π️Lonny's War Update- October 462, 2023 - January 10, 2025 π️
π️Day 462 that 98 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!ΧΧΧ Χ Χ¦ΧΧΧ Χ’Χ Χ©ΧΧ ΧΧΧΧΧ€ΧΧ ΧΧΧΧͺ
Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements
*8:10pm yesterday -south - Gaza envelope - hostile aircraft from the east (probably Yemen) to Gvulot- the UAV was successfully intercepted*8:50pm yesterday - another hostile aircraft from the East (Yemen probably) was shot down over the Mediterranean
Hostage Updates
- Is the Gaza war about to end?Until now, Netanyahu has sacrificed the Israeli hostages and Palestinian civilians on the altar of his political survival. This cannot last for longBy Gershon Baskin
Israel is fighting the longest war in its 76-year history. This is in direct contradiction to the Israeli war doctrine set by the country’s first prime minister, David Ben Gurion—that all of Israel’s wars must be short, decisive and fought in enemy territory.
And based on a self-defined ethos that enables Israeli society to, as happened in 2011, support the release of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for one Israeli soldier, Gilad Schalit, from captivity in Gaza, the primary goal of this war should have been to return all of the Israeli hostages from the Strip. That objective could have been achieved many months ago, but the cost of making a deal with Hamas would have necessitated ending the war and Israel withdrawing from Gaza.
The primary reason stated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not ending the war is that Hamas’s ability to govern Gaza has not been fully decimated. But in truth, Hamas has been decimated and decapitated enough that, if there had been a day-after scenario that Israel supported, a new civilian technocratic Palestinian government could already have been installed in Gaza. By last summer, Hamas had come to understand that it cannot continue to govern, not only because the overwhelming majority of Palestinians living in Gaza blame Hamas for the disaster that Israel has wrought on the Strip, but also because the group knows that, if it continues to control the territory, it will not see one dollar of international support for the reconstruction that is so urgently needed after this war.
Nearly two million Gazans are now homeless; they have no physical home to return to. Israel has demolished all of the infrastructure in Gaza, including roads, water installations, energy plants and sewage systems. There remain almost no schools standing, and hospitals have been destroyed, along with public buildings, all of the universities and many of the mosques. It is estimated that Israel has bombed 80 percent of the physical structures in Gaza, turning them into rubble or buildings that cannot be used and must be completed demolished.
The extent of the human suffering and physical destruction in Gaza has led even Hamas, an evil political movement that seemed willing to fight Israel until the very last Palestinian in Gaza was killed, to put ending the war as its primary goal in indirect negotiations with Israel. This is a change from Hamas’s initial war strategy, which was to empty Israeli prisons of Palestinian prisoners. Now the issue of ending the war and bringing about a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza is taking precedence over the goal of freeing Palestinian detainees.
Netanyahu, on the other hand, knows that any deal with Hamas that does not include the group's full surrender could break apart his coalition and lead to new elections. The prime minister is well aware that, since his failure to protect Israel on 7th October 2023, his current coalition, according to almost all legitimate polls, cannot win. For Netanyahu, ending the war means the creation of an independent national inquiry into the Israeli government and military’s failures on that dark day, what led to 7th October and the dysfunctional nature of his government since then.
As the longest-serving Israeli prime minister, as the person who encouraged Qatar to fund Hamas, as the leader serving on 7th October, Netanyahu cannot escape direct responsibility. He also cannot escape the Israeli demand for new elections once the war ends. So, Netanyahu has, until now, sacrificed the Israeli hostages (and indeed Palestinian civilians) on the altar of his own political survival. This cannot last for long.
Donald Trump’s inauguration on 20th January has become a target date for reaching a deal with Hamas. Netanyahu, and for some unexplainable reason, the outgoing Biden administration have favoured reaching a partial deal that would release 34 of the 98 hostages remaining and ensure a ceasefire for a limited period of time, perhaps for six weeks. Netanyahu and members of his government, including his defence minister, have stated that they would restart the war after the initial ceasefire. Out of what must be desperation, Hamas has apparently agreed to enter into an initial agreement without assurances that the war would end in the second stage of the truce. Perhaps the United States has communicated to the mediators, Qatar and Egypt, that it would push Israel to continue the ceasefire into what would become a sustained truce—as President Joe Biden said last May when he first presented the US-Israel plan for a negotiated deal.
Trump, in typically contradictory statements, said on election night that he would end wars, not start them, while later threatening Hamas that “all hell would break out” if a deal was not made to release the hostages by the time he took office. Hamas does not fear the Trump statement, however. The group knows well that the president-elect cannot harm it any more than Israel has already. The fact that Trump has apparently told Netanyahu that he wants the hostages to be home and the war to be over before he reenters the White House explains why there have been so many upbeat indications about an imminent deal. But the gaps between the sides remain wide—on the number of living hostages that can be released, the redeployment of Israeli troops in Gaza, the free movement of Gazans from the south to the north of the Strip and the number and names of Palestinian prisoners to be released.
If Hamas had a better understanding of the Israeli public and global politics, the group would make public what it has told the Egyptian and Qatari mediators: that Hamas is ready to release all of the hostages and even end its rule in Gaza on the condition that the war stops, Israel withdraws from Gaza and Palestinian prisoners are released. If Hamas were to make that public, it might be exactly what is required to reach an overwhelming majority of Israelis, pushing them to take to the streets in order to force Netanyahu to take the deal.
Such public pressure could also encourage Trump to make Netanyahu agree. The ultimate defeat of Hamas will never be military, it will be political. In order to enable it, the war must end and a viable plan advanced to install a civilian technocratic government in Gaza that is not led by Hamas. After an initial period of stabilisation under such a government, some two to three years perhaps, and after the beginnings of reconstruction efforts, Palestinians could hold national elections for new leadership for Palestine—in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. These elections should then be for the government of the State of Palestine, including all of the Palestinian territories. Such an outcome is clearly a prerequisite for long-term peace and security.
When this war does eventually end—as all wars must—we have to ensure that it will be the last Israeli-Palestinian war, because we cannot continue doing this to each other. link
Hostage families gather to mourn Youssef Ziyadne, argue that military pressure killing hostages
Family members of hostages killed in Gazan captivity stand together in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square to mourn the loss of another hostage, Youssef Ziyadne, whose body was found by the IDF in Gaza, and call on the government to sign the hostage deal currently in negotiations.
“We are the members of a cohort of loss and bereavement,” says Rachel Goldberg-Polin, mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was executed with five other hostages by their captors in late August. “We don’t want any more people to join our community of agony and pain and yet tragically just yesterday the Ziyadne families joined us. We implore all world leaders to make a deal and bring all 99 remaining hostages home.”
Goldberg-Polin completed her remarks by asking Israel’s leaders the first question posed by God in the Bible, in Genesis, to Adam: “Where are you?” yells Goldberg-Polin into the microphone. “Bring them home now.”
She is echoed by the other bereaved hostage families.
“These families, siblings, full families, have been destroyed,” says Elhanan Danino, whose son Ori Danino was one of the five hostages killed alongside Hersh Goldberg-Polin. Opening his jacket lapel to reveal a photo of his son Ori, Danino calls to the government leadership, “Who are you waiting for? Please, those sitting around the prime minister’s table — wake up. You abandoned them, now bring them back.”
Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin speak at Hostages Square on January 9, 2025. (Hostages Forum)Alon Gat, the brother of Carmel Gat, another one of the hostages killed alongside Goldberg-Polin in a Gaza tunnel, speaks about his own experiences on October 7, when his mother, Kinneret Gat, was killed in their Kibbutz Be’eri home, while he, his wife Yarden Roman-Gat and their three-year-old daughter were taken hostage, along with Carmel.
