🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 489, 2023 - February 6, 2025 🎗️

  

🎗️Day 489 that 79 of our hostages in Hamas captivity
**There is nothing more important than getting them home! NOTHING!**

“I’ve never met them,

But I miss them. 

I’ve never met them,

but I think of them every second. 

I’ve never met them,

but they are my family. 

BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!”

We’re waiting for you, all of you.
A deal is the only way to bring
all the hostages home- the murdered for burial and the living for rehabilitation.

#BringThemHomeNow #TurnTheHorrorIntoHope

There is no victory until all of the hostages are home!

‎אין נצחון עד שכל החטופים בבית

Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements

*

Crane collapses in Gaza buffer zone killing 2 soldiers, injuring 8

Serious accident in the Gaza Strip, during the storm: Golani Battallion reserve soldier Nadav Cohen, 21, was killed overnight when a crane collapsed; second soldier also was killed; 8 others were injured, including one in serious condition. Winds were blowing at 60 km/h in the area

Sgt. First Class (res.) Nadav Cohen, 21 (left), of the Golani Brigade’s 51st Battalion, from Beit Hanan, Sgt. First Class Nachman Refael Ben Ami (right), 20, of the Golani Brigade’s 51st Battalion, from Eilat

MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A REVOLUTION

Disaster in the buffer zone inside the Gaza Strip, during a storm : An operational crane collapsed overnight Thursday in the northern area of the new Gaza buffer zone and two soldiers who were inside a building at the outpost were killed. One of the fallen is reserve soldier Nadav Cohen, 21, from Moshav Beit Hanan, a soldier in the 51st Battalion, Golani Brigade. The name of the second soldier who was killed has not yet been released, but his family has been notified. Another soldier was seriously injured and seven others were lightly to moderately injured. The IDF stopped operating all cranes in the Gaza border area and at outposts in the Gaza Strip on the Netzarim and Philadelphi corridors at least until the investigation is completed and the weather clears; according to initial assessments by the IDF, the collapse was caused by a sudden and particularly strong wind. Initial details indicate that the crane that collapsed is actually a lifting platform that the IDF has frequently used in Gaza since the beginning of the war, a crane that regularly lifts observation equipment such as cameras and radars at temporary outposts.

The strong winds also led to the collapse of trees and poles across the country. A 41-year-old woman was found dead on a street in Eilat Wednesday night, and hypothermia is suspected.

At almost the same time, 4:30 a.m., a call was also received about a 95-year-old man with signs of hypothermia at his home in Bnei Brak. He was taken to Mayanei Hayeshua Hospital in serious condition. neighbors, the sick and the elderly, who live alone, on a daily basis.

Hostage Updates 

• Arab officials to ToI: Egypt, Qatar fear Trump’s Gaza plan could upend hostage talks
  

  Arab mediators from Egypt and Qatar are concerned that US President Donald Trump’s plan to take over Gaza and permanently empty the enclave of its Palestinians may impact the ongoing Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, as Israel and Hamas begin indirect talks regarding the terms of the agreement’s second phase, two Arab officials tell The Times of Israel.

  “The deal is very fragile, and the transition from the first to the second phase was always going to be difficult, but this could completely upend everything,” says one of the Arab officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.

  The second official reveals that Hamas has already indicated to mediators that Trump’s comments yesterday may have an effect on how it proceeds in the negotiations regarding phase two. However, the Arab official adds that Hamas did not provide any specifics.  link. This is the most dangerous aspect about this illegal plan, it puts the hostage deal in danger, not just phase 2 but also the continuation of Phase 1. Hamas is saying to itself 'why should we go along with the rest of the deal if they're planning to transfer all of us?"
  None of this seems to disturb Netanyahu since his plan for the meeting with Trump was to focus on other things, Iran, Saudi Arabia and continuing to fight to get rid of Hamas, and not continuing the deal and getting all the hostages home.  Netanyahu's plans are once again the most dangerous thing about getting our hostages home. The press conference was even more proof of the fact that the hostage deal takes a distant back seat with Netanyahu. With Trump's plan, everyone is talking about it and this aids Netanyahu. He always wants other news to take the pressure off of him about the hostages, especially when Trump's plan enables him to strengthen his government and keep his as prime minister. Netanyahu has shown us time and time again that he is just as bad as our enemies and the country can go to hell as long as he keeps his power.
• Hamas claims Israel breaching deal by limiting aid, despite UN figures showing surge
  

  A Hamas spokesman accuses Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement by preventing the entry of humanitarian aid and shelter materials into the Gaza Strip.

