t speak to me about withstanding pressure. I saw you then. Out of respect for the prime minister, I won’t say what I saw that day.”
The opposition leader’s quip came after the prime minister commented on a speech Lapid gave at a rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday night in which he vowed to topple the government.
“I don’t want to say that there’s no pressure on the opposition leader, but there’s no need to get carried away. You’ve gotta stay calm,” Netanyahu said of Lapid’s fiery speech.
- Report: Family of PM’s late aide set to file NIS 8 million lawsuit against Netanyahu family, Likud party
The family of a deceased former aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to file a NIS 8 million ($2.2 million) lawsuit against the premier’s Likud party and his family for harassment, abuse, humiliation, and economic exploitation, according to a Channel 12 news report.
The report comes after the network’s investigative program, Uvda, last week published text messages between the prime minister’s wife, Sara Netanyahu, and his late assistant, Hanni Bleiweiss, that purport to show efforts to combat those perceived as enemies of the first family.
Bleiweiss died of cancer in March 2023.
“In the last year of her life, [Bleiweiss] suffered harassment, abuse, humiliation, and economic exploitation that severely affected her and harmed her health,” the report quotes from the lawsuit.
The family is also quoted as saying that during Bleiweiss’ time working for the Netanyahu family, she was often required to make purchases with her own money and file for expenses, including buying food for Likud staff and personal items for party leadership.
The purchases came to a total of at least NIS 400,000 ($110,000), according to the report.
In another allegation, the family is quoted as saying that Likud members spread false claims that Bleiweiss was pretending to suffer from cancer in order to keep her job.
The lawsuit will include evidence of the claims, Channel 12 reports, citing the Bleiweiss family.
Responding to the report, Likud denies the claims and says the lawsuit is an attempt to squeeze money from the party.
- Esther Hayut Criticizes: "Disastrous Moves Threaten Essential Democratic Anchors"
Retired Supreme Court President Esther Hayut received an honorary doctorate from the University of Haifa and delivered a critical speech, stating, "It is imperative to protect the judiciary, the media, and the legal counsel to the government." She criticized the government's actions: "Those who, in the name of democracy, undermine the independence of these bodies are destabilizing the entire regime."
During a ceremony at the University of Haifa today (Monday), where she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree, former Supreme Court President Esther Hayut addressed the tensions between the government and the judicial system. In her speech, she warned: "I am watching with deep concern as disastrous initiatives and measures pose a real threat to the independence and impartiality of essential democratic anchors." She stressed, "Those who, ostensibly in the name of democracy, undermine the institutional and professional independence of these bodies misuse the term democracy, employing its tools cynically. Such actions destabilize democratic anchors and the entire democratic regime."
In her remarks, Hayut highlighted the democratic anchors she referred to, including the judiciary, the media, and legal counsel to the government. "Freedom of expression and academic freedom alike are foundational pillars of the democratic structure," she stated. "It is our duty to protect them. To do so, we must safeguard the independence and impartiality of academia and other democratic anchors, including the judiciary, the media, and legal counsel to the government, which are crucial for upholding and realizing democratic values in our society."
Hayut continued: "The State of Israel has inscribed on its banner a commitment to principles of liberty, freedom of religion, freedom of conscience, justice, and social and political equality for all its citizens, regardless of religion, race, or gender. These are the cornerstones of substantive democracy, and they cannot remain mere words on the parchment of the Declaration of Independence. Achieving this requires a system of checks and balances to ensure that the ruling majority does not concentrate unchecked power in its hands. This system includes institutions such as the State Comptroller, legal counsel to the government, and the judiciary."
"Democracy's Foundations Cannot Remain Empty Words"
Hayut further emphasized: "Independent and impartial bodies are anchors for the existence of a democratic society. Their independence and freedom from political influence are essential for their proper functioning and for safeguarding democratic values. However, the law alone cannot resolve all of society's crises. Education for democracy, fostering a democratic culture, and instilling democratic values must become integral to our social and public ethos. Only in this way can we ensure that democracy is not merely a formal principle but a living, breathing social reality embedded across all levels of society and among public servants." link. Here statement "Those who, in the name of democracy, undermine the independence of these bodies are destabilizing the entire regime." is the tip of the iceberg but it so on the mark. We have the extremist messianic ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir and all of the members of their extremist parts who continue to cry out loud that they are doing what they are doing to protect democracy. Unfortunately, they neither understand of even care about democracy. Every law that they try to pass and every action they take and encourage their minions to take are the opposite of democracy and so much is against the law. They are actively looking to undermine the few remnants of democracy that we still have.