Alon and Geffen were able to escape, eventually making their way to safety by the next day. Roman-Gat was released in the November 2023 ceasefire, but Carmel never made it home.
“You can’t imagine what it’s like telling a three-year-old that her aunt who was supposed to come, isn’t, and that she was killed,” says Gat.
“We’ve been standing here more than a year,” calls Gat, “since Geffen’s mother was released. I know what it is to get someone back alive. I lost my sister Carmel and I will carry that with me for the rest of my life.”
Elhanan Danino, father of murdered hostage Ori Danino, speaks at Hostages Square on January 9, 2025. (Hostages Forum)Carmit Palty Katzir says she lost her entire family in the last year. Her father, Rami Katzir was killed on October 7 as her elderly mother and brother, Hanna Katzir and Elad Katzir, were taken captive. Elad Katzir was killed in captivity in January and his body was recovered by the IDF in April and brought home for burial. Hanna Katzir was released home in November 2023 but died in December from medical complications from her captivity.
“We want to close our club,” she says. “Our club is the nightmare of every family, the place no one wants to join. We’re the face of missed opportunities.”
“We’re here because there was no deal,” adds Palty Katzir. “We have no one to bring home or save but we’re here so that no other family will go through this.”
“I know in my bones and in the bones of my family, that only an agreement will bring back the rest of the hostages… The government must make sure that an agreement is implemented immediately to return everyone before it is too late for more abductees,” she says.
Merav Svirsky, the sister of Itai who was killed in captivity and whose body was returned to Israel, says, “Far too many hostages, who could have returned alive have been murdered and killed as a result of military pressure.”
“It is now clear as day: military pressure endangers the lives of the hostages. The military pressure killed and continues to kill them. And military pressure also endangers and harms the lives of our soldiers. The policy that prioritizes the continuation of military pressure must be replaced by a life-saving policy committed to the return of all hostages,” she adds.
Thousands attend funeral of slain Bedouin hostage; no coalition member makes it
Several thousand people are in attendance at the Rahat funeral of Youssef Ziyadne whose body was recovered from Gaza 15 months after Hamas terrorists abducted him and his son.
The 53-year-old’s body was found Tuesday night in a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip, along with findings that the IDF said were linked to his son Hamza Ziyadne, 22, who was taken hostage alongside him during the October 7, 2023, terror onslaught.
No government representative attended the funeral.
Following reports of government ministers’ absence, the Prime Minister’s Office issues a statement saying that two representatives from its hostage department are among attendees. link Unfortunately, there is no surprise that no government representative attended the funeral. This is par for the course since the beginning of the war. The only times that we see anyone from the government, especially Netanyahu is when there is a success that will give him and them good publicity such as the very rare cases that live hostages were rescued (only 8 in 15 months). They choose not to be associated with the failures of the deaths of living hostages but they are 100% responsible. Almost all of them could have been brought home alive if a deal would have been made instead of them putting all their weight and decision making based on their personal interests.
Hostage forum: Youssef and Hamza Ziyadne ‘could have been saved’ through hostage deal
Following confirmation that Hamza Ziyadne’s body has been identified after it was recovered from Gaza earlier this week, the Hostages Families Forum says “he and his father Youssef could have been saved.”
“Hamza Ziyadne was a man of nature, he loved animals and was loved by his friends,” the forum says.
The 22-year-old father of two was abducted from Kibbutz Holit by Hamas terrorists during the October 7, 2023 attacks, along with his father Youssef and siblings Bilal, 18, and Aisha, 17.
Bilal and Aisha were released on November 30, 2023, after more than 50 days in Hamas captivity.
“Four family members were kidnapped and only two of them returned alive,” the forum says. “Youssef and Hamza, who survived a period of hell in Hamas captivity could have been saved in a deal prior to now.”
It adds that the “lengthy identification process” to confirm Hamza’s death is “difficult proof of the urgent need to return the deceased for burial.”
The forum calls for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speed up the process of clinching a deal for the return of the hostages.
“We have a historic window of opportunity and we must not lose it. You have the mandate from the people — bring them home.”
US, Arab mediators made some progress in Gaza peace talks, but no deal yet, sources say
US and Arab mediators have made some progress in their efforts to reach a ceasefire accord between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, but not enough to seal a deal, unnamed Palestinian sources close to the talks tell Reuters.
A Palestinian official close to the mediation effort says the absence of a deal so far does not mean the talks are going nowhere and that the current attempt is the most serious so far.
“There are extensive negotiations, mediators and negotiators are talking about every word and every detail. There is a breakthrough when it comes to narrowing old existing gaps but there is no deal yet,” he tells Reuters, without giving further details.
PM’s envoy tells families temporary deal under discussion to be followed by additional phase of hostage releases
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hostage envoy held a meeting with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum today amid the families’ fury over the government’s effort to try and reach a temporary deal that will only see the release of roughly one-third of the remaining hostages.
Hostage envoy Gal Hirsch told the families that the temporary ceasefire is only one phase of a three-phase deal and that two weeks into the six-week pause, negotiations will begin on the terms of the second phase when the remaining living hostages will be released, Channel 12 reports.
But Netanyahu is seeking to resume fighting after the first phase which has hostage families very concerned about whether there would be a second or third phase when the remaining bodies of slain hostages would be released.
Channel 12 says Hirsch declined to say during the meeting that the government is prepared to permanently end the war — which has long been Hamas’s condition for releasing the remaining hostages. link Gal Hirsch's statement is such a load of crap. A phased deal has no chance of succeeding because it doesn't include ending the war which is Hamas' unmoving demand for any deal. But the worse part is that it will never reach the second phase because Netanyahu has stated very clearly that he has every intention of continuing the fighting immediately after the end of the first phase. That means that any living hostage not released in the first phase will certainly die, either due to current medical conditions or by Hamas terrorist guards who have explicit instructions to execute hostages if the army is getting near. Add to this the additional chance of hostages being killed due to our bombing which has already killed an as of yet, unknown amount of hostages.
Ex-hostage publishes Arabic video asking Hamas to send sign her husband still alive
Former hostage Sharon Cunio publishes an Arabic video urging her husband David’s Hamas captors to send a video showing that he is still alive.
Cunio quotes a passage from the Quran, which directs Muslims to treat hostages like other marginalized populations worthy of compassion. Sharon Cunio's video in Arabic
- Brother of Nova massacre victim says country must ‘fight to bring the hostages home’
As the names of each hostage are read aloud at Jerusalem’s Jaffa Gate, some people call “Amen!” after each name.
Roy Baruch, the brother of Uriel Baruch, whose body was abducted to Gaza after he was killed trying to escape the Nova festival, speaks about his beliefs.
He refers to the need to learn from the destruction of the First Temple due to fissures among the ancient Israelites which is commemorated today — the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tevet — by religious Jews as a fast day.
“The hostage families are part of all of us, their pain is ours and their cries are ours,” says Baruch. “This fast day reminds us of an important lesson. We have to fight to bring the hostages home. Let’s pray for what was and what should be.”
At the end of the rally, the audience is asked to stop and think about one hostage and where they might be at this moment, and to turn to someone they don’t know to tell them who and what they thought about.
Relatives of hostages plead for unity in Israeli society at Jaffa Gate rally
The focus of the rally at Jaffa Gate is solidarity in Israeli society.
Ilai David, brother of hostage Eviatar David, speaks about the need to create the most moral, loving society in Israel in order to welcome the hostages home.
“The hostage families represent a microcosm of Israeli society,” says David.
He sends a message to his brother, taken hostage from the Nova music festival, telling him that the family is holding each other, and taking care of one another.
“We know you’re alive and coming home and I picture you hugging our parents and playing guitar while I play the piano. You’ll come back and you’ll study sound production and travel and raise a family.”