  He calls on the deal’s international mediators to pressure Israel to implement its humanitarian protocol, which stipulates that at least 600 trucks of aid will enter the enclave daily.

  The UN said this morning that over 10,000 trucks full of humanitarian aid have entered Gaza since the ceasefire began on January 19, which is over 550 per day, a surge from before the truce.

  The Hamas spokesman cites harsh winter conditions in Gaza, following a night of heavy rain and strong winds that flooded makeshift tents housing displaced families.

  “We are following up with the mediators on ways to compel Israel to implement all the clauses of the ceasefire agreement,” the spokesman says. link Tomorrow, we are supposed to receive the list of 3 living hostages who are to be released from Hamas captivity on Saturday. The Phase 1 part of the deal may have been thrust into chaos as a result of Trump's idiotic idea of emptying out Gaza of Palestinians and then our corrupt Prime minister's welcoming the ethnic cleansing idea with open arms. Hamas knows full well how many trucks are entering Gaza with aid and knows they can believe the UN numbers as the UN has not played a truly neutral role between Israel and the Palestinians and even more so, since October 7. Hamas is just looking to use the humanitarian aid as the first excuse for not sticking to the letter of the deal as this is an easy target. At this point, they don't see real plans for the forced transfer of the population so this wouldn't yet serve as a good excuse for making problems with the list and release on Saturday, but they want us to remember the power they hold over us with the hostages. I expect that we will not receive the list of hostages for release as early in the day as last week and it could go into the night before we see the list.
  Once there are more concrete plans such as those that our defense minister today gave orders to prepare, the entire remainder of phase 1 could be in serious jeopardy and phase 2 may not even reach discussions. This, apparently and very unfortunately is exactly what Netanyahu wants. He will be very content if the issue that prevents progress on these negotiations will be the Trump plan and not his putting spokes in the wheels. And the biggest problem with that will be that Trump will back him up because it's his plan. The lives of the hostages are in the hands of an unstable and inconsistent US president and the narcissistic hands of our prime minister who will only look out for his own self interests before any other consideration.

  
  
• **"Of course, there is a desire for revenge, but what purpose does it serve?" – Meirav Leshem Gonen in an interview about the release of her daughter Romy**

  
  

  For a year and three months, she fought to bring her daughter back from Hamas captivity, until the embrace that was etched into the Israeli consciousness. In an interview with Ynet, she shares the little she has learned ("starvation, a shower with a cup of water once in a while..."), the small steps of acclimatization ("she takes sunbaths and has switched to writing with her left hand due to her injury"), and her connection with Emily Damari ("I have another daughter"). The mother, whose determined and restrained struggle became a symbol, explains what the public understood before the leadership and admits: we may never get a full picture of what happened in captivity.

  
  

  Many difficult emotional upheavals surrounded Meirav Leshem Gonen during her journey to secure the release of her daughter Romy Gonen from Hamas captivity, which ended two and a half weeks ago in the first phase of the hostage deal. But one particularly sweet upheaval came a week after her return: on her mobile phone screen, her daughter's name flashed for the first time since October 7, 2023. An incoming call from Romy Gonen—who would have believed it?

  
  

  "I looked at the screen and didn't know what to do with it," she smiles. "I was completely shocked. It took about four days before Romy touched the phone. She didn't want to deal with the new device because the old one had been taken to Gaza. It took a week before she called me. And then I thought, what a moment. This is the first time she's called me since captivity."

  
  

  The last time before that was during Romy Gonen's abduction from the Nova party. Her release from captivity revealed new details she shared with her mother about the moments when she was between life and death, between Israeli territory and Gaza. "Literally, I heard her being abducted, and she heard my helplessness in those moments," says Leshem Gonen. "We haven't yet sat down enough to talk about what happened, but today I know that during the abduction call, Romy lost consciousness several times. I didn't know that then. With her was Ofir Tzarfati, may he rest in peace, who sustained a very severe injury. Romy used one hand to close the large hole created by the gunfire in him. These are things we only know today, how heroic Ofir was and how he protected the girls he didn't even know. That's exactly what mutual responsibility looks like."

