🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 452, 2023 - December 31, 2024 🎗️
🎗️Day 452 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
*6:05pm yesterday- south - Kissufim - rocket launched from Gaza fell in open area*8:40pm yesterday - south - Gaza Envelop - 3 rockets from Beit Hanoun in Gaza to Carmia, Netiv Haasara, Zikim - 2 rockets intercepted, 1 fell in open area by Kibbutz Zikim
*11:10pm yesterday - center of country - ballistic missile from Yemen - intercepted
Additional debris was last night’s Houthi missile launched at central Israel is found on the balcony of a home on Nahal Hayarkon Street in the city of Beit Shemesh.
Local news service Beit Shemesh Hadashot publishes what it describes as an image of the shrapnel being dealt with by a police sapper.
Parts of the missile landed in at least three places in the majority ultra-Orthodox city near Jerusalem.
The largest piece of the missile found so far landed in the middle of the city’s Nahal Hakishon Street last night, drawing a large crowd.
The public is advised to stay away from missile debris if found and to contact law enforcement.
*8:55am - south - rockets - Nir Am - false alarm
*11:10pm yesterday - center of country - ballistic missile from Yemen - intercepted
Additional debris was last night’s Houthi missile launched at central Israel is found on the balcony of a home on Nahal Hayarkon Street in the city of Beit Shemesh.
Local news service Beit Shemesh Hadashot publishes what it describes as an image of the shrapnel being dealt with by a police sapper.
Parts of the missile landed in at least three places in the majority ultra-Orthodox city near Jerusalem.
The largest piece of the missile found so far landed in the middle of the city’s Nahal Hakishon Street last night, drawing a large crowd.
The public is advised to stay away from missile debris if found and to contact law enforcement.
*8:55am - south - rockets - Nir Am - false alarmIDF soldier killed, 3 others seriously hurt amid fighting in northern Gaza
An IDF soldier was killed during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip earlier today, the military announces.
The slain soldier is named as Sgt. Uriel Peretz, 23, of the Kfir Brigade’s Netzah Yehuda Battalion, from Beitar Illit.
MAY HIS MEMORY BE A REVOLUTION
Another three soldiers with the battalion were seriously wounded in the same incident, in the Beit Hanoun area.
The IDF does not immediately release further details on the incident.
Hostage Updates
- Alarming hostage negotiators, PM says Israel should be upfront about plan to resume war after deal
During a high-level meeting last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told those present that Israel will resume fighting after a hostage deal, if one comes about, Channel 12 reports.
“If there is a deal — and I hope there will be — Israel will return to fighting afterward. There is no point in pretending otherwise because returning to fighting is needed in order to complete the goals of the war. Saying this does not thwart a deal, it encourages a deal,” Channel 12 quotes Netanyahu as having said.
The remarks sparked further concern among members of the hostage negotiating team present, who feel that such assertions — especially when made public — have made it more difficult for them to secure a deal, given that Hamas has insisted on a permanent ceasefire in exchange for the hostages, the network says.
Netanyahu has pushed for a temporary ceasefire deal that only sees around one-third of the remaining 100 hostages released. Hamas has indicated some flexibility in recent weeks but is seeking assurances from mediators that the first phase of the agreement will lead to the second and third phases.
The quote attributed to Netanyahu by Channel 12 was very similar to one attributed to an unnamed senior Israeli official who told the Ynet news site earlier Monday, “Even if Israel agrees to a deal, it will resume fighting afterward in order to complete the goals of the war.”
The senior official was responding to an earlier report in the Ynet news site that cited senior members of the security establishment warning that Netanyahu’s refusal to plan for the post-war management of Gaza will lead to a scenario where Hamas will fully regain control over Gaza as it had before the outbreak of the ongoing war sparked by the terror group’s October 7 onslaught.
The security establishment has long urged Netanyahu to advance a viable alternative to Hamas and has argued in favor of allowing the Palestinian Authority to gain a foothold in Gaza.
Netanyahu has rejected the proposal outright, likening the PA — which backs a two-state solution — to Hamas.
For the past several months, he has stressed how he has directed the security establishment to come up with a plan to strip Hamas of its control over the humanitarian aid, which has served as one of its final lifelines of control over governing affairs in the Strip. But the premier-directed effort has gone nowhere, given the refusal to work with the PA, a security official told Ynet, adding that initiatives to have foreign security contractors be tasked with guarding aid convoys have also fallen flat since there is no one to fund them.
Israeli officials backing the idea had hoped countries like the United Arab Emirates would bankroll the security contractors, but Abu Dhabi has made clear repeatedly that it won’t assist in the post-war management of Gaza absent the involvement of a reformed PA and an Israeli-approved pathway to a two-state solution.