Sigi Cohen, mother of Eliya Cohen, taken hostage from the field shelter outside the music festival with hostages Or Levy, Alon Ohel and Hersh Goldberg-Polin, says October 7 was the biggest disaster with so many killed and taken hostage and soldiers killed.
“And why?” She says. “Because we were separated as a society and unable to accept one another, we were a weak and hostile society and the enemy took advantage of that.”
She speaks about meeting all of Eliya’s friends in the last year, “with tattoos and without tattoos, Haredim and Ethiopians, married and single, and they all love him,” says Cohen. “I ask myself what does he know that we don’t? I hope he’ll come back and tell us how he does it and until then, we’ll do our best to be patient with every kind of person.”
Hostage Updates
- Is the Gaza war about to end?Until now, Netanyahu has sacrificed the Israeli hostages and Palestinian civilians on the altar of his political survival. This cannot last for longBy Gershon Baskin
Israel is fighting the longest war in its 76-year history. This is in direct contradiction to the Israeli war doctrine set by the country’s first prime minister, David Ben Gurion—that all of Israel’s wars must be short, decisive and fought in enemy territory.
And based on a self-defined ethos that enables Israeli society to, as happened in 2011, support the release of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for one Israeli soldier, Gilad Schalit, from captivity in Gaza, the primary goal of this war should have been to return all of the Israeli hostages from the Strip. That objective could have been achieved many months ago, but the cost of making a deal with Hamas would have necessitated ending the war and Israel withdrawing from Gaza.
The primary reason stated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not ending the war is that Hamas’s ability to govern Gaza has not been fully decimated. But in truth, Hamas has been decimated and decapitated enough that, if there had been a day-after scenario that Israel supported, a new civilian technocratic Palestinian government could already have been installed in Gaza. By last summer, Hamas had come to understand that it cannot continue to govern, not only because the overwhelming majority of Palestinians living in Gaza blame Hamas for the disaster that Israel has wrought on the Strip, but also because the group knows that, if it continues to control the territory, it will not see one dollar of international support for the reconstruction that is so urgently needed after this war.
Nearly two million Gazans are now homeless; they have no physical home to return to. Israel has demolished all of the infrastructure in Gaza, including roads, water installations, energy plants and sewage systems. There remain almost no schools standing, and hospitals have been destroyed, along with public buildings, all of the universities and many of the mosques. It is estimated that Israel has bombed 80 percent of the physical structures in Gaza, turning them into rubble or buildings that cannot be used and must be completed demolished.
The extent of the human suffering and physical destruction in Gaza has led even Hamas, an evil political movement that seemed willing to fight Israel until the very last Palestinian in Gaza was killed, to put ending the war as its primary goal in indirect negotiations with Israel. This is a change from Hamas’s initial war strategy, which was to empty Israeli prisons of Palestinian prisoners. Now the issue of ending the war and bringing about a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza is taking precedence over the goal of freeing Palestinian detainees.
Netanyahu, on the other hand, knows that any deal with Hamas that does not include the group's full surrender could break apart his coalition and lead to new elections. The prime minister is well aware that, since his failure to protect Israel on 7th October 2023, his current coalition, according to almost all legitimate polls, cannot win. For Netanyahu, ending the war means the creation of an independent national inquiry into the Israeli government and military’s failures on that dark day, what led to 7th October and the dysfunctional nature of his government since then.
As the longest-serving Israeli prime minister, as the person who encouraged Qatar to fund Hamas, as the leader serving on 7th October, Netanyahu cannot escape direct responsibility. He also cannot escape the Israeli demand for new elections once the war ends. So, Netanyahu has, until now, sacrificed the Israeli hostages (and indeed Palestinian civilians) on the altar of his own political survival. This cannot last for long.
Donald Trump’s inauguration on 20th January has become a target date for reaching a deal with Hamas. Netanyahu, and for some unexplainable reason, the outgoing Biden administration have favoured reaching a partial deal that would release 34 of the 98 hostages remaining and ensure a ceasefire for a limited period of time, perhaps for six weeks. Netanyahu and members of his government, including his defence minister, have stated that they would restart the war after the initial ceasefire. Out of what must be desperation, Hamas has apparently agreed to enter into an initial agreement without assurances that the war would end in the second stage of the truce. Perhaps the United States has communicated to the mediators, Qatar and Egypt, that it would push Israel to continue the ceasefire into what would become a sustained truce—as President Joe Biden said last May when he first presented the US-Israel plan for a negotiated deal.
Trump, in typically contradictory statements, said on election night that he would end wars, not start them, while later threatening Hamas that “all hell would break out” if a deal was not made to release the hostages by the time he took office. Hamas does not fear the Trump statement, however. The group knows well that the president-elect cannot harm it any more than Israel has already. The fact that Trump has apparently told Netanyahu that he wants the hostages to be home and the war to be over before he reenters the White House explains why there have been so many upbeat indications about an imminent deal. But the gaps between the sides remain wide—on the number of living hostages that can be released, the redeployment of Israeli troops in Gaza, the free movement of Gazans from the south to the north of the Strip and the number and names of Palestinian prisoners to be released.
If Hamas had a better understanding of the Israeli public and global politics, the group would make public what it has told the Egyptian and Qatari mediators: that Hamas is ready to release all of the hostages and even end its rule in Gaza on the condition that the war stops, Israel withdraws from Gaza and Palestinian prisoners are released. If Hamas were to make that public, it might be exactly what is required to reach an overwhelming majority of Israelis, pushing them to take to the streets in order to force Netanyahu to take the deal.
Such public pressure could also encourage Trump to make Netanyahu agree. The ultimate defeat of Hamas will never be military, it will be political. In order to enable it, the war must end and a viable plan advanced to install a civilian technocratic government in Gaza that is not led by Hamas. After an initial period of stabilisation under such a government, some two to three years perhaps, and after the beginnings of reconstruction efforts, Palestinians could hold national elections for new leadership for Palestine—in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. These elections should then be for the government of the State of Palestine, including all of the Palestinian territories. Such an outcome is clearly a prerequisite for long-term peace and security.
When this war does eventually end—as all wars must—we have to ensure that it will be the last Israeli-Palestinian war, because we cannot continue doing this to each other. link
Hostage families gather to mourn Youssef Ziyadne, argue that military pressure killing hostagesFamily members of hostages killed in Gazan captivity stand together in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square to mourn the loss of another hostage, Youssef Ziyadne, whose body was found by the IDF in Gaza, and call on the government to sign the hostage deal currently in negotiations.
“We are the members of a cohort of loss and bereavement,” says Rachel Goldberg-Polin, mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was executed with five other hostages by their captors in late August. “We don’t want any more people to join our community of agony and pain and yet tragically just yesterday the Ziyadne families joined us. We implore all world leaders to make a deal and bring all 99 remaining hostages home.”
Goldberg-Polin completed her remarks by asking Israel’s leaders the first question posed by God in the Bible, in Genesis, to Adam: “Where are you?” yells Goldberg-Polin into the microphone. “Bring them home now.”
She is echoed by the other bereaved hostage families.“These families, siblings, full families, have been destroyed,” says Elhanan Danino, whose son Ori Danino was one of the five hostages killed alongside Hersh Goldberg-Polin. Opening his jacket lapel to reveal a photo of his son Ori, Danino calls to the government leadership, “Who are you waiting for? Please, those sitting around the prime minister’s table — wake up. You abandoned them, now bring them back.”
Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin speak at Hostages Square on January 9, 2025. (Hostages Forum)Alon Gat, the brother of Carmel Gat, another one of the hostages killed alongside Goldberg-Polin in a Gaza tunnel, speaks about his own experiences on October 7, when his mother, Kinneret Gat, was killed in their Kibbutz Be’eri home, while he, his wife Yarden Roman-Gat and their three-year-old daughter were taken hostage, along with Carmel.
