🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 456, 2023 - January 4, 2025 🎗️

  

🎗️Day 456 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

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

*  10:15pm yesterday- south - Gaza Envelope - rockets - Netiv Haasara

Hostage Updates 

• Hamas says a new round of indirect talks on a Gaza ceasefire resumed in Qatar’s Doha on Friday, stressing the group’s seriousness in seeking to reach a deal as soon as possible, senior Hamas official Basem Naim says.

  The new talks will focus on agreeing on a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces, he adds. link A permanent ceasefire is just another name for ending the war. Netanyahu refuses to do this and causes us to be in a perpetual standby while the hostages suffer and die.

• PM-approved mandate said not as broad as hostage negotiators requested, but enough for progress to be made
  

  Before dispatching a mid-level Israeli negotiating team to Doha for follow-up hostage talks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a conference call with top security officials where they discussed the scope of the mandate that Israel’s negotiators would enjoy while in Qatar.

  The mandate approved by Netanyahu was not as broad as the negotiators requested. However, it was still large enough for additional progress to be made, Channel 12 reports, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

  The Walla news site reports that the Israeli negotiating team has already wrapped up the first round of talks in Doha this evening.  link This limited mandate, unfortunately is not a surprise to anyone but it is a disappointment to everyone. As opposed to the mandate he gave to David Meidan, the coordinator for missing and captive Israelis during the Gilad Schalit captivity, When David took the position, he asked Netanyahu what his mandate is and Netanyahu told David "Bring him home" and within a couple of months, David worked with my brother who was the secret back door channel with Hamas, they brought Gilad home. In the last almost 15 months, Netanyahu has yet to say those words "bring them home" and until he does, the negotiators will never get the necessary mandate to negotiate a real deal to bring home all the hostages.

  
  

Gaza and the South

•  To squeeze Hamas, Israel said weighing restricting aid entering Gaza once Trump enters office
  

  Channel 12 reports that Israel is considering significantly restricting the amount of humanitarian aid entering Gaza once US President-elect Donald Trump enters office on January 20.

  The move is aimed at dismantling Hamas’s governing capabilities in Gaza, which Jerusalem says it has been able to maintain after nearly 15 months of war by controlling much of the humanitarian aid that enters the Strip. Hamas fighters have been known to charge fees in exchange for the release of aid convoys upon their entry into Gaza.

  Only a limited amount of aid is entering Gaza, and a further siphoning would likely exacerbate the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

  The security establishment has long warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that military pressure against Hamas without the advancement of a viable alternative to its rule would allow the terror group to fill any vacuums temporarily created by IDF operations.

  Netanyahu has refused to grant the Palestinian Authority a foothold in Gaza to replace Hamas, despite gestures from Arab allies who have offered to assist in the post-war reconstruction and stabilization of the Strip in exchange.  link As the security establishment has made it very clear to Netanyahu since very early in the war, that the only way to really pressure Hamas is to have a viable alternative in place to take over governing Gaza. They have all be pushing for it to be the PA but Netanyahu has spent his career weakening the PA and strengthening Hamas so he could always say there is no partner for peace. As such he has continously refused to allow the PA to have any role in Gaza and that is to the detriment of the Gazans and to ourselves. Restricting aid to Gaza after Biden leaves the White House is not the answer. The people who will suffer most are the Gazan refugees and not Hamas, but that doesn't phase Netanyahu. The move is stupid and will not help in any regard, not to weaken Hamas and prevent them from governing, not to bring the hostages home and not to end the war.

  
  

• IDF says drones apparently managed to smuggle unknown contents into Gaza
  

  The IDF and police say several smuggling attempts from Israel to the Gaza Strip using drones were identified in recent days.

  Overnight, another attempt was carried out, which the military says it foiled.

  The previous attempts were apparently successful, though security officials are unsure what was smuggled. The IDF and police believe that drugs or other contraband were smuggled, as drugs were captured in last night’s foiled attempt.

  IDF troops and police stationed on the border detained a suspect who tried to flee the scene, according to the joint statement.

  The IDF says that in the suspect’s car, the forces found another drone packed with drugs that was set to be launched to Gaza.

•  IDF says it destroyed Hamas ‘officers’ neighborhood’ that served as north Gaza terror compound overlooking Israel
  

  IDF troops this past week demolished an entire neighborhood in northern Gaza, close to Beit Hanoun, which the military says had been used as a hideout and command center by senior Hamas commanders.