The Israeli security official speaking to Ynet said that the political echelon’s failure to advance a viable alternative to Hamas is leading to the gradual roll-back of military gains made by the IDF in Gaza. link Netanyahu, whose name should be changed to 'The Deal Breaker' or 'The Hostage Killer' must be placed in the history books already as the former PM, the person who brought Israel the worst tragedy in the history of the State and the worst day for the Jewish People since the Holocaust. He is not deserving of the people he claims to represent. There must be elections so the people can show that he needs to be relegated to the past, to the dark history of the State and its people. There are lots of terrible politicians and we have had bad prime ministers before but it's hard to find one who has put his own self interests so much ahead of the interests of the country and the people as much as Netanyahu has and continues to do.
The Israeli negotiating team is trying to advance a partial deal with the Prime Minister's approval. They know the Prime Minister well, which is why they are not trying to advance a comprehensive deal that would return all the hostages. They also believe that with Trump entering the White House, there is a chance that Netanyahu will agree to a deal that has been on the table since May. In order to reach a comprehensive deal, they understand that in addition to the heavy price of releasing the murderers of Israelis, there is also a price to pay which is ending the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Netanyahu says that he refuses to end the war because Hamas has not been completely eliminated and will probably be able to continue to control Gaza. Here lies the main mental flaw of the Israeli government. As long as the IDF is in Gaza, Hamas' control over Gaza cannot be eliminated. The mere presence of Israeli soldiers in Gaza gives Hamas targets to shoot and kill and allows for the almost endless recruitment of desperate young Gazans into Hamas' armed forces. I hear from Palestinian sources in Gaza and the West Bank that the vast majority of Gazans want to remove Hamas from their lives. Their hatred of Hamas is very evident, but just as in Israel we don’t know how to get rid of the Netanyahu government, they don’t know how to get rid of Hamas. If there were a government in Israel that was interested in peace with its neighbors, it would ask the Palestinian Authority, together with the countries of the region such as Egypt, Jordan, the Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and also Saudi Arabia, to convene a regional conference on the future of Gaza and the establishment of Israeli-Palestinian peace. Since this is beyond imagination, perhaps the Palestinian Authority should call for a regional conference without Israel’s participation in order to reach agreements on replacing Hamas in Gaza with another, acceptable civilian Palestinian government. It would be wise to include the new American administration in this planning because only this administration has the potential to put real pressure on Netanyahu. Without heavy pressure from Trump on Netanyahu, it is difficult to see how to end the war and return all the hostages. (Gershon Baskin, December 31, 2024)
Gantz says survival of government is more important to Netanyahu than bringing hostages home
For Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “the survival of his government is more important… than the return of the abducted here and now,” National Unity chairman Benny Gantz declares at a conference organized by the Calcalist financial daily.
“Of the three goals of the war that concern the Gaza Strip, two have not yet been achieved – the collapse of Hamas’s rule and the return of our hostages,” Gantz notes, arguing that “it is more important for the prime minister to survive politically than to allow another civilian government in the Gaza Strip, and therefore the IDF will continue to wallow there for a long time.”
Turning to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir whom he calls the “minister of chaos” — both of whom have been outspoken in their opposition to an agreement with Hamas — Gantz says that “the truth is that both of you will not resign from the government even if there is a full and painful deal.”
After the Atrocities Report | Captives Recount Moments of Terror: "I Had No Medications"
Ilana Grichovsky, Adina Moshe, and Luis Har, who were freed from Hamas captivity in Gaza, shared harrowing accounts of the abuse they endured—documented in a report submitted this week to the UN. “They grabbed my leg and pressed it against an exhaust pipe,” Ilana recounted in testimony for the report. Luis stated, “We ate one pita a day, dividing it between us.” According to professionals, the freed captives will require lifelong medical care.
A Painful ReadLast week, the Ministry of Health submitted a comprehensive report to the UN detailing the abuse and torture suffered by those held captive by Hamas. Ilana Grichovsky, one of the women freed from captivity, provided testimony for the report:
“I was sitting on a motorcycle between two operatives. They grabbed my leg and pressed it against the exhaust pipe—essentially burning my leg all the way to Gaza,” she recalled during an interview with News 12 about her abduction.Ilana GrichovskyLuis Har, rescued from captivity in February by the IDF, the Shin Bet, and the police’s elite Yamam unit during Operation ‘Golden Hand,’ was freed alongside Fernando Simon Merman. He recounted the severe conditions:
“We had no rights or freedom to move around the house. We had to ask for permission for everything—even to go to the bathroom. We reached a point where we ate one pita a day, dividing it between Fernando and me. Each time, we’d eat a small piece to save the rest for later.”Luis HarAdina Moshe, who also returned from captivity in Gaza, described her struggles after hearing about the report’s findings.