Former chief justice Hayut: Disastrous initiatives pose real threat to democratic pillars
In her first public comments since retiring from the Supreme Court last year, former court president Esther Hayut says she is “observing with great concern the disastrous initiatives and actions that pose a real threat to the independence and autonomy of essential democratic pillars.”
She attacks those who “misuse democracy while cynically exploiting democratic tools,” and take actions that “erode the anchors of democracy and the democratic regime as a whole.”
Speaking at a ceremony at the University of Haifa where she is receiving an honorary doctorate, Hayut says: “More than 76 years ago, Israel inscribed on its banner a commitment to the principles of liberty, freedom of religion, conscience, justice, and social and political equality for all its citizens. To uphold such a regime in practice — not merely as empty words on the Declaration of Independence — the state required a comprehensive system of checks and balances to ensure that the majority elected to govern would not concentrate unlimited power in its hands.”
“Such a system of checks and balances was established and includes institutions such as the state comptroller, the attorney general, the judiciary, academia and the media. Those who, ostensibly in the name of democracy, undermine the institutional and professional independence of these bodies misuse democracy while cynically exploiting democratic tools. Such actions erode the anchors of democracy and the democratic regime as a whole.”
During the ceremony, university president Prof. Gur Alroey also criticizes the government over its judicial overhaul efforts, saying the judiciary “is under an attack unprecedented since the state’s founding.”
- Lapid: Opposition won’t cooperate with any ‘political commission of inquiry’ in place of official Oct. 7 probe
The opposition will not cooperate with any “political commission of inquiry” established by the government in place of an official state probe, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid declares.
“We will not be part of a fraud,” he tells reporters ahead of his Yesh Atid party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset.
“The coalition’s proposal says that if the opposition does not cooperate, then the president will be the one to choose the representatives for the committee. That will not happen,” he says.
“President Herzog will not humiliate himself, nor will he humiliate the institution of the presidency, by cooperating with a blatant attempt to escape responsibility.”
Last week, Israel Hayom reported that Likud MK Ariel Kallner is pushing a bill to establish such a probe into the events of October 7, 2023, in place of a state commission of inquiry. His proposal is said to stipulate that both the coalition and opposition choose representatives on the commission and that in case of a boycott, President Isaac Herzog will choose in place of the opposition.
Netanyahu has been considering such a move to head off the establishment of a state commission of inquiry, to which he has vehemently objected, for some time.
“They are afraid. Netanyahu and his people know what will be revealed as soon as the protocols and documents are released, as soon as the security establishment can say what they know, as soon as all those involved in the most terrible disaster in our history are summoned to testify,” Lapid continues.
“They are afraid of the truth. They do not want the Israeli public to know the truth,” he says, adding that “the only committee that can be established, the only committee that can be trusted, is a state commission of inquiry.”
Earlier this year, a state commission of inquiry named Netanyahu as one of several officials responsible for the 2021 Meron disaster, in which 45 people were killed in a crush at the hilltop gravesite of the second-century sage Shimon Bar Yochai in northern Israel. link It is not enough for Lapid to state that the opposition will not cooperate with a political commission. The opposition leaders, as individuals make all the right statements but they are incredibly impotent. They do all this as individuals and not as a united front. We have yet to see them putting their differences aside and uniting to fight the immoral dictates of this corrupt and failed government. And no one can depend on President Herzog. While it is true that he has no political power in his position as president but he has the ear of the public if he wanted. Instead he continues to be the same as he was as a politician, a lightweight who is afraid of his own shadow. Any and every statement he has made since the war began has been so vanilla as to have no meaning whatsoever. Presidents before him has used the position's voice to state moral contempt and opposition to political actions and statement that were so wrong and against all that the position and the state should stand for. But Herzog will continue to be a 'nebuch' (a timid simpleton) with no backbone.
The New Initiative and the Parents’ Letter to End the War in Gaza: “Dragging on Without Purpose”Approximately 800 parents of soldiers have sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling for an end to the war in Gaza.
"What’s happening there is a senseless presence of soldiers," said Nurit Berger, one of the letter’s initiators, in an interview with ynet. Inbal Arazi, whose son has been serving in Gaza for over a year, stated, "There is no decisive victory. Right now, we’re all losing." Additionally, the "Normal Israel" initiative, led by a former protest leader, has joined the call.