  
  

  And Ben Shimoni, may he rest in peace, tried to help there.  

  "True. They displayed supreme bravery there. No one really knew about Ofir, only Romy. And everyone waited for her to return to tell his story. Today I also know that Romy's injury, as we all felt without relying on evidence, was very severe. Her right hand was immediately disabled as a result of the shooting and did not function at all."

  
  

  **Life-threatening due to malnutrition**  

  To the untrained eye, it was hard to see the pain she carries with her from captivity, but it turns out that after a year and three months in the darkness of Gaza, she managed to maintain composure on the day of her release, gritted her teeth, and refused to show the world how much she was suffering. Her injury can attest to how much she suffered during captivity and how much her captors ensured she endured episode after episode of torment and ongoing abuse.

  
  

  Leshem Gonen: "As a result of the shooting, Romy's right hand was disabled and is not functioning. She will now need a very complex and complicated surgery, a long and complex rehabilitation, and no one knows how the hand will recover or what condition it will be in. Romy is still in pain today. For a year and three months, my daughter suffered excruciating pain. She was not given painkillers or anything there. Nothing, just like that, everything remained in her living flesh until she returned. Romy is right-handed and has switched to writing with her left hand. We very much hope her hand will regain function, and we are fully focused on that right now."

  
  

  

  "I see something in her maturity." Meirav Leshem-Gonen and Romy Gonen *(Photo: Ziv Koren)*

  
  

  We've heard about the ongoing abuse endured by Yarden Bibas, Keith Siegel, Ofer Kalderon, and other survivors of captivity who returned in the previous deal. What can you share from what Romy has told you about captivity?  

  "All of this is just the beginning. Romy is a very funny girl, so she tends to tell things with humor, even the difficult ones. She tends to downplay things, and sometimes it's terrible (laughs). But it allows for listening, and it allows her to share. She lost about ten kilograms in total. That's a lot for a girl like her, who doesn't weigh much to begin with. She lost muscle mass extremely, returning with single-digit body fat percentages. All the things we worry about so much in daily life. She suffered from poor nutrition in captivity, meaning a lack of vitamins, minerals, which greatly increases the risk of cardiac damage even for a completely healthy 24-year-old girl. She could have gone into cardiac arrhythmia at any moment and simply died—just from malnutrition in captivity.

  
  

  "The sanitary conditions were appalling, and we're talking about women. Showering once in a blue moon with a cup of water. That is, pouring a cup of water over yourself. Crazy. The terrorists hid food from them, engaged in deliberate starvation. Romy had no exposure to the sun at all, whether in tunnels or houses. No sunlight, no going outside. Romy returned very pale. Today she has color, and most of the time until now, what she enjoys doing is sunbathing outside. Just sitting and soaking up vitamin D, air, and open spaces. It seems so natural to us, but for her, it's a gift. It's also the ability to appreciate what you have and say thank you for it."

  
  

  We're hearing more and more stories about the psychological abuse the hostages endured.  

  "Romy mentioned that too. While her wound was still open, they would give her something to disinfect it. She's suffering, and they stand there laughing. I think stories like these are very similar among the different hostages. These are torments we can't even begin to comprehend."

  
  

  And yet, the mischievous spark in her eyes hasn't disappeared.  

  "No. She returned very determined to be strong and to turn her life into one she experiences with joy. You can see it on her. Romy is a very happy girl in her daily life. Today I see something different in her in terms of her maturity. For example, she decided that even in moments of frustration, she chooses to breathe, to try to accept. Once we used to joke that when Romy was frustrated or angry, you needed to stay away. She's not there today. I see that even in moments of frustration, she chooses differently, which is amazing. If she can do it, so can we."

  
  

  **The meeting of Romy Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher, and Emily Damari with their mothers:**  

  
  

  Their time together in captivity turned Romy Gonen and Emily Damari, who were released together, into real sisters. "They were together almost all the time," says Leshem Gonen. "I heard the chief medical officer say that those who were in captivity with others returned in better condition, or rather less worse, than those who were alone. As someone who sometimes observes from the sidelines, Emily and Romy are amazing together."