  The military says the “officers’ neighborhood” had high-rise buildings overlooking the Sderot area of southern Israel, that served as a “central terror complex” with anti-tank firing positions, booby traps, and tunnels.

  The neighborhood also had rocket launchers aimed at Israel, the IDF says.

  The IDF says combat engineers destroyed the entire complex and the terror infrastructure it housed this past week.

  
  

Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria

•  IDF may extend south Lebanon presence for 30 more days as Hezbollah regroups
  

  A Hezbollah-aligned newspaper says Lebanese army officials have received “serious signals” from the US military official tasked with overseeing the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire that the Israel Defense Forces could extend its presence in south Lebanon for an additional 30 days.

  The Al-Akhbar report says the message sent by Major General Jasper Jeffers, Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT) to the Lebanese military, is that the decision depends on whether Israel can “fulfill its goals of ensuring the end of [Hezbollah’s] ability to carry out a preemptive attack.”

  The Kan public broadcaster reports that the IDF may delay its withdrawal from south Lebanon because the Lebanese army is not meeting its terms of the ceasefire and is deploying too slowly in the area, with Hezbollah regrouping.

  Additionally, the Lebanese army is not attacking Hezbollah targets, the report says.

  As part of the truce agreement, the Lebanese army and United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers are deploying in southern Lebanon, as the Israeli army pulls out over a period of 60 days.

  The IDF under the ceasefire agreement has until late January to withdraw from southern Lebanon, and, in the meantime, it continues to operate against and destroy Hezbollah infrastructure.

  The truce went into effect on November 27, about two months after Israel stepped up its bombing campaign and later sent troops into Lebanon, almost a year after the Iranian proxy started attacking Israeli communities with rockets and drones on October 8, 2023, a day after its ally Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza.

  The two sides have since traded accusations of violating the truce.

• Radar Destroyed, Anti-Aircraft Missiles Survive: Rare Footage from an "Israeli Strike" in Syria

  Reports emerged last night of "earth-shaking" bombings near Aleppo, and today rare images surfaced showing damage to what appears to be one of the few remaining air defense batteries in Syria. This follows the IDF's destruction of 80% of the air defense capabilities of the fallen Assad regime. While the anti-aircraft missiles surrounding the damaged radar remained on their launchers, they are effectively useless without the radar system.

  The French news agency AFP yesterday (Friday) published rare images from the site of the strike, attributed to Israel, in al-Safira, south of Aleppo in Syria. The images, reportedly captured from the air—likely by a drone—show damage to a mobile radar system belonging to an air defense battery of the toppled Assad regime. The strike is part of a broader Israeli campaign targeting Syria’s military infrastructure, particularly its air defense capabilities.

  
  A radar that was damaged in an attack attributed to Israel, in Safira near Aleppo

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  An anti-aircraft missile at the scene of the attack, in an aerial photo published by AFP
  

  

  
  

  

  Here you can see the three missiles, as well as the damaged radar
  
  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  AFP further reports that the three missiles visible in the images around the damaged radar—unlike the radar itself—were not hit and remained on their launchers. These are identified as anti-aircraft missiles. However, in Syria's air defense methodology, these missiles are effectively rendered useless without a functioning radar system. It should be noted that following the collapse of Assad’s regime last month, the Israeli Air Force has already destroyed approximately 80% of Syria’s anti-aircraft capabilities. Only a handful of batteries remain, and it is believed this is one of them.

  The publication of such images from the scene is unusual. However, in post-Assad Syria, numerous images of damage from Israeli strikes have already circulated, including damage to airplanes and helicopters at attacked airports. This stems from the collapse of the censorship previously enforced by Assad's regime, while the new rebel government is still working to establish control and set up governance institutions.

  Reports indicate that the strikes the day before targeted al-Safira. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights—an organization based in London and considered reliable globally—reported that the targets hit were "defense and research facilities." According to the Observatory, at least seven "massive explosions" were heard as a result of strikes on "military factories" south of Aleppo.

  The state-run Syrian media, now under the new rebel-led administration, confirmed reports of Israeli strikes but provided no detailed information. A resident of al-Safira told AFP: "They hit military factories. There were five very powerful strikes. The ground shook, doors and windows flew open—these were the strongest strikes I’ve ever heard. They turned night into day."

  The rebel government, led by Abu Muhammad al-Julani, condemned the Israeli strikes, as well as Israel's takeover of the buffer zone in the Golan Heights and the Syrian Mount Hermon. However, it has issued no public threats. Al-Julani himself declared that he has no intention of engaging in conflict with Israel or posing a threat to Syria’s neighbors.