“I still haven’t returned to my pre-captivity health,” she said with pain. “I have a heart condition and still haven’t managed to stabilize my blood pressure. It’s part of the trauma—there, I had no medications.”When asked if she knew about physical and sexual abuse of children and adults in captivity, she responded:
“Except for two people, whom I know were abused because I heard them in the holding pens, I didn’t know about the others. I was shocked to learn children were assaulted—I am utterly horrified.”A Harrowing Reality
Even after reading the distressing report, it’s impossible to comprehend what captives endure after 450 days of imprisonment. The ongoing conflict and the fact that captives remain in Gaza have devastating effects, even on those who have returned. Conversations with professionals accompanying the freed captives paint a deeply troubling picture:
- Trauma Remains: Those who have returned are still deeply traumatized, unable to begin recovery or establish new routines.
- Challenges Returning to Normalcy: Most have not resumed work or studies.
- Emotional Isolation: Many, including children, struggle with emotional withdrawal and cannot sustain psychological treatment.
- Increased Illness: All freed captives experience heightened physical ailments. Based on studies of Yom Kippur War POWs, professionals predict they will need lifelong medical care.
- Moreover, the immediate families of the captives also face severe psychological and physical challenges—an aspect often overlooked.
Regarding those still held captive, Adina shared:
“The situation is far worse—they see no way out. It’s as if they’ve been abandoned, as if they’re worthless and Israel doesn’t care. Assuming they return, what awaits them? I haven’t left my house since. There’s nothing I can add about what they’re going through—it’s horrific.”She added despairingly:
“Haim Peri was right when he said two years—I hope it ends within two years.”UN Submission Reveals Shocking Details
The Ministry of Health’s detailed report highlights the severe abuse, torture, and humiliation inflicted by Hamas captors. According to the testimonies included:
- Two children held captive reported being tied up and beaten throughout their imprisonment. They bore marks of restraint, scars, and signs consistent with trauma.
- Male captives suffered severe physical abuse, including prolonged starvation, beatings, burns with hot metal, hair pulling, confinement in small rooms with limited food and water, isolation while bound, and denial of bathroom access, forcing them to soil themselves.
- A female captive recounted a sexual assault at gunpoint by a Hamas operative. In several cases, captors forced women of all ages to strip while they and others watched. Some women reported sexual assaults, while others described being tied to beds as captors stared at them.
This shocking report underscores the inhumane treatment faced by captives in Gaza. link
The Hamas terror group has partially rejected a list of hostages that Israel insists must be released during the first phase of any ceasefire deal, the Kan public broadcaster reports.
According to the report, which cites an unnamed Palestinian source, Hamas is willing to release 22 of the 34 hostages on the list but is refusing to agree to the release of the other 12.Instead, the report states, the Gaza terror group offered to release 22 living hostages and 12 bodies during the first phase of a deal.
Israel turned down the idea and made it clear that it will only accept living hostages during the initial stage of a hostage release and ceasefire deal, the report adds.
The report did not provide further details on the hostages Hamas is reportedly refusing to release, although earlier this month, Egypt’s Al-Ghad outlet reported that Israel requested the inclusion of 11 men considered by Hamas to be soldiers on its list of hostages to be released in the first phase of a potential deal.
The terror group classifies all Israeli men of fighting age to be soldiers. link We have no idea if there is any truth to this report. It is a non attributed report by an anonymous Palestinian source who may or may not have any idea of what is happening in the negotiating rooms or any internal discussions. Until a deal is made (which is continually slipping away due to Netanyahu's demands and his hawkish statements), we won't have any real information about the details of the deal, who will be released and when. It's all speculation and spin until then.
Gaza and the South
Hamas Operatives Plant Explosives About 45 Meters from a Hospital in Jabalia
Hamas operatives filmed themselves planting explosives near the Indonesian Hospital. The IDF identified the video and arrested dozens of operatives in the area.
This evening (Monday), the IDF spokesperson revealed footage of Hamas terrorists planting explosives approximately 45 meters from the Indonesian Hospital in Jabalia. video
"In an operation carried out last week, IDF forces completed their mission to thwart terror activity in the area of the Indonesian Hospital," stated the spokesperson.
"During the operation, Givati Brigade fighters under the command of the 162nd Division neutralized terrorists attempting to flee from the hospital, arrested dozens of additional operatives, and cleared booby-trapped areas near the hospital," the IDF added. "In a video discovered by the IDF, recorded by Hamas operatives, the terrorists can be seen planting explosives about 45 meters from the Indonesian Hospital."
The IDF emphasized: "This is yet another example of Hamas' cynical use of the population and civilian institutions in Gaza for terror activities, in blatant violation of international law." link
- Heavy rains and cold weather cause more misery in Gaza
Palestinians are bailing muddy water out of their frigid tents after heavy rains in war-ravaged Gaza.