Alon and Geffen were able to escape, eventually making their way to safety by the next day. Roman-Gat was released in the November 2023 ceasefire, but Carmel never made it home.
“You can’t imagine what it’s like telling a three-year-old that her aunt who was supposed to come, isn’t, and that she was killed,” says Gat.
“We’ve been standing here more than a year,” calls Gat, “since Geffen’s mother was released. I know what it is to get someone back alive. I lost my sister Carmel and I will carry that with me for the rest of my life.”
Elhanan Danino, father of murdered hostage Ori Danino, speaks at Hostages Square on January 9, 2025. (Hostages Forum)Carmit Palty Katzir says she lost her entire family in the last year. Her father, Rami Katzir was killed on October 7 as her elderly mother and brother, Hanna Katzir and Elad Katzir, were taken captive. Elad Katzir was killed in captivity in January and his body was recovered by the IDF in April and brought home for burial. Hanna Katzir was released home in November 2023 but died in December from medical complications from her captivity.
“We want to close our club,” she says. “Our club is the nightmare of every family, the place no one wants to join. We’re the face of missed opportunities.”
“We’re here because there was no deal,” adds Palty Katzir. “We have no one to bring home or save but we’re here so that no other family will go through this.”
“I know in my bones and in the bones of my family, that only an agreement will bring back the rest of the hostages… The government must make sure that an agreement is implemented immediately to return everyone before it is too late for more abductees,” she says.
Merav Svirsky, the sister of Itai who was killed in captivity and whose body was returned to Israel, says, “Far too many hostages, who could have returned alive have been murdered and killed as a result of military pressure.”
“It is now clear as day: military pressure endangers the lives of the hostages. The military pressure killed and continues to kill them. And military pressure also endangers and harms the lives of our soldiers. The policy that prioritizes the continuation of military pressure must be replaced by a life-saving policy committed to the return of all hostages,” she adds.
Thousands attend funeral of slain Bedouin hostage; no coalition member makes it
Several thousand people are in attendance at the Rahat funeral of Youssef Ziyadne whose body was recovered from Gaza 15 months after Hamas terrorists abducted him and his son.
The 53-year-old’s body was found Tuesday night in a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip, along with findings that the IDF said were linked to his son Hamza Ziyadne, 22, who was taken hostage alongside him during the October 7, 2023, terror onslaught.
No government representative attended the funeral.
Following reports of government ministers’ absence, the Prime Minister’s Office issues a statement saying that two representatives from its hostage department are among attendees. link Unfortunately, there is no surprise that no government representative attended the funeral. This is par for the course since the beginning of the war. The only times that we see anyone from the government, especially Netanyahu is when there is a success that will give him and them good publicity such as the very rare cases that live hostages were rescued (only 8 in 15 months). They choose not to be associated with the failures of the deaths of living hostages but they are 100% responsible. Almost all of them could have been brought home alive if a deal would have been made instead of them putting all their weight and decision making based on their personal interests.
Hostage forum: Youssef and Hamza Ziyadne ‘could have been saved’ through hostage deal
Following confirmation that Hamza Ziyadne’s body has been identified after it was recovered from Gaza earlier this week, the Hostages Families Forum says “he and his father Youssef could have been saved.”
“Hamza Ziyadne was a man of nature, he loved animals and was loved by his friends,” the forum says.
The 22-year-old father of two was abducted from Kibbutz Holit by Hamas terrorists during the October 7, 2023 attacks, along with his father Youssef and siblings Bilal, 18, and Aisha, 17.
Bilal and Aisha were released on November 30, 2023, after more than 50 days in Hamas captivity.
“Four family members were kidnapped and only two of them returned alive,” the forum says. “Youssef and Hamza, who survived a period of hell in Hamas captivity could have been saved in a deal prior to now.”
It adds that the “lengthy identification process” to confirm Hamza’s death is “difficult proof of the urgent need to return the deceased for burial.”
The forum calls for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speed up the process of clinching a deal for the return of the hostages.
“We have a historic window of opportunity and we must not lose it. You have the mandate from the people — bring them home.”
US, Arab mediators made some progress in Gaza peace talks, but no deal yet, sources say
US and Arab mediators have made some progress in their efforts to reach a ceasefire accord between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, but not enough to seal a deal, unnamed Palestinian sources close to the talks tell Reuters.
A Palestinian official close to the mediation effort says the absence of a deal so far does not mean the talks are going nowhere and that the current attempt is the most serious so far.
“There are extensive negotiations, mediators and negotiators are talking about every word and every detail. There is a breakthrough when it comes to narrowing old existing gaps but there is no deal yet,” he tells Reuters, without giving further details.
PM’s envoy tells families temporary deal under discussion to be followed by additional phase of hostage releases
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hostage envoy held a meeting with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum today amid the families’ fury over the government’s effort to try and reach a temporary deal that will only see the release of roughly one-third of the remaining hostages.
Hostage envoy Gal Hirsch told the families that the temporary ceasefire is only one phase of a three-phase deal and that two weeks into the six-week pause, negotiations will begin on the terms of the second phase when the remaining living hostages will be released, Channel 12 reports.
But Netanyahu is seeking to resume fighting after the first phase which has hostage families very concerned about whether there would be a second or third phase when the remaining bodies of slain hostages would be released.
Channel 12 says Hirsch declined to say during the meeting that the government is prepared to permanently end the war — which has long been Hamas’s condition for releasing the remaining hostages. link Gal Hirsch's statement is such a load of crap. A phased deal has no chance of succeeding because it doesn't include ending the war which is Hamas' unmoving demand for any deal. But the worse part is that it will never reach the second phase because Netanyahu has stated very clearly that he has every intention of continuing the fighting immediately after the end of the first phase. That means that any living hostage not released in the first phase will certainly die, either due to current medical conditions or by Hamas terrorist guards who have explicit instructions to execute hostages if the army is getting near. Add to this the additional chance of hostages being killed due to our bombing which has already killed an as of yet, unknown amount of hostages.
Ex-hostage publishes Arabic video asking Hamas to send sign her husband still alive
Former hostage Sharon Cunio publishes an Arabic video urging her husband David’s Hamas captors to send a video showing that he is still alive.
Cunio quotes a passage from the Quran, which directs Muslims to treat hostages like other marginalized populations worthy of compassion. Sharon Cunio's video in Arabic
- Brother of Nova massacre victim says country must ‘fight to bring the hostages home’
As the names of each hostage are read aloud at Jerusalem’s Jaffa Gate, some people call “Amen!” after each name.
Roy Baruch, the brother of Uriel Baruch, whose body was abducted to Gaza after he was killed trying to escape the Nova festival, speaks about his beliefs.
He refers to the need to learn from the destruction of the First Temple due to fissures among the ancient Israelites which is commemorated today — the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tevet — by religious Jews as a fast day.
“The hostage families are part of all of us, their pain is ours and their cries are ours,” says Baruch. “This fast day reminds us of an important lesson. We have to fight to bring the hostages home. Let’s pray for what was and what should be.”
At the end of the rally, the audience is asked to stop and think about one hostage and where they might be at this moment, and to turn to someone they don’t know to tell them who and what they thought about.
Relatives of hostages plead for unity in Israeli society at Jaffa Gate rally
The focus of the rally at Jaffa Gate is solidarity in Israeli society.
Ilai David, brother of hostage Eviatar David, speaks about the need to create the most moral, loving society in Israel in order to welcome the hostages home.
“The hostage families represent a microcosm of Israeli society,” says David.
He sends a message to his brother, taken hostage from the Nova music festival, telling him that the family is holding each other, and taking care of one another.
“We know you’re alive and coming home and I picture you hugging our parents and playing guitar while I play the piano. You’ll come back and you’ll study sound production and travel and raise a family.”
