π️Lonny's War Update- October 481, 2023 - January 29, 2025 π️
π️Day 481 that 90 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
*
Israeli contractor mistakenly killed by IDF troops in Gaza, army says
Excavator operator Jacob Avitan, 39, misidentified as threat as he arrived at IDF post in civilian clothing; Military Police launches investigation
A civilian Defense Ministry contractor was killed in an incident of so-called “friendly fire” in the central Gaza Strip on Tuesday morning, the military announced.
The contractor was identified as Jacob (Kobi) Avitan, 39, from Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat.
Avitan was contracted to operate an excavator to clear structures in the Netzarim Corridor area of central Gaza, where the Israel Defense Forces has been withdrawing from in recent days amid a ceasefire deal with the Hamas terror group.
The Defense Ministry has hired numerous civilians with construction experience for demolition tasks in Gaza amid the war, freeing up IDF units.
According to an initial IDF probe, the contractor arrived in civilian clothing at an army post inside Gaza, in an area where troops were still deployed, and was mistakenly identified as a threat.
A soldier guarding the entrance to the army post opened fire on Avitan, killing him.
The IDF Military Police launched an investigation into the deadly incident.
Avitan was the second civilian Defense Ministry contractor killed in Gaza amid the war. In May, civilian contractor Liron Yitzhak, 30, was killed in a mortar attack on troops in southern Gaza’s Rafah.
Hostage Updates
- 'I saw how you were fighting for me!' Naama Levy shares first post since release from Gaza
"I'm safe and protected, surrounded by family and friends, and feeling better with each passing day," Levy wrote.
Released hostage Naama Levy thanked IDF troops and the Israeli public for its support during her time in Hamas captivity in a post on social media on Tuesday.
"I want to thank the IDF soldiers and all the people of Israel. Even in captivity, I saw how you were fighting for me! Thank you, everyone; I love you," Levy, who was kidnapped from the Nahal Oz base on October 7, wrote. "I’m home. After 477 days, I’m finally home," she wrote.
"I’m safe and protected, surrounded by family and friends, and feeling better with each passing day. During the first 50 days since October 7, I was alone most of the time," she added.
Levy noted how the IDF observers and civilians with whom she was in captivity gave her "strength and hope." She noted how they "supported one another until the day of our release and continue to do so afterward.
Waiting for the remaining hostages
"We are waiting for Agam and the rest of the hostages to return so that we can complete the recovery process," she further stated.
Levy was released last week along with fellow IDF observers Daniella Gilboa, Karina Ariev, and Liri Albag as part of a hostage-ceasefire deal signed between Israel and Hamas.
Hostage Updates
- 'I saw how you were fighting for me!' Naama Levy shares first post since release from Gaza
"I'm safe and protected, surrounded by family and friends, and feeling better with each passing day," Levy wrote.
Released hostage Naama Levy thanked IDF troops and the Israeli public for its support during her time in Hamas captivity in a post on social media on Tuesday.
"I want to thank the IDF soldiers and all the people of Israel. Even in captivity, I saw how you were fighting for me! Thank you, everyone; I love you," Levy, who was kidnapped from the Nahal Oz base on October 7, wrote. "I’m home. After 477 days, I’m finally home," she wrote.
"I’m safe and protected, surrounded by family and friends, and feeling better with each passing day. During the first 50 days since October 7, I was alone most of the time," she added.
Levy noted how the IDF observers and civilians with whom she was in captivity gave her "strength and hope." She noted how they "supported one another until the day of our release and continue to do so afterward.
Waiting for the remaining hostages"We are waiting for Agam and the rest of the hostages to return so that we can complete the recovery process," she further stated.
Levy was released last week along with fellow IDF observers Daniella Gilboa, Karina Ariev, and Liri Albag as part of a hostage-ceasefire deal signed between Israel and Hamas.
The tense meeting between the head of the Mossad and the families of the hostages
The head of the Mossad addressed concerns about clearing rubble in Gaza, which could hinder the retrieval of fallen soldiers' bodies. Additionally, he explained that the humanitarian hostage list was compiled according to clear categories determined by a medical committee. "This is not a perfect deal, but it is the best deal we could bring," he stated. One of the fathers said: "I cannot rely on good intentions."
Last night (Tuesday), the central news edition broadcast a tense meeting that took place between the head of the Mossad and the families of the hostages, in which the families expressed deep concerns about the clearing of rubble in Gaza using bulldozers. "It is terrible. It could lead to more Ron Arad cases," warned the head of the Mossad, emphasizing that the agency sees the return of all hostages as a top priority.
During the meeting, the head of the Mossad also addressed the families' questions regarding the compilation of the humanitarian hostage list. He explained that the list was determined after the previous deal, based on clear categories that included women, children, female soldiers, the elderly, and those in humanitarian medical conditions, as established by a medical committee.
When asked about the chances of completing the deal in full, the head of the Mossad responded that although difficulties and challenges are expected, there is willingness and good intentions to bring all the hostages back. However, completing the process would be "difficult and challenging." This answer did not satisfy the families, as one of the fathers responded: "I cannot rely on good intentions."
The families’ fear of the deal being thwarted and halted before a second phase agreement also stems from political pressures to stop it. Just a day after the first three hostages (Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, and Doron Steinbacher) returned to Israel, Finance Minister Smotrich—who opposed the deal in the cabinet and government vote but remained in office—held a secret meeting attended by bereaved families, hostage families, and strategic advisors. In this meeting, they were called upon to prepare for a public protest to block the continuation of the deal and resume fighting.
Additionally, the Otzma Yehudit party, led by former National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, declared that if the IDF resumed fighting after the first phase of the deal, they could return to serve as ministers in the government. The return of Otzma Yehudit would expand the coalition again and stabilize it for the upcoming challenges—primarily the passing of the budget and the draft exemption law. link. We will definitely be facing a situation where some of the hostages' whereabouts will never be known. There is so much devastation in Gaza with 80% of the Strip destroyed and thousands of bodies under the rubble, amongst them hostages and their captors caught in the extensive aerial bombing by the air force. Clearing the rubble will be a monumental task in order to rebuild Gaza and there is little chance that it will be done delicately in order to find bodies. Bodies will certainly be found but only in the course of clearing rubble and seeing the bodies. We have no idea, yet how many of the hostages will not be found. And there is an additional cause of worry. If Hamas claims that there are 8 hostages who cannot be found, what is to stop them from saying that there are 10 and keeping 2 live hostages as additional bargaining chips for some future deal?
Regarding Dede Barnea telling the families that this was the 'best deal we could bring', this is obviously not the entire truth. He should have said that this was the best deal they could bring with the limitations that Netanyahu set for them. The best deal that could have been brought was a deal to bring home all the hostages and end the war. My brother put together a 3 week deal that would have done that and it was acceptable to Hamas (both diaspora and inside of Gaza), but Netanyahu was not prepared to end the war and the Israeli negotiators told that to my brother.
Ending the war would have meant that Smotrich would also have left the government, leaving Netanyahu with a minority government and the promised umbrella from the opposition parties to not bring down the government while the deal was going on. Netanyahu refused that as he knows it would mean early elections and an Official State Commission of Inquiry, 2 of the major things he has been doing everything to repress.