Hundreds of thousands of people are living in sprawling tent camps along the coast, where winter brings frequent rainstorms and temperatures drop below 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) at night. At least four babies have died of hypothermia in recent weeks, according to local health officials.
“I’m drowning,” Manal Lubbad sobbs as she wads in ankle-deep water inside her tent today, trying to salvage blankets and other belongings. “I’m taking everything out into the street.”
“We are dead, we are not alive! Why is this happening?” she says.
The Civil Defense, first responders affiliated with Hamas, says it received hundreds of emergency calls to evacuate people from flooded shelters.
Associated Press footage showed barefoot children wading through muddy water between rows of tightly packed tents.
Palestinian children carry buckets of water after overnight rainfall at the refugee tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)Muhammad Diab places an empty cooking pot on the dirt floor of his tent to catch rainwater leaking through the roof.
“For God’s sake, find a solution for us. We’ve had enough,” he says. “In the summer there was intense heat and we could bear it, but in the winter we are drowning.”
UN report says Gaza healthcare nearing ‘total collapse’ due to Israeli strikes
A United Nations report published today alleges that Israeli strikes on and near hospitals in the Gaza Strip had left healthcare in the Palestinian territory on the verge of collapse.
“Israel’s pattern of deadly attacks on and near hospitals in Gaza, and associated combat, pushed the healthcare system to the brink of total collapse, with catastrophic effect on Palestinians’ access to health and medical care,” the UN human rights office says in a statement.
Its 23-page report, entitled “Attacks on hospitals during the escalation of hostilities in Gaza,” looked at the period from October 7, 2023, to June 30, 2024.
It said that during this time, there were at least 136 strikes on 27 hospitals and 12 other medical facilities, claiming significant casualties among doctors, nurses, medics and other civilians and causing significant damage to, if not the complete destruction of, civilian infrastructure.
The report noted that medical personnel and hospitals are specifically protected under international humanitarian law, provided they do not commit, or are not used to commit, acts harmful to the enemy outside their humanitarian function.
Israel says that hospitals have been extensively used by terror groups who operate in and around the facilities, sometimes launching attacks from within.
Israel notes that hospitals lose their protected status under international law when used by armed operatives as military sites and to plan and launch attacks. It also says that it acts extensively to protect civilians in the hospitals and ensure their safe evacuation.
An infographic released by the IDF on December 30, 2024, shows where Hamas operatives planted roadside bombs near the Indonesian Hospital in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip. (Israel Defense Forces)Israel has repeatedly published documentation of terrorists in hospitals and even shown hostages being hidden in medical facilities.
However, the UN report says it found that Israel’s repeated claims that Gaza hospitals were being improperly used for military purposes by Palestinian groups “vague.”
“Insufficient information has so far been made publicly available to substantiate these allegations, which have remained vague and broad, and in some cases appear contradicted by publicly available information,” the report says.
Hamas Operatives Plant Explosives About 45 Meters from a Hospital in Jabalia
Hamas operatives filmed themselves planting explosives near the Indonesian Hospital. The IDF identified the video and arrested dozens of operatives in the area.
This evening (Monday), the IDF spokesperson revealed footage of Hamas terrorists planting explosives approximately 45 meters from the Indonesian Hospital in Jabalia. video
"In an operation carried out last week, IDF forces completed their mission to thwart terror activity in the area of the Indonesian Hospital," stated the spokesperson.
"During the operation, Givati Brigade fighters under the command of the 162nd Division neutralized terrorists attempting to flee from the hospital, arrested dozens of additional operatives, and cleared booby-trapped areas near the hospital," the IDF added. "In a video discovered by the IDF, recorded by Hamas operatives, the terrorists can be seen planting explosives about 45 meters from the Indonesian Hospital."
Palestinians are bailing muddy water out of their frigid tents after heavy rains in war-ravaged Gaza.
Hundreds of thousands of people are living in sprawling tent camps along the coast, where winter brings frequent rainstorms and temperatures drop below 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) at night. At least four babies have died of hypothermia in recent weeks, according to local health officials.
“I’m drowning,” Manal Lubbad sobbs as she wads in ankle-deep water inside her tent today, trying to salvage blankets and other belongings. “I’m taking everything out into the street.”
“We are dead, we are not alive! Why is this happening?” she says.
The Civil Defense, first responders affiliated with Hamas, says it received hundreds of emergency calls to evacuate people from flooded shelters.
Associated Press footage showed barefoot children wading through muddy water between rows of tightly packed tents.
Muhammad Diab places an empty cooking pot on the dirt floor of his tent to catch rainwater leaking through the roof.
“For God’s sake, find a solution for us. We’ve had enough,” he says. “In the summer there was intense heat and we could bear it, but in the winter we are drowning.”
UN report says Gaza healthcare nearing ‘total collapse’ due to Israeli strikes
A United Nations report published today alleges that Israeli strikes on and near hospitals in the Gaza Strip had left healthcare in the Palestinian territory on the verge of collapse.