About 800 parents of active-duty and reserve soldiers signed a new letter addressed to Netanyahu, urging an end to the war in Gaza and accusing the government of prolonging it to fulfill "messianic settlement aspirations in Gaza."
One of the signatories, Nurit Berger, a mother of three—one of whom was a reservist in Gaza and another who served 14 months in the Strip during his active duty—expressed her concerns. “What’s happening now in Gaza, and I say this humbly, but senior military officials are saying the same, is that soldiers are there for no reason. Many are stepping on IEDs, buildings are collapsing—they can’t hold up anymore. We’re simply fighting for an unclear purpose,” she said in an interview with ynet.
Berger added, “We need a diplomatic agreement. We’re Zionist families. We supported this war; we saw it as a war of necessity. But now we believe there is an alternative, and it’s continuing only to sustain this government and this Prime Minister.”
Another signatory, Inbal Arazi, shared that her son has been serving in the Strip for over a year and two months, with her husband also called up for reserve duty. “I raised my son with the best, most patriotic, and Zionist values. That’s why he’s been in Gaza since October 7. Senior defense officials say we can leave Gaza, and we know every war ends in an agreement. There’s no such thing as a total victory—right now, we’re all losing.”
She continued, “My son is very confused. He doesn’t claim we need to leave because he’s young and under his commanders. In elite units—contrary to what’s shown in reports—the soldiers are exhausted, physically and mentally wounded. It’s the Prime Minister’s duty to bring our soldiers home and to bring the hostages back.”
"Normal Israel" Initiative
Roy Neuman, leading the "Normal Israel" initiative, also called for ending the war in Gaza during an interview with ynet. “The only reason we’re still there is the messianic delusions of Ben Gvir and Smotrich, who are pulling Netanyahu along,” he said. “Israel is in a very tough neighborhood. Our neighbors don’t like us, and their motivations won’t disappear. But when almost all the military leadership says we’ve achieved every military goal possible—it’s time to end the war.”
Neuman, known for his role as a leader in the protests against the judicial overhaul, added, “Since October 7, I’ve barely participated in protests, maybe one or two. This is a new initiative of Israelis, and in the coming days, you’ll get to know all of them. Among us are also parents of soldiers currently in Gaza, echoing the same call. This is in our interest.” LINK
The opposition will not cooperate with any “political commission of inquiry” established by the government in place of an official state probe, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid declares.
“We will not be part of a fraud,” he tells reporters ahead of his Yesh Atid party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset.
“The coalition’s proposal says that if the opposition does not cooperate, then the president will be the one to choose the representatives for the committee. That will not happen,” he says.
“President Herzog will not humiliate himself, nor will he humiliate the institution of the presidency, by cooperating with a blatant attempt to escape responsibility.”
Last week, Israel Hayom reported that Likud MK Ariel Kallner is pushing a bill to establish such a probe into the events of October 7, 2023, in place of a state commission of inquiry. His proposal is said to stipulate that both the coalition and opposition choose representatives on the commission and that in case of a boycott, President Isaac Herzog will choose in place of the opposition.
Netanyahu has been considering such a move to head off the establishment of a state commission of inquiry, to which he has vehemently objected, for some time.
“They are afraid. Netanyahu and his people know what will be revealed as soon as the protocols and documents are released, as soon as the security establishment can say what they know, as soon as all those involved in the most terrible disaster in our history are summoned to testify,” Lapid continues.
“They are afraid of the truth. They do not want the Israeli public to know the truth,” he says, adding that “the only committee that can be established, the only committee that can be trusted, is a state commission of inquiry.”
Earlier this year, a state commission of inquiry named Netanyahu as one of several officials responsible for the 2021 Meron disaster, in which 45 people were killed in a crush at the hilltop gravesite of the second-century sage Shimon Bar Yochai in northern Israel. link It is not enough for Lapid to state that the opposition will not cooperate with a political commission. The opposition leaders, as individuals make all the right statements but they are incredibly impotent. They do all this as individuals and not as a united front. We have yet to see them putting their differences aside and uniting to fight the immoral dictates of this corrupt and failed government. And no one can depend on President Herzog. While it is true that he has no political power in his position as president but he has the ear of the public if he wanted. Instead he continues to be the same as he was as a politician, a lightweight who is afraid of his own shadow. Any and every statement he has made since the war began has been so vanilla as to have no meaning whatsoever. Presidents before him has used the position's voice to state moral contempt and opposition to political actions and statement that were so wrong and against all that the position and the state should stand for. But Herzog will continue to be a 'nebuch' (a timid simpleton) with no backbone.