  In Israel, these assurances are met with significant skepticism. Many believe that the moderate image al-Julani is presenting to the West, in hopes of lifting the international sanctions imposed on Syria during Assad's rule, may be a calculated deception. link

• Report: "Hezbollah Promises Self-Restraint"; Ceasefire Monitor Praises Lebanese Army

  U.S. General Jasper Jeffers, head of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism in Lebanon, praised the "dedication of the Lebanese Army" following his visit to southern Lebanon. Hezbollah announced it would avoid escalation after IDF strikes on rocket launchers in Lebanon. U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein is expected to arrive in Beirut next week.

  General Jeffers visited southern Lebanon on Friday and expressed satisfaction with the Lebanese Army's conduct. "I am impressed by the dedication of the Lebanese Army, which works around the clock to provide security and dismantle munitions," he stated. Saudi media reported that Hezbollah clarified it would "continue to exercise self-restraint" to uphold the ceasefire agreement, a day after the IDF targeted Hezbollah’s medium-range rocket launchers in Lebanese territory.

  Meanwhile, Lebanese media reported that U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein is scheduled to visit Beirut on Monday. According to the Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Hochstein's mission has a dual purpose: monitoring the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and engaging in discussions about Lebanon's presidential elections.

  The Lebanese newspaper Al-Joumhouria reported that a significant meeting of the ceasefire oversight committee will take place on Monday in Naqoura. Sources indicated the meeting would be chaired by Hochstein, a step that could strengthen the committee's function and signal seriousness regarding the agreement’s implementation.

  Parliamentary sources told the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat that Hezbollah "will continue to maintain self-restraint and will not escalate militarily against Israel." On Thursday, Israeli Air Force fighter jets, guided by IDF intelligence, destroyed Hezbollah's medium-range rocket launchers in Lebanon. Arab media reported three strikes in the areas of Jbaa and Jabal al-Rihan in southern Lebanon.

  Subsequently, reports emerged of an Iranian plane landing at 6:30 PM at Beirut Airport carrying funds intended for Hezbollah. The aircraft was detained by local authorities. Later, around 11:30 PM, significant strikes were reported on military facilities in Aleppo, Syria's most populous province.

  Following the incident involving the detained Iranian aircraft, protests erupted in Beirut's Dahiyeh area. However, by Friday, calm appeared to have been restored. By midday, the Lebanese channel Al-Jadeed reported the arrival of another Iranian plane in Beirut carrying an Iranian diplomat. According to the report, the diplomat's suitcase was inspected at the airport. The channel also noted that an American diplomat who arrived in Beirut the same day underwent a similar inspection.

  Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi later clarified to the channel that the actions of the Interior Ministry and the airport security mechanism "aim to protect Lebanon." He explained that all diplomats landing in the country are now subjected to routine inspections. "We are enforcing the law and safeguarding the airport and all of Lebanon. The country cannot endure another act of aggression," he said.  link

West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel

•  Six Palestinians wounded, vehicles torched in 5th settler attack on village in two weeks  
  
  
  

  Vehicles allegedly torched by settlers during an attack on the Palestinian village of Silwad on January 3, 2025. (Yesh Din)

  Six Palestinians were injured and six of their vehicles were torched during an attack by dozens of settlers on the central West Bank village of Silwad earlier this afternoon, the Yesh Din rights group reports.

  Soldiers were present at the scene but did not intervene or apprehend any suspects, Yesh Din says.

  It was the fifth settler attack in the Silwad area in the past two weeks.
  Yesterday, Israeli troops razed an illegal outpost established by settlers, who managed to rebuild the makeshift homes hours later.   

• The Palestinian Authority health ministry says one person was killed and nine injured during an Israel Defense Forces raid on the Balata refugee camp in the northern West Bank.

  The IDF says that during the “counterterrorism” operation, “terrorists placed explosives in the area to harm (military) soldiers, hurled explosives, Molotov cocktails and rocks, and shot fireworks at the forces.”

  “The forces fired toward the terrorists in order to remove the threat. Hits were identified,” the IDF statement says.

  The PA health ministry says an 18-year-old man, Muhammad Medhat Amin Amer, “was killed by bullets from the occupation in the Balata camp,” adding that nine people were injured, “four of whom are in critical condition.”

  According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, the raid began last night and triggered violent clashes.