Sigi Cohen, mother of Eliya Cohen, taken hostage from the field shelter outside the music festival with hostages Or Levy, Alon Ohel and Hersh Goldberg-Polin, says October 7 was the biggest disaster with so many killed and taken hostage and soldiers killed.
“And why?” She says. “Because we were separated as a society and unable to accept one another, we were a weak and hostile society and the enemy took advantage of that.”
She speaks about meeting all of Eliya’s friends in the last year, “with tattoos and without tattoos, Haredim and Ethiopians, married and single, and they all love him,” says Cohen. “I ask myself what does he know that we don’t? I hope he’ll come back and tell us how he does it and until then, we’ll do our best to be patient with every kind of person.”
Gaza and the South
- IDF says it killed Hamas battalion commander for Gaza City in recent strike
The commander of Hamas’s Sabra Battalion, part of the Gaza City Brigade, was killed in a recent airstrike, according to the military and Shin Bet.
A separate strike killed the battalion’s deputy commander, along with other operatives, according to the IDF.
In a joint statement, the IDF and Shin Bet say that the Sabra Battalion commander, Osama Abu Namus, was eliminated in a drone strike this week.
The IDF says Abu Namus was a “significant source of knowledge” in Hamas and was responsible for attacks on Israel and IDF troops in Gaza, especially soldiers operating in the Netzarim Corridor area, located just south of Gaza City.
A separate strike killed Mohammed al-Tarq, the deputy commander of Hamas’s Sabra Battalion, the military says. According to the IDF, he previously served as the commander of a Nukhba force company in the battalion.
Al-Tarq was also responsible for attacks on troops in the Netzarim Corridor, the military says.
The IDF says recent airstrikes also eliminated two commanders in the Sabra Battalion’s Nukhba force company, including one responsible for the supply of weapons.
The Sabra Battalion is named after the neighborhood of Gaza City in which it operates.
Katz orders IDF to present plan for ‘complete defeat of Hamas’ if no hostage deal reached by Trump’s inauguration
Defense Minister Israel Katz says he has ordered the IDF to present him with a plan “for the complete defeat of Hamas in Gaza,” if there is no hostage deal by the time incoming US president Donald Trump enters the White House.
“If the hostage deal does not materialize by the time President Trump takes office, there must be a complete defeat of Hamas in Gaza,” Katz says in a statement issued by his office.
Katz says, “We must not be drawn into a war of attrition that will cost us heavily and not lead to victory and the complete strategic defeat of Hamas and the end of the war in Gaza.” full article As is typical of Katz's public statements since becoming Defense Minister, this one, too is just plain stupid. There cannot be a complete defeat of Hamas by military means and the army command knows this too well. The only way to defeat Hamas is to have an alternative Palestinian government in Gaza which will replace Hamas, rule properly caring for the people, and begin rebuilding Gaza. Netanyahu has prevented this completely and has brought us to this guerilla war of attrition and the only way to end that is for an alternative governing body and an end to the war.
The commander of Hamas’s Sabra Battalion, part of the Gaza City Brigade, was killed in a recent airstrike, according to the military and Shin Bet.
A separate strike killed the battalion’s deputy commander, along with other operatives, according to the IDF.
In a joint statement, the IDF and Shin Bet say that the Sabra Battalion commander, Osama Abu Namus, was eliminated in a drone strike this week.
The IDF says Abu Namus was a “significant source of knowledge” in Hamas and was responsible for attacks on Israel and IDF troops in Gaza, especially soldiers operating in the Netzarim Corridor area, located just south of Gaza City.
A separate strike killed Mohammed al-Tarq, the deputy commander of Hamas’s Sabra Battalion, the military says. According to the IDF, he previously served as the commander of a Nukhba force company in the battalion.
Al-Tarq was also responsible for attacks on troops in the Netzarim Corridor, the military says.
The IDF says recent airstrikes also eliminated two commanders in the Sabra Battalion’s Nukhba force company, including one responsible for the supply of weapons.
The Sabra Battalion is named after the neighborhood of Gaza City in which it operates.
Katz orders IDF to present plan for ‘complete defeat of Hamas’ if no hostage deal reached by Trump’s inauguration
Defense Minister Israel Katz says he has ordered the IDF to present him with a plan “for the complete defeat of Hamas in Gaza,” if there is no hostage deal by the time incoming US president Donald Trump enters the White House.
“If the hostage deal does not materialize by the time President Trump takes office, there must be a complete defeat of Hamas in Gaza,” Katz says in a statement issued by his office.
Katz says, “We must not be drawn into a war of attrition that will cost us heavily and not lead to victory and the complete strategic defeat of Hamas and the end of the war in Gaza.” full article As is typical of Katz's public statements since becoming Defense Minister, this one, too is just plain stupid. There cannot be a complete defeat of Hamas by military means and the army command knows this too well. The only way to defeat Hamas is to have an alternative Palestinian government in Gaza which will replace Hamas, rule properly caring for the people, and begin rebuilding Gaza. Netanyahu has prevented this completely and has brought us to this guerilla war of attrition and the only way to end that is for an alternative governing body and an end to the war.
Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria
- In message to Hezbollah, new Lebanese leader vows to ensure state has monopoly on power
Lebanon’s newly elected President Joseph Aoun tells lawmakers he will work to ensure the state has the exclusive right to carry arms, in his first speech at parliament after he was elected.
His comments are seen partly as a reference to the Hezbollah terror group’s arsenal, which he had not commented on publicly as the former army commander.
According to Reuters, lawmakers burst into the longest applause of the speech after Aoun’s statement, while Hezbollah parliamentarians remained still.
Before Israel dealt it a series of setbacks in recent months, the Iran-backed Hezbollah over the years amassed far greater powers than the Lebanese army and took over southern Lebanon in violation of a UN Security Council resolution.
He also vows to end the Israeli presence in southern Lebanon from which the IDF is slated to finish withdrawing at the end of the month.
“I pledge to oversee the activation of security agencies and to discuss a strategic defense policy that enables the state to remove Israeli occupation from all territories,” Aoun says.
- After army chief elected president, Lebanon’s caretaker PM vows to disarm Hezbollah in the south
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati says that the state will begin disarming southern Lebanon, particularly the areas south of the Litani River, to establish its presence across the country in line with the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Hezbollah terror group.
“We are in a new phase — in this new phase, we will start with south Lebanon and south Litani specifically in order to pull weapons so that the state can be present across Lebanese territory,” Mikati says.
His statement comes after Lebanese Armed Forces chief Joseph Aoun was elected president on Thursday, ending a two-year stalemate.
Aoun, in comments after his election, vowed to ensure that the state would have “a monopoly” on the right to carry arms, in reference to Hezbollah’s extensive arsenal.
Over the years, Lebanese forces have failed to uphold two UN Security Council resolutions demanding the disarmament of all of Lebanon’s various militias, and the withdrawal of Hezbollah north of the Litani River — about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from its border with Israel.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah signed in late November is the latest attempt by the US to encourage the Lebanese army to enforce the 19-year-old measure.
Lebanon’s newly elected President Joseph Aoun tells lawmakers he will work to ensure the state has the exclusive right to carry arms, in his first speech at parliament after he was elected.
His comments are seen partly as a reference to the Hezbollah terror group’s arsenal, which he had not commented on publicly as the former army commander.
According to Reuters, lawmakers burst into the longest applause of the speech after Aoun’s statement, while Hezbollah parliamentarians remained still.
Before Israel dealt it a series of setbacks in recent months, the Iran-backed Hezbollah over the years amassed far greater powers than the Lebanese army and took over southern Lebanon in violation of a UN Security Council resolution.
He also vows to end the Israeli presence in southern Lebanon from which the IDF is slated to finish withdrawing at the end of the month.