The question now is what will happen in the negotiations that are to start this week (16 day of the hostage deal) regarding the next phase of the deal which is supposed to release all the rest of the living hostages and the 3rd phase to return the dead. Both of these phases are predicated on Israel ending the war and pulling back all troops from Gaza and that means that Smotrich would leave the government and he and Ben Gvir would look to bring down the government. Netanyahu's new potential lifeline is Trump's ridiculous and illegal plan to transfer Gazans to other countries. Smotrich and Ben Gvir jumped all over it and are already putting together plans to make it happen. Netanyahu, until this stupid statement by Trump had stated that there is no intention of transferring Gazans by 'voluntary' emigration or any other means. Since Trump's statement, Netanyahu has been completely silent and he will be meeting Trump at the White House next week. There is a strong chance that Netanyahu will give his support to this illegal plan for multiple reasons: it helps him buddy up closer to his dictator twin, Trump, and it will enable him to end the war with keeping Smotrich in the coalition and having Ben Gvir rejoin the government with all of his ministries because ridding Gaza of the Palestinians for them is the best case scenario to end the war.
- Hamas expected to confirm name of third hostage to be freed tomorrow along with Arbel Yehoud, Agam Berger
Hamas is today expected to provide Israel with the name of a third hostage to be freed from Gaza tomorrow under a hostage-ceasefire deal along with civilian woman Arbel Yehoud and soldier Agam Berger.
It has been reported that Keith Siegel, 65, a US native, will be released this week, though there has been no confirmation and it is unclear if this will happen tomorrow or on Saturday, when three more hostages are set to be freed from Gaza.
In exchange for the hostages, Israel will free Palestinian security prisoners — 30 for each civilian, and 50 for Berger including 30 terrorists serving life sentences.
The extra batch of hostages to be released this week was added to the schedule after a dispute over the implementation of the truce deal with Hamas in Gaza was resolved on Monday.
Seven former hostages have been released under the Gaza deal so far — three civilians and four IDF soldiers — who were kidnapped on October 7, 2023, when some 3,000 Hamas-led terrorists burst into Israel, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages, mostly civilians, amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.
The tense meeting between the head of the Mossad and the families of the hostages
The head of the Mossad addressed concerns about clearing rubble in Gaza, which could hinder the retrieval of fallen soldiers' bodies. Additionally, he explained that the humanitarian hostage list was compiled according to clear categories determined by a medical committee. "This is not a perfect deal, but it is the best deal we could bring," he stated. One of the fathers said: "I cannot rely on good intentions."
Last night (Tuesday), the central news edition broadcast a tense meeting that took place between the head of the Mossad and the families of the hostages, in which the families expressed deep concerns about the clearing of rubble in Gaza using bulldozers. "It is terrible. It could lead to more Ron Arad cases," warned the head of the Mossad, emphasizing that the agency sees the return of all hostages as a top priority.
During the meeting, the head of the Mossad also addressed the families' questions regarding the compilation of the humanitarian hostage list. He explained that the list was determined after the previous deal, based on clear categories that included women, children, female soldiers, the elderly, and those in humanitarian medical conditions, as established by a medical committee.
When asked about the chances of completing the deal in full, the head of the Mossad responded that although difficulties and challenges are expected, there is willingness and good intentions to bring all the hostages back. However, completing the process would be "difficult and challenging." This answer did not satisfy the families, as one of the fathers responded: "I cannot rely on good intentions."
The families’ fear of the deal being thwarted and halted before a second phase agreement also stems from political pressures to stop it. Just a day after the first three hostages (Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, and Doron Steinbacher) returned to Israel, Finance Minister Smotrich—who opposed the deal in the cabinet and government vote but remained in office—held a secret meeting attended by bereaved families, hostage families, and strategic advisors. In this meeting, they were called upon to prepare for a public protest to block the continuation of the deal and resume fighting.
Regarding Dede Barnea telling the families that this was the 'best deal we could bring', this is obviously not the entire truth. He should have said that this was the best deal they could bring with the limitations that Netanyahu set for them. The best deal that could have been brought was a deal to bring home all the hostages and end the war. My brother put together a 3 week deal that would have done that and it was acceptable to Hamas (both diaspora and inside of Gaza), but Netanyahu was not prepared to end the war and the Israeli negotiators told that to my brother.
Ending the war would have meant that Smotrich would also have left the government, leaving Netanyahu with a minority government and the promised umbrella from the opposition parties to not bring down the government while the deal was going on. Netanyahu refused that as he knows it would mean early elections and an Official State Commission of Inquiry, 2 of the major things he has been doing everything to repress.
The question now is what will happen in the negotiations that are to start this week (16 day of the hostage deal) regarding the next phase of the deal which is supposed to release all the rest of the living hostages and the 3rd phase to return the dead. Both of these phases are predicated on Israel ending the war and pulling back all troops from Gaza and that means that Smotrich would leave the government and he and Ben Gvir would look to bring down the government. Netanyahu's new potential lifeline is Trump's ridiculous and illegal plan to transfer Gazans to other countries. Smotrich and Ben Gvir jumped all over it and are already putting together plans to make it happen. Netanyahu, until this stupid statement by Trump had stated that there is no intention of transferring Gazans by 'voluntary' emigration or any other means. Since Trump's statement, Netanyahu has been completely silent and he will be meeting Trump at the White House next week. There is a strong chance that Netanyahu will give his support to this illegal plan for multiple reasons: it helps him buddy up closer to his dictator twin, Trump, and it will enable him to end the war with keeping Smotrich in the coalition and having Ben Gvir rejoin the government with all of his ministries because ridding Gaza of the Palestinians for them is the best case scenario to end the war.
Hamas is today expected to provide Israel with the name of a third hostage to be freed from Gaza tomorrow under a hostage-ceasefire deal along with civilian woman Arbel Yehoud and soldier Agam Berger.
It has been reported that Keith Siegel, 65, a US native, will be released this week, though there has been no confirmation and it is unclear if this will happen tomorrow or on Saturday, when three more hostages are set to be freed from Gaza.
In exchange for the hostages, Israel will free Palestinian security prisoners — 30 for each civilian, and 50 for Berger including 30 terrorists serving life sentences.
The extra batch of hostages to be released this week was added to the schedule after a dispute over the implementation of the truce deal with Hamas in Gaza was resolved on Monday.
Seven former hostages have been released under the Gaza deal so far — three civilians and four IDF soldiers — who were kidnapped on October 7, 2023, when some 3,000 Hamas-led terrorists burst into Israel, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages, mostly civilians, amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.
Gaza and the South
- US, Egyptian security contractors check for weaponry in cars returning to northern GazaIDF says it carried out drone strike as warning to vehicle trying to bypass checkpoint; armed Hamas operatives seen among crowds of Palestinians traveling by foot to north of Strip
Security contractors have started inspecting vehicles in Gaza to prevent heavy weaponry from being moved to the north of the enclave, where tens of thousands of Palestinians were returning to on Monday.
An Egyptian official said Egyptian contractors, along with a US firm, were running checkpoints to inspect vehicles heading to the northern Gaza Strip via the Salah a-Din Road. The contractors are part of an Egyptian-Qatari committee implementing the ceasefire, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
A Palestinian businessman who crossed through a checkpoint told the New York Times that US security personnel wearing dark fatigues checked cars, while soldiers speaking an Egyptian dialect of Arabic organized the movement of vehicles and the passengers they let off while the inspections were conducted.
“The car inspection and crossing take no more than a minute or two,” he was quoted as saying. “They asked me to open the trunk and hood, and then wished me safe travels.”
An Israeli official, who confirmed the inspections began Monday, described the team operating the inspections as “multinational,” but gave no further details except to say it included a private American security firm. Reports last week said the US company Safe Reach Solutions will be responsible for the operational management of crossings along the corridor, while another American firm and an Egyptian company perform the inspections.