  
  

  You've gained another daughter for the family.  

  "I totally feel that way. A delight. But hey, it's not just another daughter. There are Emily's brothers. It's so beautiful to see how they look out for each other and their sister. You can also see the need for Romy and Emily to stay connected now. It's amazing. They have a very funny dynamic, and they've learned to do many things we wouldn't have imagined possible. Listen, my children and Emily's brothers feel a sense of shared destiny that's impossible to explain, because the two of them were there together for so many days, one for the other, alone, with no one else. That's exactly the togetherness we as the people of Israel need to reach. Like our soldiers in battle who don't ask who's right or left."

  
  

  **What did Romy know?**  

  I first met Meirav Leshem Gonen a few days after October 7, at the Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, which was just beginning to take shape, as she took a major part in the initiative that became a symbol and a pilgrimage site. Those were the days of great chaos. Her gaze, as expected, was pained, full of worry, her face clouded, and it was impossible not to be struck by the pain she radiated. But even then, she was resolute. "Romy will return, that's not the question. It's only a question of when," she repeated.

  
  

  But since then, Leshem Gonen waited 471 days—far too long. She met with thousands, traveled to the smallest places in the country and larger ones abroad. She didn't stop, day after day, in heavy rains, in the heat of July and August. Meirav Leshem Gonen led a magnificent, patient, and restrained campaign on the path to her daughter's release. She believed all along that the day would come. And when it did, her heart burst.

  
  

  

  **Meirav Leshem-Gonen and Romy Gonen**  

  "She just curled up in my arms." Meirav Leshem-Gonen and Romy Gonen, this week *(Photo: Ziv Koren)*

  
  

  "Where's my mom?" Romy cried as she ran into the loving arms waiting for her inside Israel's border, then leaped into her mother's arms in an iconic image that encapsulated everything. The struggle, the tears, the ups and downs, the waiting. A mother cradling her 24-year-old daughter to say: My baby is back.

  
  

  "We knew this would happen," says Leshem Gonen. "It was clear that the first thing she would look for was me, and then all her siblings and her father too. Romy knew I was waiting for her there, and there was a very long dialogue with the state about this. In previous releases, families weren't flown to the crossing but were brought to a hospital. The family and I said: that won't happen. I need to wait for Romy there, just as on October 7, I was the last person she spoke to. The last person who experienced the abandonment she felt."

  
  

  

  *Romy Gonen and her mother**  

  "Romy just curled up in my arms; it was clear to me that I would hold her to create a protective feeling" *(Photo: IDF Spokesperson)*

  
  

  Was the moment of the hug what you imagined?  

  "I knew for certain she would return alive. Of course, that's not at all a given, but it was something in my being that I knew would happen. And yet, to feel her physically, to hug her, to be so close to her and stroke her head, all those little things that are so taken for granted for us, we didn't have."

  
  

  Did you plan the cradling image?  

  "She just curled up in my arms, and it was clear to me that I would hold her as much as I could to create a protective feeling. We, as Gonen, protect each other."

  
  

  The entire country is curious to know what they went through, but there's also the other side. How do you make up for a year and three months? What do you tell her? Why not expose her?  

  "It's very complex. On one hand, there's the desire to give her the full picture. On the other hand, there's the understanding that she's so overwhelmed with new information, and you need to take it slow. It's exactly like how it will take us a long time to create a full picture of the year and three months she spent in captivity. Maybe we'll never really be able to show her the full picture of what happened here, and maybe she won't be able to give us the full picture of her time in Hamas captivity. There's no doubt this is the title of a book."

  
  

  It could also be a series or a movie.  

  "Absolutely, and there will still be room to fill."

  
  

  

  **Kibbutz Be'eri after the massacre**  

  "She's overwhelmed with new information." The days after the massacre in the Gaza envelope *(Photo: Gadi Kabalo)*

  
  

  What, for example, didn't she know?  