  The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli troops entered the camp from the Awarta checkpoint and “deployed snipers on the rooftops of surrounding buildings.”

  Since October 7, 2023, troops have arrested some 6,000 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 2,350 affiliated with Hamas.

  According to the Palestinian Authority health ministry, more than 835 West Bank Palestinians have been killed in that time. The IDF says the vast majority of them were gunmen killed in exchanges of fire, rioters who clashed with troops or terrorists carrying out attacks.

  During the same period, 43 people, including Israeli security personnel, have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Another six members of the security forces were killed in clashes with terror operatives in the West Bank.

Politics and the War (general news)

•  "We Are a Thorn in the Side of the Lawmakers" | At the Protest Encampments Near the Knesset, There's No Hope, Only Stubbornness

  Some of them have been there for over a year, shielded by fabric sheets. Among them are hunger strikers and protesters from across the political spectrum, rallying for hostages, criticizing the war's management, and opposing the government. These are the "Moti Ashkenazis" of the "Iron Swords" era. The various camps do not compete with one another because, in the end, everyone loses. A visit to the Jerusalem protest area known as "Abandonment Square" paints a bleak picture.

  This past Wednesday marked the 100th day of Roni Maratz's hunger strike at the encampment advocating for the hostages' release—one of four protest sites encircling the square leading to the Knesset. They call it "Abandonment Square." A cage meant to simulate the living conditions of the hostages in Gaza stands there, but even it seems insufficient to shock the public. In the late morning, a delivery van passed by, its driver shouting "Only Bibi" and "Bibi the King" before muttering curses too vile to repeat.

  "There are negative reactions, but not many," says Maratz. "Occasionally, people shout that Hamas funds us and that we are strengthening the enemy."

  Across the road are the bereaved families' encampment, the doctors’ hunger strike for the hostages, and the caregivers’ vigil. At the street's entrance stands the tent of the Valor Forum, founded by bereaved families demanding an expanded ground maneuver in Gaza. Between these protest sites, separated by 300 aerial meters and an ideological chasm, lies contemporary Israel—so disillusioned with today that all that's left is the readiness to go on hunger strike for tomorrow.

  
  "Great adversity brought me here." The protest camp in front of the Knesset
  
  
  
  
  

  Once, when times were less dire, only the Interior and Finance Ministries stood here. Now, the physical closeness yet profound distance between these governmental buildings and the temporary civilian encampments tells the story of Israel in 2025. The ministries are built of heavy Jerusalem stone; the protest tents, of fabric sheets. Both seem here to stay.

  The bereaved families' encampment was established 14 months ago by Yaakov Godo, whose son Tom, of blessed memory, was murdered in Kisufim. On the 30th day, he vowed not to leave until the government took responsibility. He's still here, as is the tent.

  Maratz, 56, from Mevasseret Zion, drinks water with electrolytes, vitamins, and protein powders under close medical supervision. She does not intend to die but, more importantly, does not intend to let others die. She has no familial connection to any of the roughly 100 hostages in Gaza but shares a bond of moral, social, and Israeli responsibility.

  "I came here out of immense distress," she explains. "I couldn’t reconcile the split in our lives. On one hand, we say it’s impossible to continue as usual while people are in Gaza. On the other hand, apparently, it is possible because we do go on as usual. The dissonance between what we feel and what we do created a moral conflict that brought me here."

  In recent years, protest has become an official language in Israel but not enough to change reality. More than a year after October 7, the protest seems to be shifting from a practical mass movement to a personal means of finding peace.

  "Protests by the few against the government are really protests by the few against themselves," Maratz continues. "It’s important, but to influence reality, we need the many. I believe there are many. We must shift from passivity to activism."

  Maratz is one of eight hunger strikers at her encampment. She arrives every morning and stays until the afternoon when she picks up her son from school. How does she balance this with work? She doesn’t. She has taken time off because, in her view, some things are more important. She harbors no illusions about her individual impact on events.

  
  
  
  
  
  "It’s just another tool of protest, and like all protests during times of oppression, it currently has little effect," she says, with a mix of sorrow and hope. "But I haven’t lost faith that something will eventually coalesce and have an impact. The most disheartening thing is the sense that the public is asleep, not grasping the magnitude of this moment and the danger we face if the hostages don’t return. It will be a disaster for generations. I don’t see how a teacher can educate a child to intervene in a fight when we all witness this lack of solidarity."