The New Initiative and the Parents’ Letter to End the War in Gaza: “Dragging on Without Purpose”Approximately 800 parents of soldiers have sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling for an end to the war in Gaza.
"What’s happening there is a senseless presence of soldiers," said Nurit Berger, one of the letter’s initiators, in an interview with ynet. Inbal Arazi, whose son has been serving in Gaza for over a year, stated, "There is no decisive victory. Right now, we’re all losing." Additionally, the "Normal Israel" initiative, led by a former protest leader, has joined the call.
About 800 parents of active-duty and reserve soldiers signed a new letter addressed to Netanyahu, urging an end to the war in Gaza and accusing the government of prolonging it to fulfill "messianic settlement aspirations in Gaza."
One of the signatories, Nurit Berger, a mother of three—one of whom was a reservist in Gaza and another who served 14 months in the Strip during his active duty—expressed her concerns. “What’s happening now in Gaza, and I say this humbly, but senior military officials are saying the same, is that soldiers are there for no reason. Many are stepping on IEDs, buildings are collapsing—they can’t hold up anymore. We’re simply fighting for an unclear purpose,” she said in an interview with ynet.
Berger added, “We need a diplomatic agreement. We’re Zionist families. We supported this war; we saw it as a war of necessity. But now we believe there is an alternative, and it’s continuing only to sustain this government and this Prime Minister.”
Another signatory, Inbal Arazi, shared that her son has been serving in the Strip for over a year and two months, with her husband also called up for reserve duty. “I raised my son with the best, most patriotic, and Zionist values. That’s why he’s been in Gaza since October 7. Senior defense officials say we can leave Gaza, and we know every war ends in an agreement. There’s no such thing as a total victory—right now, we’re all losing.”
She continued, “My son is very confused. He doesn’t claim we need to leave because he’s young and under his commanders. In elite units—contrary to what’s shown in reports—the soldiers are exhausted, physically and mentally wounded. It’s the Prime Minister’s duty to bring our soldiers home and to bring the hostages back.”
"Normal Israel" Initiative
Roy Neuman, leading the "Normal Israel" initiative, also called for ending the war in Gaza during an interview with ynet. “The only reason we’re still there is the messianic delusions of Ben Gvir and Smotrich, who are pulling Netanyahu along,” he said. “Israel is in a very tough neighborhood. Our neighbors don’t like us, and their motivations won’t disappear. But when almost all the military leadership says we’ve achieved every military goal possible—it’s time to end the war.”
Neuman, known for his role as a leader in the protests against the judicial overhaul, added, “Since October 7, I’ve barely participated in protests, maybe one or two. This is a new initiative of Israelis, and in the coming days, you’ll get to know all of them. Among us are also parents of soldiers currently in Gaza, echoing the same call. This is in our interest.” LINK
The Region and the World
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Personal Stories
Olga Naomi Romashkin, 28: Devoted sister was ‘loyal, funny, generous’Murdered by Hamas terrorists at the Supernova music festival on October 7
Olga Naomi Romashkin, 28, from Petah Tikva, was murdered by Hamas terrorists at the Supernova music festival on October 7.
Olga’s last contact was with her sister Dalia, at 8:12 a.m. that morning, when she told her she was at Re’im. For several days, her family searched for any sign of her until her body was identified.
She was buried in Tel Aviv and is survived by her parents, Irena and Alexander, brother Sergei and sister Dalia.
She had a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s degree in administration from The College of Law and Business in Ramat Gan.
Dalia wrote in a eulogy that she and Olga were very close, and had even joked about going to a nursing home together when the time came. She said that Olga had been bullied in her childhood but had only used it to become stronger.
“She looked like a skinny and beautiful girl, but in her personality, she was brave and knew how to handle herself with other people,” Dalia wrote, adding that Olga was very spiritual and loved astrology.
“She taught me everything I know, she prepared me for every significant milestone in life and showed me so much love as her little sister,” Dalia wrote. “She helped me pass my first driving test, offered to move out of our parents’ house to a shared apartment and brought her cat, Cleo. She was my female role model, and thanks to her, I had high self-esteem and grew up fast.”