“Israel’s pattern of deadly attacks on and near hospitals in Gaza, and associated combat, pushed the healthcare system to the brink of total collapse, with catastrophic effect on Palestinians’ access to health and medical care,” the UN human rights office says in a statement.
Its 23-page report, entitled “Attacks on hospitals during the escalation of hostilities in Gaza,” looked at the period from October 7, 2023, to June 30, 2024.
It said that during this time, there were at least 136 strikes on 27 hospitals and 12 other medical facilities, claiming significant casualties among doctors, nurses, medics and other civilians and causing significant damage to, if not the complete destruction of, civilian infrastructure.
The report noted that medical personnel and hospitals are specifically protected under international humanitarian law, provided they do not commit, or are not used to commit, acts harmful to the enemy outside their humanitarian function.
Israel says that hospitals have been extensively used by terror groups who operate in and around the facilities, sometimes launching attacks from within.
Israel notes that hospitals lose their protected status under international law when used by armed operatives as military sites and to plan and launch attacks. It also says that it acts extensively to protect civilians in the hospitals and ensure their safe evacuation.
Israel has repeatedly published documentation of terrorists in hospitals and even shown hostages being hidden in medical facilities.
However, the UN report says it found that Israel’s repeated claims that Gaza hospitals were being improperly used for military purposes by Palestinian groups “vague.”
“Insufficient information has so far been made publicly available to substantiate these allegations, which have remained vague and broad, and in some cases appear contradicted by publicly available information,” the report says.
Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria
- Syrian foreign minister vows to back women’s rights after outcry
Syria’s new Foreign Minister Assaad al-Shibani is seeking to calm an outcry sparked by comments from the country’s newly appointed head of women’s affairs, who said that women should “not go beyond the priorities of their God-given nature,” and should know “their educational role in the family.”
Posting on X, Shibani says that authorities will “stand by” women and “fully support their rights.”
“We believe in the active role of women within society, and we have confidence in their capacities,” he says, adding that “Syrian women fought long years for a free homeland that preserves their dignity and status.”
Speaking to Turkey’s state-run TRT broadcaster, Aisha al-Dibs, the only woman so far in Syria’s transitional government, said only feminist organizations that “support the model that we are going to build” would be welcome in Syria, adding “I am not going to open the path for those who don’t agree with my thinking.”
“Why adopt a lay or civil model? We want to implement a model that is right for Syrian society, and Syrian women will make it happen,” she said.
Dibs’s remarks have prompted outrage among some on social media.
Actress Aliaa Saeid says on social network X that “we were imprisoned so that we could [obtain the right] to express our opinion.”
“We have been displaced, our homes have been destroyed, so that in the end you come and tell us what’s allowed and what’s not?” she adds.
- Troops in Lebanon discover, destroy large cache of Hezbollah weapons
IDF troops with the 769th “Hiram” Regional Brigade located a large cache of Hezbollah weapons in the Wadi Saluki area of southern Lebanon, the military says.
A cache of Hezbollah weapons found by troops in the Wadi Saluki area of southern Lebanon, in a handout photo issued on December 31, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)The IDF says the forces found rocket launchers, missiles, explosives, and other weapons at the depot hidden in the Wadi Saluki area.
During another raid on nearby buildings, the soldiers found numerous other weapons, including assault rifles, grenades, missiles, mines, explosive devices, and other military gear, the military says.
The weapons were confiscated and the sites were demolished, the IDF adds.The IDF is still deployed to southern Lebanon under a ceasefire agreement, and it has until late January to withdraw, in accordance with the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces to the area.
France carried out missile strikes in Syria, targeting Islamic State sites in the country, French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu says.
“On Sunday, French air forces carried out targeted strikes against Islamic State sites based on Syrian territory,” Lecornu writes on social media platform X.
The French airstrike followed a similar military strike by the United States in Syria, which the US said had killed two Islamic State operatives.
Syria’s new Foreign Minister Assaad al-Shibani is seeking to calm an outcry sparked by comments from the country’s newly appointed head of women’s affairs, who said that women should “not go beyond the priorities of their God-given nature,” and should know “their educational role in the family.”
Posting on X, Shibani says that authorities will “stand by” women and “fully support their rights.”
“We believe in the active role of women within society, and we have confidence in their capacities,” he says, adding that “Syrian women fought long years for a free homeland that preserves their dignity and status.”
Speaking to Turkey’s state-run TRT broadcaster, Aisha al-Dibs, the only woman so far in Syria’s transitional government, said only feminist organizations that “support the model that we are going to build” would be welcome in Syria, adding “I am not going to open the path for those who don’t agree with my thinking.”
“Why adopt a lay or civil model? We want to implement a model that is right for Syrian society, and Syrian women will make it happen,” she said.