  "For example, she didn't hear from her father at all during captivity. Her father isn't much of a talker anyway, and neither am I, but here something bigger than us happened. During captivity, she was afraid something had happened to her father. There are many small things she still doesn't know about us because we live our reality here, and it might seem to us that everyone knows what it is, but that's not the case. In captivity, they saw and absorbed fragments of information. Nothing more. They weren't exposed much to the media, but she saw a little of what was happening here. She hardly saw us. Her hope was that we remained who we are in the struggle and didn't lose our essence as a family, as people. I'm happy to say that when Romy returned, she found that her hope was realized."

  
  

  **Don't say "price"**  

  Even though she spent her captivity alongside a hostage from Kfar Aza, Romy Gonen's family is still not entirely sure how much she was aware of what happened in the Gaza envelope communities on October 7 and the scale of the massacre. "She was aware of some parts, not so much of others," says her mother. "I myself still don't know what she knows. She also didn't know how much we fought for her. She had no idea why, for example, her picture wasn't displayed so much on the streets."

  
  

  Why really?  

  "Because it was hard for us. We simply asked that Romy's picture be displayed in places of connection, of creating togetherness. We chose to ask that those who raise Romy's picture and hold it be sure they are in connecting places. And I must say, I'm not saying where not."

  
  

  So I'll suggest. Kaplan Tel Aviv, for example?  

  "You know, there's a stigma attached here, but in Kaplan, there are many good and principled people. People in the nation knew how to make the distinction themselves, and that's amazing to me. They knew where to raise Romy's picture and where not. So it's not at all a mark of one place or another, but what people understood from our request."

  
  

  

  **Released Palestinian prisoners celebrate after being freed in Khan Yunis**  

  "Preparing for possible outcomes." Released Palestinian prisoners in Khan Yunis *(Photo: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File Photo)*

  
  

  The state embraced you, wrapped you in love.  

  "The people. The people embraced us very much."

  
  

  You're distinguishing between the people and the state, okay.  

  "Absolutely. I make the distinction because I think the gap between the level of elected officials and the people has grown in recent times. Elected officials and the people were disconnected for a very long time, even before October 7. The people bridged the disconnect relatively quickly since then. The embrace we received from all the people, from all its shades, from every place in the country, was immense. Last May, I started reaching more and more communities in the country. I was in over 140 communities. I met around 30,000 people in person. In every place, the first thing they told me was that everyone wants the hostages back. That embrace, that care, was insane. I think the elected officials learned that... along the way, and factually, we reached the second hostage release deal."

  
  

  Meaning?  

  "We didn't reach this deal by chance. The state caught up with the people's need. And yet, there's a very great complexity here, and I think we need to talk about it, remember it, and emphasize it. There's a real conversation here, and it's impossible to ignore it. The deal also has possible outcomes that might happen. But without a deal, there are certain outcomes that will happen. The hostages will die."

  
  

  The price might be heavy.  

  "I understand the price of the deal, unequivocally. You know what? Maybe 'price' isn't the right word in this context. We need to talk about possible outcomes. When there are such, we can build strategies to deal with them. We keep talking about a price as if it's certain. It's not, and we need to be careful here."

  
  

  But the price people are talking about isn't just the return of terrorists to terrorism. There are bereaved families who see the murderers of their loved ones released. That hurts and angers.  

  "You're right, and that precision is very important. I also think it's unbearable. Our desire, very clearly and justifiably, is to punish those who harmed us. It's not just a need; it's truly a matter of justice and fairness. It's important for me to tell the bereaved families that we are with them in heart. We understand the pain of some of them. It's a slap in the heart."

  
  

  There are claims that attempts are being made to sabotage the hostage deal again.  

  "There's a responsibility to implement the deal in full because the state is committed to returning all the hostages just as it is committed to the safety of the residents on the border and their security."

  
  

  When I hear, for example, Keith Siegel's daughter talk about what he went through, I also feel a desire for revenge. Do you feel that desire for what was done to Romy?  

  "Absolutely. I think we all have the desire to make them pay. First, because they deserve it, in our view. They harmed the most sensitive thing—children, the elderly, women, partygoers, people who were sleeping. This isn't some war where their tanks attacked ours. Of course, there's a desire for revenge. The question is what serves us as a people. It's good that we recognize that these emotions exist and the need for vengeance. At the same time, the question is whether the feeling of vengeance should lead us. We need to carefully consider what lies ahead and what the possible outcomes are."