The official also vowed Israel will continue to act against violations of the ceasefire terms, and the Israel Defense Forces reported taking such action several times on Monday. link It was reported on the news that these inspections are very quick and even less than what one goes through when entering a sport stadium in Israel. This means that there is certainly smuggling of weapons to the north which was the entire point of the inspections to prevent this.
In central Gaza, a drone strike was carried out as a warning after a vehicle attempted to travel to north Gaza via an area that is prohibited for vehicular traffic per the agreement, where inspections weren’t taking place, the IDF said.
Palestinian media had reported a drone strike on a tractor trying to push through a barrier in Nuseirat.
In several areas of Gaza where troops are still deployed, the military said troops also fired warning shots at suspects approaching them. In one incident in northern Gaza, the IDF said troops targeted a suspect who did not withdraw after initial warning shots were fired.
The incidents came as masses of Palestinians streamed along roads leading to northern Gaza, with images showing armed and masked Hamas operatives flashing the victory sign among the returning crowds. The ceasefire exempts Palestinians traveling on foot from inspections, though they are not supposed to be carrying weapons.
Hamas released a brief statement claiming that “more than 300,000 displaced” Palestinians “returned today… to the governorates of the north” of Gaza, a figure that could not be verified independently. The United Nations said over 200,000 people were observed moving north on Monday morning.
A Hamas fighter lifts his weapon as displaced Palestinians return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, January 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)During the 15 months of fighting, Israel was wary about allowing the movement of Gazans from the south to the north fearing Hamas would use the opportunity to reposition its fighters.
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, residents of northern Gaza were initially due to return over the weekend but Israel kept the crossings closed, saying that Hamas had broken the deal by failing to release civilian hostage Arbel Yehud.
Late on Sunday, Qatari mediators said Hamas had agreed to release Yehud and two other hostages — one of them female soldier Agam Berger — before Friday and that Israel would in return allow displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza starting Monday morning. Three men were to be released on Saturday.
Jerusalem also said Hamas had finally sent a list detailing the conditions of the remaining hostages set to be released in the ongoing, 42-day first phase of the ceasefire, which began on January 19. Both the failure to send this list by Saturday and Hamas’s failure to free Yehoud before releasing four IDF servicewomen had been regarded by Israel as violations of the truce deal.
Security contractors have started inspecting vehicles in Gaza to prevent heavy weaponry from being moved to the north of the enclave, where tens of thousands of Palestinians were returning to on Monday.
An Egyptian official said Egyptian contractors, along with a US firm, were running checkpoints to inspect vehicles heading to the northern Gaza Strip via the Salah a-Din Road. The contractors are part of an Egyptian-Qatari committee implementing the ceasefire, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
A Palestinian businessman who crossed through a checkpoint told the New York Times that US security personnel wearing dark fatigues checked cars, while soldiers speaking an Egyptian dialect of Arabic organized the movement of vehicles and the passengers they let off while the inspections were conducted.
“The car inspection and crossing take no more than a minute or two,” he was quoted as saying. “They asked me to open the trunk and hood, and then wished me safe travels.”
An Israeli official, who confirmed the inspections began Monday, described the team operating the inspections as “multinational,” but gave no further details except to say it included a private American security firm. Reports last week said the US company Safe Reach Solutions will be responsible for the operational management of crossings along the corridor, while another American firm and an Egyptian company perform the inspections.
The official also vowed Israel will continue to act against violations of the ceasefire terms, and the Israel Defense Forces reported taking such action several times on Monday. link It was reported on the news that these inspections are very quick and even less than what one goes through when entering a sport stadium in Israel. This means that there is certainly smuggling of weapons to the north which was the entire point of the inspections to prevent this.
In central Gaza, a drone strike was carried out as a warning after a vehicle attempted to travel to north Gaza via an area that is prohibited for vehicular traffic per the agreement, where inspections weren’t taking place, the IDF said.
Palestinian media had reported a drone strike on a tractor trying to push through a barrier in Nuseirat.
In several areas of Gaza where troops are still deployed, the military said troops also fired warning shots at suspects approaching them. In one incident in northern Gaza, the IDF said troops targeted a suspect who did not withdraw after initial warning shots were fired.
The incidents came as masses of Palestinians streamed along roads leading to northern Gaza, with images showing armed and masked Hamas operatives flashing the victory sign among the returning crowds. The ceasefire exempts Palestinians traveling on foot from inspections, though they are not supposed to be carrying weapons.
Hamas released a brief statement claiming that “more than 300,000 displaced” Palestinians “returned today… to the governorates of the north” of Gaza, a figure that could not be verified independently. The United Nations said over 200,000 people were observed moving north on Monday morning.
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, residents of northern Gaza were initially due to return over the weekend but Israel kept the crossings closed, saying that Hamas had broken the deal by failing to release civilian hostage Arbel Yehud.
Late on Sunday, Qatari mediators said Hamas had agreed to release Yehud and two other hostages — one of them female soldier Agam Berger — before Friday and that Israel would in return allow displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza starting Monday morning. Three men were to be released on Saturday.
Jerusalem also said Hamas had finally sent a list detailing the conditions of the remaining hostages set to be released in the ongoing, 42-day first phase of the ceasefire, which began on January 19. Both the failure to send this list by Saturday and Hamas’s failure to free Yehoud before releasing four IDF servicewomen had been regarded by Israel as violations of the truce deal.
A displaced Palestinian child playes with a kitten in a car on Salah al-Din road in Nuseirat as people make their way to the northern part of the Gaza strip on January 28, 2025. (Eyad BABA / AFP)
Umm Ali Muheisen skipped across the road when she saw her daughter and grandchildren after 15 months separated by the war in Gaza, clutching them in a tight embrace as Palestinians reunited with loved ones after a ceasefire in the war.
Their reunion was one of many taking place just inside northern Gaza, where large numbers of displaced people returning from the south are going back, looking for surviving family members and whatever remains of their homes.
“I want to hold them. I want to get enough of them. I have not seen them for 15 months. I missed them so, so much,” Muheisen said, lifting her little granddaughter. Full article
- IDF says it foiled overnight attempt to smuggle 13 assault rifles into Israel from Egypt using a drone
The IDF says it foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons into Israel from Egypt overnight, using a drone.
The drone was spotted crossing the border from Egypt into Israel and was shot down by troops dispatched to the scene.
The soldiers found that the drone was ferrying 13 assault rifles, according to the IDF.
In recent months there have been frequent attempts to bring weapons over the Egyptian border using drones.
The IDF says it foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons into Israel from Egypt overnight, using a drone.
The drone was spotted crossing the border from Egypt into Israel and was shot down by troops dispatched to the scene.
The soldiers found that the drone was ferrying 13 assault rifles, according to the IDF.
In recent months there have been frequent attempts to bring weapons over the Egyptian border using drones.
Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria
- Defense Minister Katz says IDF to stay in Syria buffer zone indefinitely
Defense Minister Israel Katz says during a visit to the Syrian side of Mount Hermon today that the IDF will remain there indefinitely.
“The IDF will remain at the summit of the Hermon and the security zone indefinitely to ensure the security of the communities of the Golan Heights and the north, and all the residents of Israel,” Katz says, apparently referring to a buffer zone on the Syrian side of the border that Israel seized following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime last month.
“We will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves in the security zone in southern Syria… we will act against any threat,” he says.
Katz says Israel will make contact with “friendly populations” in the southern Syria area, “with an emphasis on the large Druze community which has historic and close family relations with our Druze brothers in Israel.”
The defense minister visited an army post at the Mount Hermon summit, where he held an assessment with senior officers and spoke with troops, according to his office.