Demanding Humanity from the Heartless

Across the street, in the bereaved families' encampment, there is nearly everything a hunger striker needs: black coffee and cigarettes. Retired Brigadier General David Agmon, 77, has been on a hunger strike for 102 days. He’s not competing with Maratz—everyone loses anyway. When a group on a guided Knesset tour stops to show solidarity, he jokingly asks if they brought him something to eat.

On October 7, 2023, he took a gun, headed south, and joined a counter-terrorism unit in Ofakim, then moved to Sderot and Kibbutz Kfar Aza.

"After I returned, I realized I couldn’t go back to normal life," he says, not necessarily as a call to protest but as a symptom of post-trauma. "Even though I’ve been through five wars and countless operations, what I saw there was different. Wars are wars—army against army."

At some point, Agmon decided, as he puts it, "to do a Moti Ashkenazi," referring to the reservist officer who led the protest movement against Israel’s leadership after the Yom Kippur War. Agmon called Ashkenazi to share his intentions. "He warned me not to be disappointed because, unlike him, I’d be protesting with only half the nation behind me. Another difference, he said, is that he protested against Golda [Meir], and I’m protesting against someone without a heart."

"I will be here one day after Netanyahu." David Agmon

 

Agmon Knows Netanyahu Well

He was the chief of staff in Netanyahu’s office during his first term as prime minister, until he resigned. This time, Agmon won’t resign. "I’ll be here one day longer than him," he vows, lighting another cigarette. "I’m more stubborn than he is. He doesn’t care that I’m here, but it’s definitely a thorn in the side of the Knesset members who pass by daily."

Between puffs of his cigarette, he speaks sorrowfully about what he perceives as public indifference and acceptance of the current state of affairs. Like Maratz, he is on a hunger strike driven by his conscience. "I have a huge advantage," he says with a bitter smile. "I live alone. My wife passed away three years ago, and I can do as I please. When I decided to come here, they told me about someone from Naan whose son was murdered in Kisufim. He vowed to sit outside the Knesset until the government took responsibility." This is how the sorrowful, bleeding connection between Godo and Agmon was forged.

"I’m neither optimistic nor pessimistic," he says, attempting to predict how the protest might shape the future. "I’m a realist, and realism doesn’t look good. I’m demanding two things: the return of the hostages at any cost and the end of this government’s tenure. To the leaders, I say: Stop writing and talking. Come here yourselves. When former IDF chiefs of staff, police commissioners, Mossad heads, and Shin Bet directors show up, the masses will follow. Yair Lapid promised me he’d come, but he hasn’t set foot here. I scolded him, and he asked what I expected him to do. I suggested he set up an office here."

20 Parking Tickets

Agmon’s words, spoken in a quiet tone, seemed to ride an invisible wave, summoning one of the former chiefs of staff he so longs to see here. From somewhere—or more accurately, from the Knesset—Gadi Eizenkot appeared, once one of Agmon’s soldiers. "The liberal camp needs to show up," Agmon implores the Knesset member from the National Unity Party, who pats him on the shoulder and nods.

"Bibi can get any deal approved. " Agmon and Eizenkot

Eizenkot responds: "They say Netanyahu decided to bring Gilad Shalit home because he saw 80% public support for Lapid. Well, here there’s 75% support for a deal, and nothing is happening. Doesn’t Netanyahu want to bring back the hostages? He does, but on his terms. Itamar Ben-Gvir will oppose any deal, but Bibi can push through any deal if he chooses to."

Shmuel, one of the encampment's residents, warns Agmon that a municipal inspector is about to write a parking ticket for his car nearby. But Agmon couldn’t care less. He’s already received over 20 tickets before finally securing permission to park his car there. Yes, even the state has gotten used to Agmon being here to stay. And perhaps that’s the saddest part of all.  link

 

The Region and the World

• Biden administration said prepping $8 billion arms package for Israel, including heavy bombs
  Deal, which still needs congressional approval, reportedly also includes supply of air-to-air missiles, artillery shells, ammunition for attack helicopters and small diameter bombs
  

  The Biden administration informally notified the US Congress of a proposed $8 billion arms deal with Israel that includes munitions for fighter jets and attack helicopters alongside artillery shells, Axios reported on Friday, citing two sources.

  The sources told Axios that the deal could be partly supplied from current US stocks, but most would take a year or more to deliver. The deal will presumably be the last to be approved by the outgoing Biden administration.