  
  

  

  **Keith Siegel at the crossing to IDF forces**  

  "They harmed the most sensitive thing." Keith Siegel after his release *(Photo: IDF Spokesperson)*

  
  

  On the other hand, maybe there's no issue of price here because the State of Israel abandoned people to their abduction and needs to be strong enough to deal with the consequences of their release. There are no good deals in hell.  

  "I wouldn't phrase it that way. What happened to us on October 7 was caused by many reasons, if you look at it from a spiritual perspective for a moment. Some of them are our arrival at harsh internal conflicts. When we were busy with those conflicts, we weren't available to listen to each other's needs. When I'm fighting with someone, I'm not listening to what they need, but what I want."

  
  

  And the moral?

  "Now we need to take a moment to look at the possible outcomes of a deal to release all the hostages and ensure we neutralize as many bad possibilities as possible. But again, there's one certain outcome if the deal isn't fulfilled: the hostages will be killed. That's not something we can say maybe about. We might also, in such a case, not find most of the hostages' bodies."

  
  

  Politics? Me? Why?

  Meirav Leshem Gonen's path in the struggle for her daughter's release was very stately, noble, even delicate and polite. When asked if this was a strategy, she answers: "I think it represents who I am. Yesterday, in a conversation with Romy, I reacted to something, and she said, 'Ugh, Mom, I can't stand that you contain everything.' Now, she didn't see what I did during that year and three months, but she knows me. I think that broadly, sometimes I have this need to be a bit for the other side. But sometimes not at all. Sometimes I'm not attentive, I think my opinion is the most correct.

  
  

  "Listen, once you understand this isn't a simple event, you have to be attentive to the other. Maybe he's right in his view? And then you listen and say, 'Wow, there's something in what he says even if it's not my way.' We need to contain this complexity going forward because there are so many different realities within the State of Israel."

  
  

  But when did you tell yourself: this is my path, the patient, stately, restrained one? Einav Zangauker took her own path, and her approach is also very reasoned, but it faces many critics.

  "I went my way quite early on and received a lot of criticism for being too stately. They said I needed to overturn tables and that I needed to burn roads. I heard these things from others who thought the right way was different, and I respect that because I have no idea what the right way is. But I did have an understanding that there are many ways to express what we think. Because part of the public is attentive to one thing, part to another, and so on. I knew that if I lost who I am, then this whole fight is worth nothing. Just like if we lose who we are as the people of Israel, then everything that's happening isn't worth it. But what's important is to keep fighting together, even if each one in their own way."

  
  

  

  Statement by hostage families at the Begin Gate

  Each has their own way. Second from the right: Einav Zangauker (Photo: Moti Kamhi)

  
  

  On the other hand, I hardly saw you criticizing others.

  "Almost all along, I didn't see the point in coming to people and commenting on their way. It's much more complicated to say why my way is better for me. At some point, I also understood that if I go against political figures, for example, the prime minister, how exactly does that advance me? The precise thing to say was that at a certain moment, I identified, or really felt physically, that the right thing was to rally the people. I understood that in the end, it's the people and their grassroots leaders who really drive the actions. I didn't do most of the work on social media, although we were there too. I met with everyone. I reached communities I don't think many know. Do you know a community called Kida?"

  
  

  Were there attempts at political interference in the campaign you led for Romy? Maybe someone threw in: listen, it's better not to upset the prime minister or the defense minister today, because in the end, the hostage deal goes through them.

  "Not at all. Only after Romy was released did I understand that someone said that because I didn't criticize the prime minister, Romy was released. But that's not true at all. Romy was released because she was the most severely wounded civilian, the only one in captivity with such a severe injury—I'm not talking about the murdered, God forbid—and that's why she was released first. There's simply no other reason."

  
  

  Will we see you in politics?

  "Why does everyone think I'm going into politics?"

  
  

  Because we might gain if you're in the Knesset.

  "Yes?"

  
  

  Yes, yes.

  "But I'm not good for politics, it's a profession in itself. Who am I? I didn't study this in life, I'm not interested in politics. But social activism? Absolutely."

  
  

  In what direction?