Israel has previously described its takeover of the buffer zone as a temporary measure aimed at preventing hostile forces from taking advantage of the power vacuum in Syria to enter the strategic zone and threaten Israeli territory. link This may be necessarily militarily and strategically but it should not be done in a vacuum. We need to be engaging with the new Syrian government and establish dialogue in an effort to create a new reality of potential peace with our northern neighbor. Of course, we need to be cautious but we also need to be bold, not just wimpering foolish hawks like our Foreign Minister who only makes negative and antagonistic comments about the new government.
- Hezbollah handed over massive underground missile facility to Lebanese army
The Hezbollah terror group has reportedly handed over an underground missile facility to the Lebanese Armed Forces, as Jerusalem and Beirut agreed to extend the deadline for Israeli troops to depart southern Lebanon as part of a truce that came into effect in late November.
Al-Arabiya reports that the subterranean facility in southern Lebanon, which has large tunnels through which trucks can drive, was emptied of all heavy equipment before the LAF took control of it.
The Saudi-owned outlet airs footage purporting to show Lebanese troops inspecting the premises.
Hezbollah boasted about the missile facility, dubbed Imad 4, in an August propaganda video — before Israel launched its military campaign that wiped out most of the Iran-backed terror group’s top leadership, including long-time chief Hassan Nasrallah.
Israel has said that it needs to stay past the 60-day deadline stipulated in the ceasefire agreement to ensure that Hezbollah does not reestablish its presence in southern Lebanon, because the LAF has not deployed to all areas south of the Litani River — about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border with Israel, as agreed.
The White House said in a statement on Sunday that the deadline for the IDF to withdraw has been extended to February 18. Videos of Hizbollah's massive missile tunnel link 1 link 2
Lebanese health ministry: Five injured in Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon
The Lebanese health ministry says five people have been injured in an Israeli drone strike in the southern Lebanese town of Majdal Selm.
Last night, 24 people were reported injured in Israeli airstrikes in Nabatieh, a major town in south Lebanon. The IDF said in a statement it had struck Hezbollah vehicles that were transporting weapons on the edge of Nabatieh.
The strikes come amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanon-based terror group that came into effect in November.
Defense Minister Israel Katz says during a visit to the Syrian side of Mount Hermon today that the IDF will remain there indefinitely.
“The IDF will remain at the summit of the Hermon and the security zone indefinitely to ensure the security of the communities of the Golan Heights and the north, and all the residents of Israel,” Katz says, apparently referring to a buffer zone on the Syrian side of the border that Israel seized following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime last month.
“We will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves in the security zone in southern Syria… we will act against any threat,” he says.
Katz says Israel will make contact with “friendly populations” in the southern Syria area, “with an emphasis on the large Druze community which has historic and close family relations with our Druze brothers in Israel.”
The defense minister visited an army post at the Mount Hermon summit, where he held an assessment with senior officers and spoke with troops, according to his office.
Israel has previously described its takeover of the buffer zone as a temporary measure aimed at preventing hostile forces from taking advantage of the power vacuum in Syria to enter the strategic zone and threaten Israeli territory. link This may be necessarily militarily and strategically but it should not be done in a vacuum. We need to be engaging with the new Syrian government and establish dialogue in an effort to create a new reality of potential peace with our northern neighbor. Of course, we need to be cautious but we also need to be bold, not just wimpering foolish hawks like our Foreign Minister who only makes negative and antagonistic comments about the new government.
The Hezbollah terror group has reportedly handed over an underground missile facility to the Lebanese Armed Forces, as Jerusalem and Beirut agreed to extend the deadline for Israeli troops to depart southern Lebanon as part of a truce that came into effect in late November.
Al-Arabiya reports that the subterranean facility in southern Lebanon, which has large tunnels through which trucks can drive, was emptied of all heavy equipment before the LAF took control of it.
The Saudi-owned outlet airs footage purporting to show Lebanese troops inspecting the premises.
Hezbollah boasted about the missile facility, dubbed Imad 4, in an August propaganda video — before Israel launched its military campaign that wiped out most of the Iran-backed terror group’s top leadership, including long-time chief Hassan Nasrallah.
Israel has said that it needs to stay past the 60-day deadline stipulated in the ceasefire agreement to ensure that Hezbollah does not reestablish its presence in southern Lebanon, because the LAF has not deployed to all areas south of the Litani River — about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border with Israel, as agreed.
The White House said in a statement on Sunday that the deadline for the IDF to withdraw has been extended to February 18. Videos of Hizbollah's massive missile tunnel link 1 link 2
Lebanese health ministry: Five injured in Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon
The Lebanese health ministry says five people have been injured in an Israeli drone strike in the southern Lebanese town of Majdal Selm.
Last night, 24 people were reported injured in Israeli airstrikes in Nabatieh, a major town in south Lebanon. The IDF said in a statement it had struck Hezbollah vehicles that were transporting weapons on the edge of Nabatieh.
The strikes come amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanon-based terror group that came into effect in November.
West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel
Dozens of terrorists arrested, weapons destroyed: The Commando Division’s operation in Jenin
As part of Operation "Iron Wall" in Judea and Samaria, the fighters eliminated terrorists and carried out special arrest operations • The forces located and destroyed a weapons manufacturing lathe and two weapons storage facilities.
In recent days, Commando Division fighters have been operating as part of Operation "Iron Wall" to counter terrorism in Jenin. The fighters arrested dozens of terrorists and located and destroyed explosives, weapons, and various other armaments.
The weapons found in Jenin
The weapons found by the fighters of the Egoz unit in Jenin
During the operation, the fighters eliminated terrorists and conducted special arrest operations in which dozens of terrorists were apprehended. The forces also located and destroyed a weapons manufacturing lathe and two weapons storage facilities containing ammunition and combat equipment.
Yesterday, the IDF expanded the operation in Judea and Samaria to include Tulkarm. Since the expansion of the operation, two terrorists have been eliminated, and six others have been wounded. Four were arrested by the IDF, and approximately 20 explosives located by the forces were destroyed.
In Tulkarm, a new organization has emerged, replacing "Lion’s Den." Dozens of armed terrorists have organized in the city and established a new terror group called "The Tulkarm Battalion," or simply "The Battalion." The organization operates in refugee camps in northern Samaria and in villages near Jenin. "The Battalion" is funded by external sources, and the IDF is working to prevent the transfer of money to them. What binds and sustains them is their organizational affiliation.
The decision to launch the operation came following the ceasefire in other arenas—allowing the IDF to focus on northern Samaria. The security establishment aims to create friction with terrorists deep in Palestinian territory and strike at the terror networks operating there, reaching terrorists before they carry out attacks in Israeli territory and realize their objectives. link
Police arrest 12 over Hamas celebration for released terrorist in East Jerusalem
Israeli security forces arrested 12 people last night in East Jerusalem on suspicion of participating in a pro-Hamas demonstration celebrating the release of a terrorist freed under the Gaza hostage-ceasefire deal, according to a police spokesperson.
Police say that they found Hamas flags, fireworks, a pellet gun and a large sum of money during last night’s raids.
Though police did not specify the demonstration in question, the arrests come a few days after footage of a parade celebrating the Saturday release of Ashraf Zughayer, a Hamas terrorist convicted in 2002 of driving suicide bombers to carry out attacks, circulated on social media.
The footage shows crowds of people parading through Jerusalem’s Kafr Aqab neighborhood while waving Hamas flags, with Zughayer himself atop a slow-moving pickup truck at the center of the demonstration.