“I pledge to oversee the activation of security agencies and to discuss a strategic defense policy that enables the state to remove Israeli occupation from all territories,” Aoun says.
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati says that the state will begin disarming southern Lebanon, particularly the areas south of the Litani River, to establish its presence across the country in line with the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Hezbollah terror group.
“We are in a new phase — in this new phase, we will start with south Lebanon and south Litani specifically in order to pull weapons so that the state can be present across Lebanese territory,” Mikati says.
His statement comes after Lebanese Armed Forces chief Joseph Aoun was elected president on Thursday, ending a two-year stalemate.
Aoun, in comments after his election, vowed to ensure that the state would have “a monopoly” on the right to carry arms, in reference to Hezbollah’s extensive arsenal.
Over the years, Lebanese forces have failed to uphold two UN Security Council resolutions demanding the disarmament of all of Lebanon’s various militias, and the withdrawal of Hezbollah north of the Litani River — about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from its border with Israel.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah signed in late November is the latest attempt by the US to encourage the Lebanese army to enforce the 19-year-old measure.
West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel
- PA says it has arrested 247 suspects thus far in Jenin camp counterterror raid
The Palestinian Authority has arrested 247 outlaws as part of its counterterror raid in the Jenin refugee camp that has been ongoing for several weeks, PA security forces spokesperson Anwar Rajab says.
Speaking at a press conference in Jenin, Rajab says PA forces have defused 245 explosive devices in addition to confiscating weapons and ammunition.
Eight of those arrested are suspected of illicitly financing terror groups in the northern West Bank.
Rajab says PA forces also seized funds that were supposed to go toward the families of “martyrs and prisoners” but had been “misappropriated by the lawbreakers,” Haaretz reports. link It is very important to remember that there has been security cooperation between the PA and the Israeli security services ever since Oslo and has never stopped. Besides this operation in Jenin, over the years, the PA has stopped thousands of terror attacked and notified the Israeli security services of potential attacks within Israel.
Shin Bet chief said to urge ministers to approve major counterterror op in West Bank
Against the backdrop of the deadly terror shooting in the West Bank earlier this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu consulted with a small group of ministers and security chiefs, Channel 12 reports.
During the meeting, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar urged the government to approve a major IDF counterterror operation in the West Bank.
The IDF has already been carrying out near-daily raids throughout the West Bank and in recent weeks, it has been joined by the Palestinian Authority, which is carrying out an unprecedented operation of its own in the Jenin refugee camp, which has become a hotbed for Iran-backed armed groups.
But Bar appears to argue in favor of a more intensive effort by Israel.
“The significant decrease in the number of attacks in Judea and Samaria [West Bank] is deceptive and does not reflect the scope of terrorism on the ground. We identify a consistent escalating trend from [2021] where attackers have shifted from throwing Molotov cocktails to using rifles and explosive devices,” Channel 12 quotes Bar as having said during the meeting.
“Israel should learn from October 7 and not allow the intensification of these terrorist elements. Therefore a broad, reality-changing move must be initiated that will collapse and eliminate the phenomenon of the armed Palestinian battalions in Judea and Samaria in order to ensure our freedom of operation there,” Bar says.
The Palestinian Authority has arrested 247 outlaws as part of its counterterror raid in the Jenin refugee camp that has been ongoing for several weeks, PA security forces spokesperson Anwar Rajab says.
Speaking at a press conference in Jenin, Rajab says PA forces have defused 245 explosive devices in addition to confiscating weapons and ammunition.
Eight of those arrested are suspected of illicitly financing terror groups in the northern West Bank.
Rajab says PA forces also seized funds that were supposed to go toward the families of “martyrs and prisoners” but had been “misappropriated by the lawbreakers,” Haaretz reports. link It is very important to remember that there has been security cooperation between the PA and the Israeli security services ever since Oslo and has never stopped. Besides this operation in Jenin, over the years, the PA has stopped thousands of terror attacked and notified the Israeli security services of potential attacks within Israel.
Shin Bet chief said to urge ministers to approve major counterterror op in West Bank
Against the backdrop of the deadly terror shooting in the West Bank earlier this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu consulted with a small group of ministers and security chiefs, Channel 12 reports.
During the meeting, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar urged the government to approve a major IDF counterterror operation in the West Bank.
The IDF has already been carrying out near-daily raids throughout the West Bank and in recent weeks, it has been joined by the Palestinian Authority, which is carrying out an unprecedented operation of its own in the Jenin refugee camp, which has become a hotbed for Iran-backed armed groups.
But Bar appears to argue in favor of a more intensive effort by Israel.
“The significant decrease in the number of attacks in Judea and Samaria [West Bank] is deceptive and does not reflect the scope of terrorism on the ground. We identify a consistent escalating trend from [2021] where attackers have shifted from throwing Molotov cocktails to using rifles and explosive devices,” Channel 12 quotes Bar as having said during the meeting.
“Israel should learn from October 7 and not allow the intensification of these terrorist elements. Therefore a broad, reality-changing move must be initiated that will collapse and eliminate the phenomenon of the armed Palestinian battalions in Judea and Samaria in order to ensure our freedom of operation there,” Bar says.
Politics and the War (general news)
- IDF probe: Dikla Arava, Tomer Arava Eliaz likely killed by Israeli fire on Oct. 7
An IDF investigation into the deaths of Dikla Arava, 51, and her son Tomer Arava Eliaz, 17, in Kibbutz Nahal Oz during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, has found that the pair were likely killed by Israeli fire.
The probe, carried out by Col. (res.) Yaron Sitbon — who is responsible for a larger and ongoing investigation into the entire battle at Nahal Oz — was presented to their families last night. The probe is based on testimonies from soldiers, officers and civilians, the IDF says.
According to the investigation, on the morning of October 7, terrorists burst into the home of Arava-Elyakim, and opened fire on the door to their bomb-safe room. As a result of the gunfire, Noam Elyakim, 46, was wounded.
The terrorists then stole the phone of Elyakim’s girlfriend, Dikla, and began a Facebook live-stream which showed her son Tomer walking around nearby houses in the kibbutz and calling the neighbors to come out of their homes, after being threatened by the terrorists.
The investigation found that after around an hour and a half, Tomer managed to flee from the terrorists and hide in the kibbutz.
Moments later, IDF troops who had been battling numerous terrorists in Nahal Oz for some six hours, spotted a suspicious figure and opened fire.
“From the conclusions of the investigation, it appears that the figure was most likely the late Tomer Arava Eliaz, who was killed by fire from our forces in this incident due to a misidentification,” the IDF says.
The military says Tomer “acted bravely until the moment he was shot.”
At the same time, the terrorists abducted Noam and his two children Dafna and Ela, and his partner Dikla.
The investigation found that while the terrorists were heading toward Gaza with the four hostages, Israeli troops opened fire on their vehicle.
The IDF says the vehicle was identified by the troops as a “vehicle of terrorists on the run,” while they were battling numerous terrorists in the kibbutz.
As a result of the gunfire, Dikla was killed, according to the probe.
After the gunfire, the terrorists abandoned the vehicle in the Kibbutz, leaving Dikla’s body there.
Noam was also killed on October 7, 2023, and his body was only found on October 17. The IDF’s probe did not detail the circumstances of his death.
Dafna and Ela were taken to Gaza, where they were held captive for 51 days before being released as part of a truce deal on November 26.
The IDF in its statement says it failed on October 7, but notes that “at the same time, the security forces, reservists, local security officers and civilians fought bravely.”
- Egypt top diplomat meets Palestinian delegation, urges unity
Egypt’s foreign minister meets a Palestine Liberation Organization delegation, calling for “unity” and the strengthening of the Palestinian Authority amid Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza.