Dibs’s remarks have prompted outrage among some on social media.
Actress Aliaa Saeid says on social network X that “we were imprisoned so that we could [obtain the right] to express our opinion.”
“We have been displaced, our homes have been destroyed, so that in the end you come and tell us what’s allowed and what’s not?” she adds.
IDF troops with the 769th “Hiram” Regional Brigade located a large cache of Hezbollah weapons in the Wadi Saluki area of southern Lebanon, the military says.
The IDF says the forces found rocket launchers, missiles, explosives, and other weapons at the depot hidden in the Wadi Saluki area.
During another raid on nearby buildings, the soldiers found numerous other weapons, including assault rifles, grenades, missiles, mines, explosive devices, and other military gear, the military says.
The IDF is still deployed to southern Lebanon under a ceasefire agreement, and it has until late January to withdraw, in accordance with the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces to the area.
France carried out missile strikes in Syria, targeting Islamic State sites in the country, French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu says.
“On Sunday, French air forces carried out targeted strikes against Islamic State sites based on Syrian territory,” Lecornu writes on social media platform X.
The French airstrike followed a similar military strike by the United States in Syria, which the US said had killed two Islamic State operatives.
West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel
- Shin Bet says it foiled 1,040 major terror attacks in West Bank and Jerusalem in 2024
The Shin Bet publishes an annual report of its activity in the past year, during which the security agency says it foiled 1,040 major terror attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem, questioned over 650 suspects from the Gaza Strip, and foiled 20 terror cells among Arab Israelis and 13 Iranian espionage plots.
The agency also releases for the first time an audio recording of a conversation between an agent and Cpl. Ori Megidish, who was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, during her rescue from Gaza by the military.
In the Gaza Strip, the Shin Bet says that in 2024, its agents assisted in the detention of 1,350 Palestinians passing through army checkpoints, including 40 senior commanders, 165 suspects considered close to top officials, 45 involved in the October 7 onslaught, and 100 who are suspected to have information regarding the Hamas-held hostages.
In all, the Shin Bet says it “handled” some 2,500 suspects who were taken from the Gaza Strip in the past year, of which over 650 were later interrogated by the agency. The Shin Bet says the interrogations led to “life-saving information” for ground troops in Gaza, and the targeting of hundreds of sites belonging to terror groups.
In Lebanon, the Shin Bet says it was involved in the elimination of 25 senior commanders in Palestinian terror groups, including Hamas, al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
In the West Bank and Jerusalem, the Shin Bet says it foiled 1,040 “significant” terror attacks, including 689 planned shootings, 326 involving explosive devices, 13 stabbings, nine car-rammings, two suicide bombings, and one kidnapping.
The agency says there was a drop of 40% in terror attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem in 2024 compared to the previous year.
The Shin Bet says it was involved in dozens of special operations in the West Bank in the past year with the IDF and police, including 10 to detain a suspect or eliminate a threat. Among the special operations include raids against terror operatives at hospitals in Jenin and Nablus.
Inside Israel proper, the Shin Bet says it carried out hundreds of operations that uncovered 20 terror cells made up of Arab Israelis. Five of the cells planned to carry out terror attacks with explosive devices or car bombs, the agency says.
In the past year, the Shin Bet says that on 32 occasions it dispatched an elite counterterror force, known as a Tequila team — made up of Shin Bet fighters and members of the police’s elite Yamam unit — to foil imminent terror attacks.
A Shin Bet agent is seen at Olympic Games in Paris, France, in the summer of 2024. (Shin Bet)The Shin Bet was also involved in three hostage rescue missions in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war, as well as several missions to recover the bodies of captives.
The agency releases an audio recording from the first hostage rescue operation of Cpl. Ori Megidish on October 30, 2023.
“Ori, Ori my dear, you are in good hands, the guys rescued you, they are bringing you home. You are amazing and brave, well done. Are you ok?” a Shin Bet agent can be heard saying to Megidish over the radio during her rescue.
“Yes, yes, I’m ok,” Megidish can be heard saying in the clip.
Regarding the Iranian threat, the Shin Bet says it recorded a record in the number of detainees in espionage-related affairs, with an increase of 400% compared to 2023.
In the past year, 13 incidents of Israelis allegedly spying or carrying out other tasks for Iranian elements were foiled, the Shin Bet says, with a total of 27 indictments filed.
The Shin Bet says it also carried out hundreds of “complex security operations in high-risk areas” this past year, including providing security for Israeli officials visiting the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Syria. The Shin Bet says it also conducted dozens of security operations abroad, including two special missions — for the Israeli delegation to the Olympics in Paris, France, and the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden.