  The package — which needs to be okayed by the US House and Senate foreign relations committees — reportedly includes AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles for fighter jets to defend against airborne threats, including drones; 155mm artillery shells; Hellfire AGM-114 missiles for attack helicopters; small diameter bombs; JDAM tail kits that turn “dumb bombs” into precision munitions, 500-lb warheads and bomb fuzes. full article

  
  
• US said to tell Israel it plans to increase strikes on Houthis
 The US plans to increase its strikes in Yemen, American officials tell their Israeli counterparts, per a report by the Kan Public Broadcaster.

The attacks are expected to be aimed at the Iran-backed Houthi rebels rocket facilities.

A source tells Kan that outgoing US President Joe Biden has given the US military “broad” authorization for the strikes.

The report says the US stressed to Israel that Israeli strikes must remain solely against military targets to prevent harm to civilians.

Personal Stories

BROKEN DREAMS

Rom Breslavsky

Music is Rom's greatest passion. His dream is to become a DJ and perform in clubs around the world.

Tamir Eder

Tamir had plans to welcome his third child into the world and begin building his home in Nir Oz. He and his family dreamed of traveling to Australia and living there for a few years. Sadly, Tamir didn’t get the chance to fulfill these aspirations. He fell defending his kibbutz during the surprise attack.

Liri Elbag

From a young age, Liri aspired to become an architect. She has an endless love for designing homes. She enjoys traveling the world, and her dream is to visit Japan.

Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages

They Wantedto Name Me Yoni

Yossi Sperber

Educator.

My name should have been Yonatan. Yoni.

How did I become Yossi? To make a long story short:

In July 1976, my parents already had three daughters and one son. My mother was six months pregnant, and I was growing happily in her womb. My mother had made Aliyah and moved to Israel a decade earlier, in 1967, after the heroic victory of the State of Israel in the Six Days War. She traded all the fortune and prosperity of 1960s America for the rebuilding and expanding of Jerusalem in the late 1960s. My father, in turn, had traded London and a guaranteed academic career in the most prestigious institutions for Jerusalem’s soil. We were raised on symbols. Everything had a symbolic meaning. I grew up embraced by, and immersed in, Zionist symbolism.

The names of the streets around us were part of the narrative. We grew up on the corner of Kovshei Katamon (conquerors of the Katamon neighborhood) and Palmach (the elite strike forces of the Jewish underground army during the British Mandate in Palestine) Streets. Within a three-minute walk from our house, on HaPortzim (the Trailblazers) Street, lived the Netanyahu family. Why Yonatan, you ask? Like many in Israel, the sense of national pride and the deep conviction of justice had never been stronger and more present than in the unforgettable moments following the heroic operation by an elite unit of the Israel Defense Forces, which rescued 105 Israeli passengers and Air France crew members who were hijacked by German and Palestinian terrorists during their flight from Israel to France.

Despite the fact that the terrorists hijacked the aircraft to a hostile country, almost all the hostages were rescued unharmed. Four were killed during the operation: Three hostages, and the commander of the elite unit, Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu (after whom the operation is named), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s older brother. My parents wanted to name me after Yonatan Netanyahu.

When paying tribute to his father at his funeral, Bibi said: “You always told me that a necessary condition for the existence of any living body, and a nation is a living body, is the ability to recognize the early signs of danger, a quality that our people in exile lost...” Benjamin Netanyahu, after October 7th, we know it was you who failed to recognize the early signs of danger. You have made us all return to the insecurities of living in exile. Existential fear just for being Jewish, as we experience today, has not been felt since the darkest days in Europe. In my opinion, you are responsible for that reawakened existential fear of all the Jews in the world, as the leader of the Jewish state.

There will be no great intersections named after you. There will be no schools or hospitals commemorating your governmental actions. In the historical memory of the Zionist enterprise, as well as in the collective memory of the Jewish people, your memory will always contrast with the glorified memory of your heroic brother, who sacrificed his life for the redemption of hostages.

And why is my name Yossi after all? I was eventually named after the only son of my father's aunt (his mother’s sister), the late Tzaddika Chaya Shor. Her son Yosel gave his life for the redemption of Israel’s soil.

Acronyms and Glossary

COGAT - Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories

ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague

IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague

MDA - Magen David Adom - Israel Ambulance Corp

PA - Palestinian Authority - President Mahmud Abbas, aka Abu Mazen

PMO- Prime Minister's Office

UAV - Unmanned Aerial vehicle, Drone. Could be used for surveillance and reconnaissance, or be weaponized with missiles or contain explosives for 'suicide' explosion mission

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