Dozens of terrorists arrested, weapons destroyed: The Commando Division’s operation in Jenin
As part of Operation "Iron Wall" in Judea and Samaria, the fighters eliminated terrorists and carried out special arrest operations • The forces located and destroyed a weapons manufacturing lathe and two weapons storage facilities.
In recent days, Commando Division fighters have been operating as part of Operation "Iron Wall" to counter terrorism in Jenin. The fighters arrested dozens of terrorists and located and destroyed explosives, weapons, and various other armaments.
The weapons found by the fighters of the Egoz unit in Jenin
During the operation, the fighters eliminated terrorists and conducted special arrest operations in which dozens of terrorists were apprehended. The forces also located and destroyed a weapons manufacturing lathe and two weapons storage facilities containing ammunition and combat equipment.
Yesterday, the IDF expanded the operation in Judea and Samaria to include Tulkarm. Since the expansion of the operation, two terrorists have been eliminated, and six others have been wounded. Four were arrested by the IDF, and approximately 20 explosives located by the forces were destroyed.
In Tulkarm, a new organization has emerged, replacing "Lion’s Den." Dozens of armed terrorists have organized in the city and established a new terror group called "The Tulkarm Battalion," or simply "The Battalion." The organization operates in refugee camps in northern Samaria and in villages near Jenin. "The Battalion" is funded by external sources, and the IDF is working to prevent the transfer of money to them. What binds and sustains them is their organizational affiliation.
The decision to launch the operation came following the ceasefire in other arenas—allowing the IDF to focus on northern Samaria. The security establishment aims to create friction with terrorists deep in Palestinian territory and strike at the terror networks operating there, reaching terrorists before they carry out attacks in Israeli territory and realize their objectives. link
Police arrest 12 over Hamas celebration for released terrorist in East Jerusalem
Israeli security forces arrested 12 people last night in East Jerusalem on suspicion of participating in a pro-Hamas demonstration celebrating the release of a terrorist freed under the Gaza hostage-ceasefire deal, according to a police spokesperson.
Police say that they found Hamas flags, fireworks, a pellet gun and a large sum of money during last night’s raids.
Though police did not specify the demonstration in question, the arrests come a few days after footage of a parade celebrating the Saturday release of Ashraf Zughayer, a Hamas terrorist convicted in 2002 of driving suicide bombers to carry out attacks, circulated on social media.
The footage shows crowds of people parading through Jerusalem’s Kafr Aqab neighborhood while waving Hamas flags, with Zughayer himself atop a slow-moving pickup truck at the center of the demonstration.
- Defense minister says IDF will remain in Jenin after ongoing raid ‘to ensure terror doesn’t return’
Defense Minister Israel Katz vows that the IDF will remain in the West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp even after an ongoing military operation there, “to ensure the terror does not return.”
“We declared a war on Palestinian terror in Judea and Samaria,” Katz says during a visit to Jenin, using the biblical name for the West Bank.
“Operation Iron Wall comes to defeat the terror infrastructure built in the Palestinian refugee camps with Iranian financing and supply,” he says.
Katz says the Jenin camp “will not return to be what it was.”
“After the operation is completed, IDF troops will remain in the camp to make sure terror does not return,” he says.
“I send a clear message from here to the Palestinian Authority: Stop funding terrorism and murder of Jews, and start fighting terror seriously. Anyone who funds the families of terrorists and murderers, and educates his children to destroy Israel, endangers his very existence,” Katz adds. link As we have seen too many times since Katz has become Defense Minister, he makes stupid and provocative statements that don't serve anyone except the extremist who are probably having parties about the statement that the IDF will remain in Jenin. They will see it as the first step in dismantling the PA as this fits perfectly into their plans of annexing the West Bank and settling in every area that they have been forbidden to settle until now. The statement should have been that the IDF is temporarily remaining in Jenin and will leave when we are ensured by our actions and the actions of the PA that the terror will not return, but we can't expect something like that from Katz.
Defense Minister Israel Katz vows that the IDF will remain in the West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp even after an ongoing military operation there, “to ensure the terror does not return.”
“We declared a war on Palestinian terror in Judea and Samaria,” Katz says during a visit to Jenin, using the biblical name for the West Bank.
“Operation Iron Wall comes to defeat the terror infrastructure built in the Palestinian refugee camps with Iranian financing and supply,” he says.
Katz says the Jenin camp “will not return to be what it was.”
“After the operation is completed, IDF troops will remain in the camp to make sure terror does not return,” he says.
“I send a clear message from here to the Palestinian Authority: Stop funding terrorism and murder of Jews, and start fighting terror seriously. Anyone who funds the families of terrorists and murderers, and educates his children to destroy Israel, endangers his very existence,” Katz adds. link As we have seen too many times since Katz has become Defense Minister, he makes stupid and provocative statements that don't serve anyone except the extremist who are probably having parties about the statement that the IDF will remain in Jenin. They will see it as the first step in dismantling the PA as this fits perfectly into their plans of annexing the West Bank and settling in every area that they have been forbidden to settle until now. The statement should have been that the IDF is temporarily remaining in Jenin and will leave when we are ensured by our actions and the actions of the PA that the terror will not return, but we can't expect something like that from Katz.
Politics and the War (general news)
Dozens of Families of Nova Massacre Victims to File Massive Lawsuit Against the State
The families hope that through the legal process, they will receive answers regarding the failure and those responsible for it • Estimated lawsuit amount: 2 billion shekels, with potential for increase due to the high number of victims • "Our goal is to receive compensation for the damage we suffered, but also to know who is to blame for this event," says Yigal Volodersky, whose daughter was murdered • Prime Minister Netanyahu’s attorney, Adv. Amit Hadad, is expected to join the plaintiffs' legal team
Dozens of families of those murdered at the Nova festival are currently organizing to file a massive lawsuit against the state on grounds of negligence due to the failure that led to the loss of their loved ones on October 7. The families estimate that the lawsuit will be filed for a sum of 2 billion shekels due to the high number of victims at the festival—364 people—and that the amount could increase as more bereaved Nova families join. In addition to seeking compensation, they hope that through the legal process, they will receive answers and findings on how this failure happened and who is responsible—whether at the military, governmental, or festival organizational level.
The families approached Adv. Amit Hadad, who represents Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and upon hearing about the initiative, he agreed to the families’ request and is expected to join the legal team handling the case. "Our goal is to receive compensation for the damage we suffered, but also to know who is to blame for this event," says Yigal Volodersky, who initiated the lawsuit. His daughter, Margarita (Rita) Gosk, was murdered along with her partner Simon Wigdergaus at the Nova festival, and since then, he has been seeking answers from the state.
Rita and Simon
"We, the families, have the right to know what happened here and for a just trial to take place. We want to hear how the decisions were made—how there was such a small military presence, just a few hundred soldiers, facing a dangerous entity training on the border with thousands of fighters. Did those who approved the festival know the military force allocation in the area? Was there reinforcement due to the festival? We want to know how this failure happened."
The Nova party area after the massacre Photo: Yonatan Zindel, Flash 90.
According to him, 30 families have already joined the initiative, and they are waiting to finalize the list before filing the lawsuit. Currently, the families receive monthly compensation from the National Insurance Institute under the Compensation Law for Victims of Hostile Acts, which varies per individual based on personal circumstances and amounts to several thousand shekels per month. The compensation the families are seeking from the state for the failure takes into account the sum they already receive from the National Insurance Institute. However, Volodersky emphasizes: "Receiving money from the National Insurance Institute while such criminal negligence, abandonment, and neglect took place will not silence us. We believe it is time—15 months after the event—that someone in an official position in Israel, someone with authority, calls in those involved in this event and gets answers from them."