A Shin Bet agent is seen at the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, during the competition in May 2024. (Shin Bet)Lastly, the Shin Bet notes in its report that during the war there were five times more cyberattacks on Israel than in previous years. It says that alongside the IDF and National Cyber Directorate, the agency assisted in foiling some 700 cyberattacks, out of thousands of attempts by various adversaries.
The Shin Bet publishes an annual report of its activity in the past year, during which the security agency says it foiled 1,040 major terror attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem, questioned over 650 suspects from the Gaza Strip, and foiled 20 terror cells among Arab Israelis and 13 Iranian espionage plots.
The agency also releases for the first time an audio recording of a conversation between an agent and Cpl. Ori Megidish, who was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, during her rescue from Gaza by the military.
In the Gaza Strip, the Shin Bet says that in 2024, its agents assisted in the detention of 1,350 Palestinians passing through army checkpoints, including 40 senior commanders, 165 suspects considered close to top officials, 45 involved in the October 7 onslaught, and 100 who are suspected to have information regarding the Hamas-held hostages.
In all, the Shin Bet says it “handled” some 2,500 suspects who were taken from the Gaza Strip in the past year, of which over 650 were later interrogated by the agency. The Shin Bet says the interrogations led to “life-saving information” for ground troops in Gaza, and the targeting of hundreds of sites belonging to terror groups.
In Lebanon, the Shin Bet says it was involved in the elimination of 25 senior commanders in Palestinian terror groups, including Hamas, al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
In the West Bank and Jerusalem, the Shin Bet says it foiled 1,040 “significant” terror attacks, including 689 planned shootings, 326 involving explosive devices, 13 stabbings, nine car-rammings, two suicide bombings, and one kidnapping.
The agency says there was a drop of 40% in terror attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem in 2024 compared to the previous year.
The Shin Bet says it was involved in dozens of special operations in the West Bank in the past year with the IDF and police, including 10 to detain a suspect or eliminate a threat. Among the special operations include raids against terror operatives at hospitals in Jenin and Nablus.
Inside Israel proper, the Shin Bet says it carried out hundreds of operations that uncovered 20 terror cells made up of Arab Israelis. Five of the cells planned to carry out terror attacks with explosive devices or car bombs, the agency says.
In the past year, the Shin Bet says that on 32 occasions it dispatched an elite counterterror force, known as a Tequila team — made up of Shin Bet fighters and members of the police’s elite Yamam unit — to foil imminent terror attacks.
The Shin Bet was also involved in three hostage rescue missions in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war, as well as several missions to recover the bodies of captives.
The agency releases an audio recording from the first hostage rescue operation of Cpl. Ori Megidish on October 30, 2023.
“Ori, Ori my dear, you are in good hands, the guys rescued you, they are bringing you home. You are amazing and brave, well done. Are you ok?” a Shin Bet agent can be heard saying to Megidish over the radio during her rescue.
“Yes, yes, I’m ok,” Megidish can be heard saying in the clip.
Regarding the Iranian threat, the Shin Bet says it recorded a record in the number of detainees in espionage-related affairs, with an increase of 400% compared to 2023.
In the past year, 13 incidents of Israelis allegedly spying or carrying out other tasks for Iranian elements were foiled, the Shin Bet says, with a total of 27 indictments filed.
The Shin Bet says it also carried out hundreds of “complex security operations in high-risk areas” this past year, including providing security for Israeli officials visiting the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Syria. The Shin Bet says it also conducted dozens of security operations abroad, including two special missions — for the Israeli delegation to the Olympics in Paris, France, and the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden.
Lastly, the Shin Bet notes in its report that during the war there were five times more cyberattacks on Israel than in previous years. It says that alongside the IDF and National Cyber Directorate, the agency assisted in foiling some 700 cyberattacks, out of thousands of attempts by various adversaries.
Politics and the War (general news)
- An end of year, the beginning of a new year here is a thought for Israelis and Palestinians: Ever since Yasser Arafat declared the Independence of the State of Palestine in November 1988, I have been an advocate for all 193 Member States of the United Nations to recognize the State of Palestine. Today there are more than 150 member states which do. There are also 165 Member states that recognize Israel. They all need to recognbize both states. I never believed that recognizing the State of Palestine would end the occupation, but nonetheless I thought it was the right thing to do. As we end 2024 and begin 2025, I want to appeal to all of us, Israelis and Palestinians, to understand that we really only need one state to recognize the State of Palestine and that is Israel. When that happens we will all be on the road to recovery. In order for that to actually happen, Palestinians need to recognize the right of the Jewish people to live on this land with the same right of self determination that the Palestinian people have. This is hard for both sides to swallow, but it is the refined essence of ensuring that the Gaza war will be the last Israeli Palestinian war. This is what we need to work on in 2025. (Gershon Baskin, December 31, 2024)
The Region and the World
- Ex-UK defense chief: 'We've all gained from Israel's experience
The US Central Command says its forces conducted multiple strikes against Houthi targets earlier today and yesterday in Sana’a and coastal locations within territory controlled by the rebels in Yemen.