During his meeting with the PLO delegation in Cairo, Badr Abdelatty “reaffirmed Egypt’s supportive stance towards the Palestinian Authority,” his office says in a statement.
The minister also reiterated “Egypt’s rejection of any plans to displace Palestinians from their lands,” it adds.
Last month, Egypt hosted talks between rival Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas to discuss bringing postwar Gaza under PA control.
Fatah, which governs parts of the West Bank under the PA, dominates both the PA and the PLO, an internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people.
It has been excluded from Gaza since Hamas seized control in 2007.
Abdelatty also discusses with the PLO delegation Egypt’s efforts to end the Gaza war, reach a ceasefire agreement and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
Mediators Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been engaged in months of talks to cement a truce in Gaza, but so far to no avail.
- Israeli settlers raid West Bank village, set fire to Palestinian property
For the third night in a row, Israeli settlers raided a village in the West Bank and set fire to Palestinian property, the official Palestinian Authority news agency WAFA reports.
The latest incident took place in the village of Khirbet Abu Falah northeast of Ramallah.
Footage shows a building used by farmers on the outskirts of the village going up in flames.
“Revenge Funduq” is graffitied on the outer wall of the building, apparently referencing the area where a deadly terror shooting attack took place this week.
Settlers have carried out nightly attacks throughout the West Bank since that shooting, but no arrests have been made.
The Department for Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) announced on Tuesday that an investigation of a senior police officer is focused on the suspicion that he deliberately refused to investigate incidents of suspected Jewish nationalist attacks in the West Bank, ostensibly to advance his position in the police force.
Israel has long failed to deal with settler violence successfully but the problem has intensified since far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben Gvir became minister in charge of the police two years ago.
Before entering politics, Ben Gvir dismissed settler violence and defended Israelis allegedly involved in such attacks. video
- IDF probe: Dikla Arava, Tomer Arava Eliaz likely killed by Israeli fire on Oct. 7
An IDF investigation into the deaths of Dikla Arava, 51, and her son Tomer Arava Eliaz, 17, in Kibbutz Nahal Oz during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, has found that the pair were likely killed by Israeli fire.
The probe, carried out by Col. (res.) Yaron Sitbon — who is responsible for a larger and ongoing investigation into the entire battle at Nahal Oz — was presented to their families last night. The probe is based on testimonies from soldiers, officers and civilians, the IDF says.
According to the investigation, on the morning of October 7, terrorists burst into the home of Arava-Elyakim, and opened fire on the door to their bomb-safe room. As a result of the gunfire, Noam Elyakim, 46, was wounded.
The terrorists then stole the phone of Elyakim’s girlfriend, Dikla, and began a Facebook live-stream which showed her son Tomer walking around nearby houses in the kibbutz and calling the neighbors to come out of their homes, after being threatened by the terrorists.
The investigation found that after around an hour and a half, Tomer managed to flee from the terrorists and hide in the kibbutz.
Moments later, IDF troops who had been battling numerous terrorists in Nahal Oz for some six hours, spotted a suspicious figure and opened fire.
“From the conclusions of the investigation, it appears that the figure was most likely the late Tomer Arava Eliaz, who was killed by fire from our forces in this incident due to a misidentification,” the IDF says.
The military says Tomer “acted bravely until the moment he was shot.”
At the same time, the terrorists abducted Noam and his two children Dafna and Ela, and his partner Dikla.
The investigation found that while the terrorists were heading toward Gaza with the four hostages, Israeli troops opened fire on their vehicle.
The IDF says the vehicle was identified by the troops as a “vehicle of terrorists on the run,” while they were battling numerous terrorists in the kibbutz.
As a result of the gunfire, Dikla was killed, according to the probe.
After the gunfire, the terrorists abandoned the vehicle in the Kibbutz, leaving Dikla’s body there.
Noam was also killed on October 7, 2023, and his body was only found on October 17. The IDF’s probe did not detail the circumstances of his death.
Dafna and Ela were taken to Gaza, where they were held captive for 51 days before being released as part of a truce deal on November 26.
The IDF in its statement says it failed on October 7, but notes that “at the same time, the security forces, reservists, local security officers and civilians fought bravely.”
- Egypt top diplomat meets Palestinian delegation, urges unity
Egypt’s foreign minister meets a Palestine Liberation Organization delegation, calling for “unity” and the strengthening of the Palestinian Authority amid Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza.
During his meeting with the PLO delegation in Cairo, Badr Abdelatty “reaffirmed Egypt’s supportive stance towards the Palestinian Authority,” his office says in a statement.
The minister also reiterated “Egypt’s rejection of any plans to displace Palestinians from their lands,” it adds.
Last month, Egypt hosted talks between rival Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas to discuss bringing postwar Gaza under PA control.
Fatah, which governs parts of the West Bank under the PA, dominates both the PA and the PLO, an internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people.
It has been excluded from Gaza since Hamas seized control in 2007.
Abdelatty also discusses with the PLO delegation Egypt’s efforts to end the Gaza war, reach a ceasefire agreement and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
Mediators Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been engaged in months of talks to cement a truce in Gaza, but so far to no avail.
- Israeli settlers raid West Bank village, set fire to Palestinian property
For the third night in a row, Israeli settlers raided a village in the West Bank and set fire to Palestinian property, the official Palestinian Authority news agency WAFA reports.
The latest incident took place in the village of Khirbet Abu Falah northeast of Ramallah.
Footage shows a building used by farmers on the outskirts of the village going up in flames.
“Revenge Funduq” is graffitied on the outer wall of the building, apparently referencing the area where a deadly terror shooting attack took place this week.
Settlers have carried out nightly attacks throughout the West Bank since that shooting, but no arrests have been made.
The Department for Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) announced on Tuesday that an investigation of a senior police officer is focused on the suspicion that he deliberately refused to investigate incidents of suspected Jewish nationalist attacks in the West Bank, ostensibly to advance his position in the police force.
Israel has long failed to deal with settler violence successfully but the problem has intensified since far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben Gvir became minister in charge of the police two years ago.
Before entering politics, Ben Gvir dismissed settler violence and defended Israelis allegedly involved in such attacks. video
The Region and the World- IDF says Houthis have launched 40 missiles, 320 drones at Israel since start of war
The IDF says that since the beginning of the war, the Houthis in Yemen have launched some 40 ballistic missiles at Israel, the vast majority of which were intercepted by Israeli air defenses.
In one case, the military failed to shoot down a Houthi missile, and there were two incidents of partial interceptions, all of which resulted in damage and injuries in Israel.
According to the military, some of the Houthi ballistic missiles fell short before reaching Israel.
Additionally, the IDF says it has recorded over 320 drones launched at Israel from Yemen amid the war.
Over 100 of the drones were intercepted by the Israeli Air Force using ground-based air defense systems, fighter jets, and helicopters. Several drones were also shot down by the Israeli Navy.
There have been two cases of what the IDF calls “effective” drone impacts in Israel, with causalities and damage, while the others either struck open areas or did not reach the country, according to the military.
The Iran-backed Houthis in the past month ramped up missile and drone attacks on Israel, though there has been a lull of several days now.
The IDF says that the Houthi regime is a “central branch of the Iranian axis, and is responsible for undermining the regional order and disrupting global freedom of navigation.”
- Houthi media reports airstrikes in Yemen’s capital of Sanaa
Airstrikes were carried out a short while ago in Yemen’s capital of Sanaa, according to the Al-Masirah TV station, which is owned by the Houthi regime.
No further details are immediately available.
Earlier, Al-Masirah reported US and British strikes in areas north of Sanaa.
The airstrikes hit an area close to Al Sabeen Square, where weekly protests are carried out in support of the Gaza Strip, according to Al-Masirah.
The Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reports that six new airstrikes hit the Hodeidah port on the western coast of Yemen.