  "To reach every place in the country and see how I make these connections. How to bring closer the different realities. Because it won't help, you come to a community like Eli, they have their reality, what they experience daily, and their fears are real. We need to get closer to each other."

  
  

  Have there been job offers already?

  "Not really. But many people told me along the way: when Romy returns, we'll turn to you."

  
  

  She hasn't gotten used to food again

  The important and long task ahead of her now will be Romy's lengthy rehabilitation process, aimed at restoring function to her right hand and healing—physically and mentally—from the long period in captivity. "It will be a very long rehabilitation, in the hospital, and we'll be there every minute she needs."

  
  

  Night falls, Romy is asleep. Don't you feel like checking every minute to see if she's okay?

  "Only at night? All the time I feel like following her. Right now, we're in a hotel, and there's a door separating us. My room is in the open-door policy, and her door—when Romy wants, she opens it. I don't sit around waiting for her all the time, there's a lot to do, but she knows we're there. Me, Yardi, her brothers who come, her father."

  
  

  

  Meirav Leshem-Gonen

  "Not to ask her questions." Meirav Leshem-Gonen (Photo: Avigail Uzi)

  
  

  What about the famous Bolognese Romy loves?

  "That's the first thing she asked to eat when she returned, but I haven't made it for her yet. I said that first, her stomach needs to get used to food again. She's not there yet. She still eats very little and very carefully, and I want her to enjoy it soon."

  
  

  Has she met people on the street yet?

  "She hasn't really gone outside to the streets yet. She was at a check-up at the hospital, we took her out the back door, brought her in the back door. We hardly met anyone there. We're protecting her. Right now, when she walks with me, I'm somehow more recognizable because she's not yet recognized. You have to remember that until now, she was on a poster, but people didn't see her physically. It's different. I also wish they wouldn't recognize me, but that's how it is."

  
  

  In the end, of course, she'll live her life, and everyone, including everyone, will want to hug her.

  "So I think we need to remind people that Romy is not only a private person, she's a private person who doesn't know how much she's become public. That's her world now. Everyone should think about themselves being thrown into the middle of a huge crowd that knows them, and everyone wants something from them. That's a very intimidating, very frightening feeling."

  
  

  There are also questions people might ask her.

  "Just as I don't ask Romy to tell me anything, I really expect the people of Israel not to ask her questions. Just respect her humanity. After all, that's what we fought for, to bring her back here, out of the blatant violation of her dignity and freedom. So I really ask that the people of Israel respect Romy's freedom and privacy. And that's work we all can and should do."   link

Gaza and the South

•  (Gershon Baskin, February 6, 2025)

  The Delusion of Mass Emigration

  There is great uncertainty following the unhinged plans of President Trump for the massive emigration of 1.8 million Palestinians of Gaza. The future of the Gaza ceasefire is uncertain. The future and fate of the Israeli hostages are uncertain.  The future of the peace agreements between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, and Morocco is uncertain. The future of possible normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia is uncertain. The future of the West Bank and the two states solution is uncertain.  One thing which is not uncertain is that there will be no mass emigration of Palestinians from Gaza. This is not because Gazans don’t want to leave the hell that they are living in.  I believe that a majority of them would want to leave if there was some place that was willing to accept them.  But that is not the case. There are no open doors for the Palestinians of Gaza. And if there may be some open doors, the people of Gaza would not want to go there.  Even the 160,000 Gazans who managed to buy their way out of Gaza (a minimum of $5000 per person to a corrupt company that exploited their suffering and fear) are stuck in Egypt with no status, no legal right to work and support themselves and their families, and Egypt wants them to return to Gaza as soon as the war is over.  You would be surprised but many Gazans would like to come to Israel, or to the West Bank.  If Trump offered them to go to the USA, they would certainly accept, but that will not happen, nor will Trump force Egypt and Jordan to accept them.  A much more likely scenario is that Israel will establish a military government to govern Gaza. Pressure will build up on Netanyahu to allow settlement building in Gaza and Israel will sink deep into the sand and mud of a renewed full occupation of Gaza and its more than 2 million people.  The fate of the hostages will remain unknown. The killing of Gazans will continue and more Israeli soldiers will be killed. That is why it is urgent that we Israelis put pressure on the Trump administration to drop their delusional plans for Gaza and get serious about ending the war in Gaza, a full Israeli withdrawal, and the creation of a new independent Palestinian civilian-technocratic government in Gaza which is not Hamas. At the same time there must be international plans for the reconstruction of Gaza so that people there can live with dignity. At the same time, we Israelis have to figure out how to get Netanyahu out of power and return Israel to its senses and understanding that the two states solution is back on the table and that it is the only way to ensure Israel’s security and well-being.