US Navy ships and aircraft targeted a Houthi command and control facility and advanced conventional weapon (ACW) production and storage facilities that included missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV), CENTCOM says.
These facilities were used in Houthi operations, such as attacks against US Navy warships and merchant vessels in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, according to CENTCOM.
In addition, US Navy and US Air Force aircraft destroyed a Houthi coastal radar site and seven cruise missiles and one-way attack UAVs over the Red Sea, CENTCOM says, adding that there were no injuries or damage to US personnel or equipment. video
Yemen’s Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam says that the country would continue to “defend itself” after several US strikes targeted facilities in the capital Sanaa.
The Iran-backed rebel group in Yemen has been attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea for more than a year to try to enforce a naval blockade on Israel, claiming they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Israel’s yearlong war against Hamas in Gaza, which was sparked by the terror group’s October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel.
Personal Stories BROKEN DREAMS
The US Central Command says its forces conducted multiple strikes against Houthi targets earlier today and yesterday in Sana’a and coastal locations within territory controlled by the rebels in Yemen.
US Navy ships and aircraft targeted a Houthi command and control facility and advanced conventional weapon (ACW) production and storage facilities that included missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV), CENTCOM says.
These facilities were used in Houthi operations, such as attacks against US Navy warships and merchant vessels in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, according to CENTCOM.
In addition, US Navy and US Air Force aircraft destroyed a Houthi coastal radar site and seven cruise missiles and one-way attack UAVs over the Red Sea, CENTCOM says, adding that there were no injuries or damage to US personnel or equipment. video
Yemen’s Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam says that the country would continue to “defend itself” after several US strikes targeted facilities in the capital Sanaa.
The Iran-backed rebel group in Yemen has been attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea for more than a year to try to enforce a naval blockade on Israel, claiming they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Israel’s yearlong war against Hamas in Gaza, which was sparked by the terror group’s October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel.
Gal's dream - to buy a big farm for his entire family in Cyprus. All of the Berman brothers plan on flying to a soccer match of the Liverpool team at Enfield Stadium in England
Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages
The Legend of BloodAdv. Dina ZilberFormer Deputy Attorney General.
It was among the darkest of times that plagued the nation, in that new and disastrous era that would one day bear his name - a time when the sky was draped with a thick blanket of clouds that smothered all hope.Those were days of anger, wrath, and indignation - days in which the people’s cries, their sighs, their shouts, their boiling tears, their distress, and their despair - all exploded against walls of indifference that continued to swell and rise, grow and thicken, separating the people and their broken hearts from their rulers.At that time, the Ruler spent his days moving from one bubble to another - spaces outside of the time, space, and emotional spectrum where humans lived. He would move back and forth, restless and unfeeling, occasionally deaf, blind, or ignorant as the situation required whenever accountability loomed. Behind the dark curtains of his official limousines, in long convoys of decoys and flashing sirens, it was impossible to discern even a glimpse of reality or a sliver of the sky. Barriers, fences, and tight circles of security were all mechanisms to deepen the trenches of the moat of detachment, separating the Ruler from the real world outside, a world that oozed grief and could barely move as it dragged its fragmented shell along the ground. Inside that cold cell that once housed a human being, even the most sophisticated detectors of emotion failed to pick up any sign of compassion or simple humanity. It was a dark box in which the dials had been set to pure instrumentalism and to two singular desires: power and money. A great deal of money.After crushing all the systems, undermining all the supervisory institutions, breaking all the rules, and eliminating any trace of opposition, his rule was ensured for generations to come. At his instruction, all pages containing the forbidden words “independence,” “freedom,” “elections,” “opposition,” and “alternative” were torn out of the dictionaries. Just in case. Armed with ownership of the present, his burning ambition was to secure the way he would be remembered in the future. A type of historical consciousness.“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the greatest leader of them all?” This question would resound daily throughout the halls of his palace. “Since Israel’s founding or since biblical times?” the sycophants would ask, duly trained to provide the correct answer. Although, say what they would, that internal void could never be filled.From the palace windows, one could not see the scorched earth, the ruins rising to the sky, entire regions abandoned and burned—nor the nation’s bleeding heart. One could not witness the scalding tears of those whose lives had been broken nor hear the protests of the shouting masses. Even that sole protester - that one bereaved father who once stood in front of the Ruler’s home, day and night, through summer and winter, holding a sign that read “No more blood - stopped coming. He no longer disturbs his neighbors’ peace. They say his heart could not withstand the pain; others say he took his life over his son’s grave. Who knows. In the place where he once stood, there is now a tree. Whenever the wind blows through its leaves, one can hear a loud whisper: Neglect. Neglect.From the ground, the truth shall spring.
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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