The investigations currently being conducted regarding the festival—by the military and the State Comptroller’s Office—have yet to be completed or presented to the families of the victims and those affected by the Nova massacre, from which 44 people were abducted. Volodersky’s initiative has also been joined by the family of Amit Buskila, who was murdered while fleeing the festival at the start of the massacre. Her body was taken to Gaza and returned eight months later, in May. "No one is paying attention to the families who lost their loved ones," says Shimon Atias, Buskila’s uncle, who was like a father to her. "All the hostages must be returned, but there are also the families of the murdered. Entire families have been destroyed, thrown into the hands of the National Insurance Institute. We have lost our lives. We want to sue the state so that those responsible are found. Until a commission of inquiry is established, it is unacceptable that all the military officials are resigning without us getting answers. We want to know how this failure happened when this festival could have been prevented."
Shimon Atias, Amit Buskila Photo: Courtesy of the family.
The Nova party area after the massacre Photo: Flash 90
As part of the legal process—a civil lawsuit—the families intend to summon those involved in approving the festival, including military officials, to court in order to shed light on what led to the failure. "According to the law, when a civil lawsuit is filed, anyone relevant to the case can be summoned," explains Adv. Ziv Maor, who is assisting the families in the process. "What transpired in the government and military are highly relevant questions, and therefore, we intend to summon the highest-ranking decision-makers, including the Prime Minister, the head of Military Intelligence, the Chief of Staff, and the commander of the Gaza Division, to testify."
However, Adv. Maor emphasizes that the essence of the lawsuit is about compensation. "There was extreme negligence here that led to an extreme loss of human life. There is no doubt that the state was negligent and will have to compensate the families. If, as a result, the public also receives the answers it deserves regarding the October 7 failure, we will gladly fulfill that mission. Our hope is that beyond securing compensation, this trial will become a living memorial to the horrific price that the state's negligence exacted on Israeli citizens." link
- Settler group advocates Gaza policy of ‘Occupy, expel, settle’
The Nachala settlement movement launches a new campaign against the ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas, with the tagline “Occupy, expel, settle.”
A campaign flier says Netanyahu has “no mandate” to continue with what the organization dubs the “total capitulation” of the agreement.
Nachala says in announcing the campaign that “a reality in which Hamas sets the rules and kidnapping Jews becomes the thing that pays off the best” would represent a criminal failure to think of the future.
“You don’t sell Israel’s security and you don’t give up on one part of the Land of Israel. There’s only one solution, a blue and white Gaza,” the flier says.
“Occupy, expel, settle the entire Gaza Strip.”
This appears to be the first time Nachala has included the term “expel” in reference to the residents of Gaza in its campaign material. The organization has campaigned and lobbied heavily for reestablishing Jewish settlements in Gaza during the war, which was halted last week after 15 months of fighting.
A spokesperson for Nachala says the organization will be organizing conferences and demonstrations as part of the campaign in the coming weeks. link This is just another of the racist and illegal outcroppings of the extreme, messianics who don't care about the lives of the hostages and certainly don't give a damn that they are promoting and executing internationally illegal activities that fit within the international definition of genocide to which Israel is a signatory. The don't care about any international ramifications and certainly don't care about the lives of the millions they want to expel. This is the first time they are using the term expel instead of 'voluntary' emigration which has always been their intent. I think they are being emboldened by the idiotic statements coming out of the White House about transferring the Gazan population. This has to stop and be prosecuted as it is incitement to illegal activity.
Dozens of Families of Nova Massacre Victims to File Massive Lawsuit Against the State
The families hope that through the legal process, they will receive answers regarding the failure and those responsible for it • Estimated lawsuit amount: 2 billion shekels, with potential for increase due to the high number of victims • "Our goal is to receive compensation for the damage we suffered, but also to know who is to blame for this event," says Yigal Volodersky, whose daughter was murdered • Prime Minister Netanyahu’s attorney, Adv. Amit Hadad, is expected to join the plaintiffs' legal team
Dozens of families of those murdered at the Nova festival are currently organizing to file a massive lawsuit against the state on grounds of negligence due to the failure that led to the loss of their loved ones on October 7. The families estimate that the lawsuit will be filed for a sum of 2 billion shekels due to the high number of victims at the festival—364 people—and that the amount could increase as more bereaved Nova families join. In addition to seeking compensation, they hope that through the legal process, they will receive answers and findings on how this failure happened and who is responsible—whether at the military, governmental, or festival organizational level.
The families approached Adv. Amit Hadad, who represents Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and upon hearing about the initiative, he agreed to the families’ request and is expected to join the legal team handling the case. "Our goal is to receive compensation for the damage we suffered, but also to know who is to blame for this event," says Yigal Volodersky, who initiated the lawsuit. His daughter, Margarita (Rita) Gosk, was murdered along with her partner Simon Wigdergaus at the Nova festival, and since then, he has been seeking answers from the state.
"We, the families, have the right to know what happened here and for a just trial to take place. We want to hear how the decisions were made—how there was such a small military presence, just a few hundred soldiers, facing a dangerous entity training on the border with thousands of fighters. Did those who approved the festival know the military force allocation in the area? Was there reinforcement due to the festival? We want to know how this failure happened."
The Nova party area after the massacre Photo: Yonatan Zindel, Flash 90.
According to him, 30 families have already joined the initiative, and they are waiting to finalize the list before filing the lawsuit. Currently, the families receive monthly compensation from the National Insurance Institute under the Compensation Law for Victims of Hostile Acts, which varies per individual based on personal circumstances and amounts to several thousand shekels per month. The compensation the families are seeking from the state for the failure takes into account the sum they already receive from the National Insurance Institute. However, Volodersky emphasizes: "Receiving money from the National Insurance Institute while such criminal negligence, abandonment, and neglect took place will not silence us. We believe it is time—15 months after the event—that someone in an official position in Israel, someone with authority, calls in those involved in this event and gets answers from them."
The investigations currently being conducted regarding the festival—by the military and the State Comptroller’s Office—have yet to be completed or presented to the families of the victims and those affected by the Nova massacre, from which 44 people were abducted. Volodersky’s initiative has also been joined by the family of Amit Buskila, who was murdered while fleeing the festival at the start of the massacre. Her body was taken to Gaza and returned eight months later, in May. "No one is paying attention to the families who lost their loved ones," says Shimon Atias, Buskila’s uncle, who was like a father to her. "All the hostages must be returned, but there are also the families of the murdered. Entire families have been destroyed, thrown into the hands of the National Insurance Institute. We have lost our lives. We want to sue the state so that those responsible are found. Until a commission of inquiry is established, it is unacceptable that all the military officials are resigning without us getting answers. We want to know how this failure happened when this festival could have been prevented."
As part of the legal process—a civil lawsuit—the families intend to summon those involved in approving the festival, including military officials, to court in order to shed light on what led to the failure. "According to the law, when a civil lawsuit is filed, anyone relevant to the case can be summoned," explains Adv. Ziv Maor, who is assisting the families in the process. "What transpired in the government and military are highly relevant questions, and therefore, we intend to summon the highest-ranking decision-makers, including the Prime Minister, the head of Military Intelligence, the Chief of Staff, and the commander of the Gaza Division, to testify."