Olga’s friend, Dolev, wrote in an online eulogy that she had been introduced to Olga and Dalia by their brother, Sergei, after she came back to Israel following a difficult divorce abroad and was lonely.
Dolev wrote that as soon as she entered Olga’s and Dalia’s apartment, “Olga’s magic made me feel that I was in the right place with the right person.”
Despite being shy and nervous, Dolev said that “after two words from her, we started to talk and talk without stopping, and between the lines, she understood in the smartest, most intelligent and mature way that my words came from a deep place. Somehow, in those few minutes, I told her everything I had been through, and I felt such warmth, love, and acceptance, and I felt like she had adopted me.”
From that moment on, Dolev wrote, Olga “always made sure to raise my confidence and let me know there was someone there for me.”
Olga’s friend from the army, Chen, wrote that Olga was a “loyal, funny, sarcastic, and generous friend.”
“She would tell me a lot about her family, and I felt how much she loved and appreciated them. I remember she would tell me about her sister and was very loving and protective of her.”
Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages
Between Near & Far East: The Japanese Ethos of Taking Responsibility versus Netanyahu’s Ethos of Abandoning the HostagesEfrat (Cohen) MachikawaNiece of Gadi Moses, who is being held hostage in Gaza, and of Margalit Moses, who was released from captivity;Diplomacy expert; Former Culture, Science and Innovation Attaché at the Embassy of Israel in Japan.
In 1603, the daughter of the founder of the Japanese Tokugawa Shogunate dynasty was accused of conspiring against her husband, the future heir to the throne. Despite the turmoil in the shogun's private court and the dangerous power games, Shogun Tokugawa honored his values of responsibility to his people and solved the conflict while bringing peace and security which led to the unification and stabilization of Japan for the next 250 years.Taking responsibility is deeply rooted in Japanese culture, which emphasizes the contribution of individual actions to the creation of the harmony of society as a whole. The uncompromising value of honor and personal integrity is seen as part of preserving the community’s honor. Leaders in Japan are expected to set an example by taking responsibility and thus strengthen the respect and trust between their partners and subordinates or voters. The commitment of elected officials is also tested against the judicial system. Along with these values, in times of need for amendment, the Japanese life philosophy encourages continuous improvement (Kaizaii) which provides opportunities for learning and progress.While learning and absorbing these values for over three decades, I recognize these awe-inspiring Japanese cultural values rooted in Gadi Moses. My dear uncle Gadi, who was born and raised in Israel, is a role model of integrity and his admirable sense of responsibility, dedicated to all those around him and to his ongoing improvement - as an outstanding agronomist, as an innovation leader, as a family member and as a member of Kibbutz Nir Oz, located on the western Israeli border along the Gaza Strip. Gadi Moses embodies the roots of the Israeli olive tree and represents the Israeli spirit which makes all of us proud to be Israelis.Gadi (80) was brutally kidnapped by evil terrorists from his modest home early Saturday morning on October 7th, 2023, and still hasn't returned.I often think about our elected prime minister, who has the unequivocal responsibility to bring Gadi and the other hostages back home, in the context of the Japanese values of taking responsibility, leadership, integrity and continuous improvement. My stomach turns. My heart bleeds tears. The mind refuses to believe - what values do Benjamin Netanyahu and his dangerous government practice and represent?The realization that our Prime Minister and elected officials are not worthy of their people and of Gadi and all the other hostages who lost their freedom or lives on Israel's western border inundates me with disappointment and despair. After nine months we seem to be giving birth to more death than life. The sense of betrayal, the collapse of national authority and international diplomacy, the death-tremors of democracy and the existential anxiety that the government has managed to sow in us since the October disaster poison every good part of our beloved country, and leave us devoid of proper leadership. Sacrificing the hostages also means sacrificing redemption and the future of the State of Israel!The presence of the wishing doll (Daruma) on the shelf in front of me echoes the Japanese phrase “Nana Korobi Ya Oki,” which corresponds with the verse from Proverbs 24: 16 “For the righteous falls seven times, and rises again,” and reminds me that we are stronger than anything, and that upon Gadi’s safe return, along with all the other hostages, he will surely embrace and remind us that although we stumbled we have the strength to rise and prosper again, just as quoted on Kibbutz Nir Oz’s logo: “Never wearied by the road, forever paving the way.”We will not rest until we get back on the path to reviving our beautiful, good, values-led and worthy State of Israel.
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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