Personal Stories Tal Bartik, 48: Mom of 4 and talented volleyball playerMurdered by Hamas terrorists while fleeing the Supernova music festival on October 7Tal Tatiana Bartik Klein, 48, from Beersheba, was murdered by Hamas terrorists while trying to flee the Supernova music festival on October 7.
She attended the rave with two friends, Limor Vaknin and Ronen Daichman. When the attack started they fled the site, ultimately seeking safety in a roadside bomb shelter. There, Tal was slain along with many others when Hamas terrorists opened fire on those huddled inside and threw grenades. Limor and Ronen were also murdered that day.
Tal was considered missing for close to 10 days until her body was identified.
She was buried in Beersheba on October 17. She is survived by her four children.
Born in the former Soviet Union, Tal moved to Israel with her family at age 4. She had a degree in business from Ben Gurion University, and worked for ICL-Industrial Products (formerly known as Israel Chemicals Ltd.) as a shipping manager. She also played volleyball with a local branch of the Mamanet league, and her loved ones staged a volleyball tournament in her memory.
Marking a year since she was killed, her coworkers at ICL held a memorial service. One of her colleagues said Tal “was always happy, loved to party, loved life.” There was so much he could say about Tal, “but what most characterized her is that she was exceptional… She was talented in what she did, she was a true professional, she invested so much in those around her, she turned all of her coworkers into family.”
Her friend, Sandra Swissa, wrote on Facebook that she would “miss you so much. Your voice echoes in my head. I’m afraid to open our WhatsApp messages and hear your voice notes. I’ll never forget you, it was my honor to be your friend. I love you forever.”
Her friend Lili Hartman Kogan wrote on Facebook, “Tal, our beloved, my heart is shattered to pieces and my mind can’t comprehend… I already miss your smile and the joy that so characterized you. You loved life so much. God takes the very best for himself. Rest in peace, and watch over the kids from above.”
Another friend, Adi Mazouz Raz, wrote on social media that Tal had a joy for life that “was a blessing! And I was privileged to be part of it and to experience it together with you. Your laugh, your smile, the advice you gave — when things were a little tough you’d say, ‘Adi, it’s all nonsense.'”
On her gravestone, her loved ones wrote: “We’ll remember your big smile and we won’t stop. You laughed endlessly, you were a source of light to all of us.”
The IDF says that since the beginning of the war, the Houthis in Yemen have launched some 40 ballistic missiles at Israel, the vast majority of which were intercepted by Israeli air defenses.
In one case, the military failed to shoot down a Houthi missile, and there were two incidents of partial interceptions, all of which resulted in damage and injuries in Israel.
According to the military, some of the Houthi ballistic missiles fell short before reaching Israel.
Additionally, the IDF says it has recorded over 320 drones launched at Israel from Yemen amid the war.
Over 100 of the drones were intercepted by the Israeli Air Force using ground-based air defense systems, fighter jets, and helicopters. Several drones were also shot down by the Israeli Navy.
There have been two cases of what the IDF calls “effective” drone impacts in Israel, with causalities and damage, while the others either struck open areas or did not reach the country, according to the military.
The Iran-backed Houthis in the past month ramped up missile and drone attacks on Israel, though there has been a lull of several days now.
The IDF says that the Houthi regime is a “central branch of the Iranian axis, and is responsible for undermining the regional order and disrupting global freedom of navigation.”
Airstrikes were carried out a short while ago in Yemen’s capital of Sanaa, according to the Al-Masirah TV station, which is owned by the Houthi regime.
No further details are immediately available.
Earlier, Al-Masirah reported US and British strikes in areas north of Sanaa.
The airstrikes hit an area close to Al Sabeen Square, where weekly protests are carried out in support of the Gaza Strip, according to Al-Masirah.
The Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reports that six new airstrikes hit the Hodeidah port on the western coast of Yemen.
Tal Tatiana Bartik Klein, 48, from Beersheba, was murdered by Hamas terrorists while trying to flee the Supernova music festival on October 7.
She attended the rave with two friends, Limor Vaknin and Ronen Daichman. When the attack started they fled the site, ultimately seeking safety in a roadside bomb shelter. There, Tal was slain along with many others when Hamas terrorists opened fire on those huddled inside and threw grenades. Limor and Ronen were also murdered that day.
Tal was considered missing for close to 10 days until her body was identified.
She was buried in Beersheba on October 17. She is survived by her four children.
Born in the former Soviet Union, Tal moved to Israel with her family at age 4. She had a degree in business from Ben Gurion University, and worked for ICL-Industrial Products (formerly known as Israel Chemicals Ltd.) as a shipping manager. She also played volleyball with a local branch of the Mamanet league, and her loved ones staged a volleyball tournament in her memory.
Marking a year since she was killed, her coworkers at ICL held a memorial service. One of her colleagues said Tal “was always happy, loved to party, loved life.” There was so much he could say about Tal, “but what most characterized her is that she was exceptional… She was talented in what she did, she was a true professional, she invested so much in those around her, she turned all of her coworkers into family.”
Her friend, Sandra Swissa, wrote on Facebook that she would “miss you so much. Your voice echoes in my head. I’m afraid to open our WhatsApp messages and hear your voice notes. I’ll never forget you, it was my honor to be your friend. I love you forever.”
Her friend Lili Hartman Kogan wrote on Facebook, “Tal, our beloved, my heart is shattered to pieces and my mind can’t comprehend… I already miss your smile and the joy that so characterized you. You loved life so much. God takes the very best for himself. Rest in peace, and watch over the kids from above.”
Another friend, Adi Mazouz Raz, wrote on social media that Tal had a joy for life that “was a blessing! And I was privileged to be part of it and to experience it together with you. Your laugh, your smile, the advice you gave — when things were a little tough you’d say, ‘Adi, it’s all nonsense.'”
On her gravestone, her loved ones wrote: “We’ll remember your big smile and we won’t stop. You laughed endlessly, you were a source of light to all of us.”
Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages
The Charge: Negligent HomicideJoshua SobolPlaywright and author.
In a 1981 ruling, Israel’s High Court of Justice wrote that “the right to life and everything that life depends upon is the mother of all rights.” It follows, then, that the state’s paramount duty is to safeguard the lives of its citizens; the state’s raison d’etre is validated by its capacity to fulfill this duty, the “mother” of all obligations to its citizens.The day 251 Israelis were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists, the government of Israel and its leader were tasked with the supreme duty, and the highest responsibility, of saving the hostages from the death threat that hung over them as long as they were in Hamas’s hands.After recovering from the shock of October 7th, Benjamin Netanyahu laid out two objectives for what came to be known as the “Iron Swords” war, in the following order: crushing Hamas and freeing the hostages. But by presenting the freeing of Israel’s hostages as an outgrowth of a military campaign to destroy Hamas, Netanyahu relegated the saving of the hostages’ lives to second place, in terms of both time and attention, while giving top priority to wiping out Hamas through war. It was only because of a negotiated agreement that included a cease- fire that 80 hostages were freed alive. Seven others were rescued in military operations.After months of war have failed to achieve the goal of rescuing all the hostages, the country’s leader must acknowledge that the path he chose was misguided from the start. Instead of saving lives, it has predictably caused death.After nine months of fighting, over 100 Israelis remain in Hamas captivity - including 42 who have apparently lost their lives, having been murdered or having met an agonizing death amid the harsh conditions of captivity. The failure to assign top priority from the outset to freeing the captives, through any possible deal, is tantamount to negligent homicide. After all, a person who drives irrationally and recklessly in spite of all warnings would be charged with criminally negligent homicide and put on trial.The state of Israel remains duty - bound to prove the legitimacy of its existence by returning the living hostages to their loved ones, and those who are no longer alive to those who cherish their memory.
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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