However, Adv. Maor emphasizes that the essence of the lawsuit is about compensation. "There was extreme negligence here that led to an extreme loss of human life. There is no doubt that the state was negligent and will have to compensate the families. If, as a result, the public also receives the answers it deserves regarding the October 7 failure, we will gladly fulfill that mission. Our hope is that beyond securing compensation, this trial will become a living memorial to the horrific price that the state's negligence exacted on Israeli citizens." link
The Nachala settlement movement launches a new campaign against the ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas, with the tagline “Occupy, expel, settle.”
A campaign flier says Netanyahu has “no mandate” to continue with what the organization dubs the “total capitulation” of the agreement.
Nachala says in announcing the campaign that “a reality in which Hamas sets the rules and kidnapping Jews becomes the thing that pays off the best” would represent a criminal failure to think of the future.
“You don’t sell Israel’s security and you don’t give up on one part of the Land of Israel. There’s only one solution, a blue and white Gaza,” the flier says.
“Occupy, expel, settle the entire Gaza Strip.”
This appears to be the first time Nachala has included the term “expel” in reference to the residents of Gaza in its campaign material. The organization has campaigned and lobbied heavily for reestablishing Jewish settlements in Gaza during the war, which was halted last week after 15 months of fighting.
A spokesperson for Nachala says the organization will be organizing conferences and demonstrations as part of the campaign in the coming weeks. link This is just another of the racist and illegal outcroppings of the extreme, messianics who don't care about the lives of the hostages and certainly don't give a damn that they are promoting and executing internationally illegal activities that fit within the international definition of genocide to which Israel is a signatory. The don't care about any international ramifications and certainly don't care about the lives of the millions they want to expel. This is the first time they are using the term expel instead of 'voluntary' emigration which has always been their intent. I think they are being emboldened by the idiotic statements coming out of the White House about transferring the Gazan population. This has to stop and be prosecuted as it is incitement to illegal activity.
The Region and the World - Syria’s new leader asked Russia to hand over Assad and close aides — sources
MOSCOW – Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa requested that Russia hand over former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and his close aides during discussions with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, according to sources close to the talks.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declines to comment on whether that demand had been raised.
Separately, the Kremlin says Russia is working to build dialogue with the new administration in Syria as Moscow seeks to secure the future of its military bases there.
Bogdanov traveled to Damascus this week for the first talks with Syria’s new leaders since Moscow’s ally Assad was toppled late last year. Assad and members of his family fled to Moscow.
- New Zealand requires Israelis to disclose IDF service details as condition for entry
Israelis applying for a tourist visa are being asked about the dates of their service, the locations of their bases, and whether they have ‘been involved in war crimes’
New Zealand’s government immigration authority has begun to require Israelis applying for a visa to report details of their military service as a condition for entry, and at least one person has been denied admission after doing so, The Times of Israel has learned.
Israelis of reserve service age who applied for tourist visas to New Zealand have been asked to report whether they had served in the Israel Defense Forces — as almost all Israeli citizens are required to do — and whether they are active reservists. Those who answered affirmatively were required to complete detailed questionnaires about their military service.
In the first questionnaire, visa applicants were asked about the dates of their military service, the location of their bases, the corps and units in which they served, the military camps where they were stationed, their rank, details of their roles, and their military ID number.
In the second questionnaire, they were asked:
Those who can’t disclose details of their military service due to security concerns are not exempt from filling out the questionnaire; as a result, they are unable to complete it and obtain a visa.
At least one soldier who served in Gaza during the ongoing war against Hamas has been denied entry to New Zealand. He said that this was a direct result of his answers to the questionnaire, while noting that he said he had not been involved in war crimes in Gaza.
Australia has been operating a similar policy, and at least two Israelis have been denied entry as a result.
New Zealand’s Immigration Authority (INZ), reached for comment, did not deny the details of this report, but said that serving in the current war did not automatically disqualify Israelis from entering the country.
About a month ago, Australia’s Sky News revealed that Australia presents a similar questionnaire to Israelis applying for entry and has rejected applications from Israelis who served in Gaza and sought to visit a relative. Additionally, former justice minister Ayelet Shaked was denied entry to Australia in November 2024, reportedly because she might “incite discord.” link With the absence of a State Commission of Inquiry and the continued prosecution and arrest warrants of Israeli officials by the Hague and now soldiers in South American countries, we will see more and more actions like this coupled with denying entry to Israelis and arrest warrants.
Personal Stories Amit Susanna in a One-Time Testimony: "I Gave Everything I Had, I Thought I Was Going to Die"
MOSCOW – Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa requested that Russia hand over former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and his close aides during discussions with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, according to sources close to the talks.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declines to comment on whether that demand had been raised.
Separately, the Kremlin says Russia is working to build dialogue with the new administration in Syria as Moscow seeks to secure the future of its military bases there.
Bogdanov traveled to Damascus this week for the first talks with Syria’s new leaders since Moscow’s ally Assad was toppled late last year. Assad and members of his family fled to Moscow.
Israelis applying for a tourist visa are being asked about the dates of their service, the locations of their bases, and whether they have ‘been involved in war crimes’
New Zealand’s government immigration authority has begun to require Israelis applying for a visa to report details of their military service as a condition for entry, and at least one person has been denied admission after doing so, The Times of Israel has learned.
Israelis of reserve service age who applied for tourist visas to New Zealand have been asked to report whether they had served in the Israel Defense Forces — as almost all Israeli citizens are required to do — and whether they are active reservists. Those who answered affirmatively were required to complete detailed questionnaires about their military service.
In the first questionnaire, visa applicants were asked about the dates of their military service, the location of their bases, the corps and units in which they served, the military camps where they were stationed, their rank, details of their roles, and their military ID number.
In the second questionnaire, they were asked:
Those who can’t disclose details of their military service due to security concerns are not exempt from filling out the questionnaire; as a result, they are unable to complete it and obtain a visa.
At least one soldier who served in Gaza during the ongoing war against Hamas has been denied entry to New Zealand. He said that this was a direct result of his answers to the questionnaire, while noting that he said he had not been involved in war crimes in Gaza.
Australia has been operating a similar policy, and at least two Israelis have been denied entry as a result.
New Zealand’s Immigration Authority (INZ), reached for comment, did not deny the details of this report, but said that serving in the current war did not automatically disqualify Israelis from entering the country.
About a month ago, Australia’s Sky News revealed that Australia presents a similar questionnaire to Israelis applying for entry and has rejected applications from Israelis who served in Gaza and sought to visit a relative. Additionally, former justice minister Ayelet Shaked was denied entry to Australia in November 2024, reportedly because she might “incite discord.” link With the absence of a State Commission of Inquiry and the continued prosecution and arrest warrants of Israeli officials by the Hague and now soldiers in South American countries, we will see more and more actions like this coupled with denying entry to Israelis and arrest warrants.
She was released from Hamas captivity in the first deal, fought for almost an hour against the terrorists who kidnapped her from her home—and survived even the terrorist who harmed her. Now, she recounts one chilling moment when she thought she wouldn't make it out alive and about a young soldier who stood in front of the terrorist and saved her life. Amit Susanna sat in front of the camera and revealed unimaginable moments of friendship and extraordinary grace.
Amit Susanna, the woman whose image fighting her kidnappers in a field became one of the war's most striking symbols, is also the one who bravely exposed the sexual assault she endured in captivity—on some of the world's most significant stages.
More than a year ago, she was freed from captivity at the end of the first hostage deal. Now, especially amid images of the current deal, it is crucial to hear what she has to say. Because no one knows better than she does the cost of every day in captivity, the price paid by those who have just returned, and the price still being paid by those who remain there.
Amit is the youngest of three sisters—Shira and Liat. She studied law at Sapir College, near her childhood home in Sderot. For the past two years, she had made her home in a small neighborhood on the outskirts of the kibbutz, in the "Young Generation" neighborhood. Two other hostages from her neighborhood have already returned in the latest deal—Emily Damari and Doron Steinbacher. Two were killed after escaping captivity—Yotam Haim and Alon Shimriz. And in Gaza, two more remain—Gali and Ziv Berman, waiting for the deal to be completed. Her neighbors in the house next door, Niv Raviv and her partner Niral Zini, were murdered in the massacre.
Opening Her Eyes—And Darkness
In the first house where Amit was held alone, the already horrific experience of captivity was compounded by solitude and the helplessness of a lone woman facing the men who held her. Her dependence on her captor was absolute—he chained her with a heavy metal lock. He was both her tormentor and the one keeping her alive.
"I was afraid of him. There were many signs that it was heading toward assault. Obsessive interest in my menstrual cycle, many sexual insinuations, sitting on my bed or in front of me wearing only underwear, constantly touching me under the pretense of concern. Lifting my shirt to see my scars. Sometimes he talked about things that made me uncomfortable. I would turn my head—but you still have to be nice to him."
Among the basic human choices that were suddenly taken from her was control over the small amount of light entering the room where she was held—light that, she says, was the only thing keeping her sane.
"There is darkness in Gaza. You open your eyes and think they are still closed. I kept looking at his gun, imagining myself shooting him and escaping. But I was always tied up, so if I needed the bathroom, I had to ask him. The thing that broke me was when he made it completely dark."
That morning, for the first time, her captor offered to heat water for her shower.
"Even though I prepared myself, it still caught me off guard. This 'fool' of a terrorist, with his 'Goofy'-like face, suddenly looked like a monster. He gave me a small towel. I just grabbed it and covered myself. He dragged me to the bedroom. I sat by the door and locked myself. He kept punching me and threatening me with his gun. It was a severe sexual assault under gunpoint threats."
"Liri is Strength, She is Something Special"
After three weeks of being held alone, Amit was transferred to a new location, where she met other hostages for the first time. One of them was Liri Elbag. Everything Amit had endured so far had not prepared her for what would happen in that house, where the guards were especially violent because they suspected she was an officer.
"The Fight of My Life"
Amit's abduction, much of which was captured on camera, was nothing short of a battle. One woman against ten armed men. She fought her kidnappers for more than 40 minutes, trying to buy as much time as possible in the hope that the IDF—or anyone—would come to her rescue.
"I pretended to go along with them, didn't resist. In my head, I simply stumbled, walked slowly. At first, they (the terrorists) probably believed me, but then I started signaling with my hands and feet, struggling—so people would see I was alive. That someone would come, the drones, the army."
"It was a matter of 'You're not scaring me.' I made their lives difficult," she said about that hour of struggle, during which she fought, fell, and endured severe beatings. One of the terrorists hit her with the butt of his gun. A blanket she managed to grab at the last moment from her home was used to tie her up.
"They split my lip, broke my nose and eye socket. I didn't feel pain. I don’t remember the pain. I just remember telling myself, 'They’re going to kill me, so at least I won't go without a fight.'"
"It was the fight of my life," she added. "I gave everything I had because I thought I was going to die in the worst possible way."
The end of the battle in the plowed field was captured in exclusive footage. As Amit was being loaded into one of the vehicles, bound, the terrorists also loaded a sack of loot they had stolen from the kibbutz.
"Suddenly, they brought two sticks and simply tied me up, my hands and feet shackled—like a rotisserie chicken, hanging upside down with duct tape on my face." One of her captors beat her on the soles of her feet with a wooden stick, while another threatened her with a sharp object near her eye—all in an attempt to extract information from her.
The brutal torture Amit endured may provide insight into the treatment of suspected soldiers in Hamas captivity. As one of the terrorists explicitly threatened her, "You have 40 minutes to tell the truth, or I will kill you," Liri stepped in to speak with the guards.
She managed to convince them that Amit was not a soldier, let alone a high-ranking officer as they suspected. When Liri returned, Amit’s nightmare ended.
"Liri is something special, she is strength. I told her when she came back, 'I don’t know if they would have killed me or not, but as far as I’m concerned, you saved my life.'"
Fifty-five days after the morning she was abducted, in one unexpected moment, the unbearable distance between captivity and home suddenly shrank, and Amit was released as part of the final phase of the first deal.
On the helicopter taking her back to Israel, to the family that had been waiting for her so desperately, she finally saw the moon again. link
Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages
Netanyahu’s LegacyGuy ZurMajor General (Reserves).The 1996 elections. Before opening fire during a practice maneuver on the Golan Heights, we turned on the radio and heard that Shimon Peres was about to become prime minister. We concluded practice at dawn. Bibi was elected. I remember both the hope, promises, and good intentions; and also the sense of discomfort towards the man who seemed to me, even then, after Rabin’s assassination, as Mr. Hypocrite. This feeling grew stronger over the years.And since then, Bibi has been here! At first, he exhibited both true patriotism on the one hand, and narcissism, greediness and a bloated aspiration for power, on the other. It is hard to determine with any degree of certainty when he grasped the contradiction between his love for this country, and his inability to lead it. There is no question that this understanding, which began with minor deliberations about what would be preferable, when his personal interest clashed with the national interest, has currently reached this horrific situation in which Netanyahu acts on all fronts against the State of Israel, facilitating its destruction. His sins against Israel are abundant, beginning with his repeal of the positiveeconomic steps which he himself initiated as Minister of Finance in 2003, but then revoked as prime minister, the result of political considerations.In my role as head of the Israel Defense Forces Planning Directorate and Chief of the Ground Forces Command, I often witnessed Netanyahu’s decisions and discussions. I perceived his corruption mainly when I was Chief of the Ground Forces Command after the 2014 Operation Protective Edge, when he admitted to me that he had preferred political considerations over providing budgets for the IDF for armament and munition that had been needed for several years, and which he had promised. We concluded Operation Protective Edge with our backs to the wall.This was the moment when I understood that Bibi had lost his way. Later it became clear to me that he no longer deliberated about what was right and what was wrong. He always preferred what was best for him rather than what was best for Israel. These choices led him to commit egregious crimes. The most outrageous among them are:- Cultivating an atmosphere of conflict and fracture within the country, while employing the tactics of divide and conquer, thus legitimizing hostilities within the country.- Reinforcing Hamas and turning it into a significant threat in orderto “maintain his base,” while ignoring Israel’s strategic needs, which were crystal clear to Netanyahu.- Promoting serious moral corruption, which stemmed from his and his family’s miserliness and extreme hedonism, and altering the attitude of whole sectors to the law enforcement systems. - Harming the control mechanisms essential to a democracy,and in particular attempting to undermine Israel’s judicial system.- Evading responsibility: first in the Mount Meron disaster, in which 45 people were killed, after which the inquiry committee found him responsible. In addition, harming the state, as allegedly determined by the National Committee of Inquiry surroundinghis alleged actions in the purchase of submarines.- The worst crime continues to this day. It begins with his failure to take responsibility for the October 7th disaster and continues with his making political decisions for the continuation of the war with no horizon in sight. Even if he still makes a few positive decisions, his crime of abandoning the hostages who are still in Gaza after 270 days, at the time these words were written, will tarnish his entire legacy,
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
Join my Whatsapp update group https://chat.whatsapp.com/IQ3OtwE6ydxBeBAxWNziB0
Twitter - @LonnyB58 Bluesky - @lonny-b.bsky.social
Twitter - @LonnyB58
Comments
Post a Comment