  
  

• Report: Jared Kushner behind Trump’s plan to take over Gaza
  

  Former White House senior adviser Jared Kushner was reportedly behind his father-in-law US President Donald Trump’s plan, announced yesterday, for the US to take over Gaza and clear it of Palestinians.

  Kushner was involved in crafting Trump’s prepared remarks that he made alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Puck news reports, citing an anonymous source familiar with the matter.

  Netanyahu had not requested that Trump pursue such a plan ahead of time, Puck adds.

  Kushner appeared to hint at the entire idea in a speech he gave last year.

  “Gaza’s waterfront property — it could be very valuable, if people would focus on building up livelihoods,” Kushner said during an event at Harvard.

  “It’s a little bit of an unfortunate situation there, but I think from Israel’s perspective, I would do my best to move the people out and then clean it up,” Kushner added. “But I don’t think that Israel has stated that they don’t want the people to move back there afterward.” link Jared Kushner is both slick and slimy and, like his corrupt father-in-law looks to where the money is to line his pockets. With this internationally illegal plan of ethnic cleansing, he saw this plan as killing 2 birds with one stone, helping his right wing friends and making a huge real estate plan that he and the Trumps would surely want to control and rake in the big bucks.

  
  

• Trump’s ‘Extreme Makeover: Gaza Edition’ has many flaws. One of the worst is its absent morality

  Hamas brought war down upon Gaza with its mass slaughter in Israel on October 7. That doesn’t mean the US has the right to ship out all its residents and develop it as real estate for others
  

  The conventional expectation ahead of the Trump-Netanyahu summit on Tuesday was that the two leaders would publicly present a warm, united front that reflected their broadly similar positions on getting the hostages out of Gaza, destroying Hamas, advancing normalization with Saudi Arabia, and keeping Iran from the bomb. And that, behind closed doors, the president, the prime minister and their teams would tussle constructively over their differences and chart a joint course forward.

  Instead, we got the president announcing that the United States intends to take over from Hamas in Gaza, encourage and achieve the evacuation of its entire populace, level the “hellhole,” redevelop it like a strip of real estate, and then sell off the new housing to the international community — including Palestinians, but not Gazans. A case of “Extreme Makeover: Gaza Edition.”

  To radically understate, the Trump Gaza-for-anyone-but-Gazans bombshell, as dropped in the course of his Oval Office appearance with Netanyahu and the full-scale press conference that followed soon after, prompts some profound concerns:

  1. How is this meant to work? Part I

  The neighboring states Trump is repeatedly urging to absorb large numbers of Gaza’s 1.8 million Palestinians don’t want to do so. They consider it a betrayal of the Palestinians but, far more importantly, they also rightly fear it would destabilize their own broadly restless, unhappy, and potentially insurrectionist masses.

  Meanwhile, at least some Gazans doubtless would rather live in peace, liberated from the decades-old threat of being gunned down at any moment, as the president noted, but only if they were truly being moved to somewhere better, and with the opportunity to return home should Gaza actually become livable. Evacuation will be widely unpalatable if the small print on the relocation deal is that they can never return to the place where they were born, and that it is to be usurped by US government-organized real estate developers building, as the president put it, “the Riviera of the Middle East.”

  
  Displaced Palestinians return to their homes in northern Gaza as part of a hostage-ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas on January 29, 2025. (Khalil Kahlout/Flash90)

  2. How is this meant to work? Part II

  Israel has been seeking for 16 months since Hamas’s invasion and slaughter to destroy Gaza’s ruling terror group, to significant effect, but not, as Netanyahu repeatedly highlights, to the point of total victory. This has cost tens of thousands of lives in Gaza — perhaps half of them Hamas gunmen and half not — and hundreds of lives of Israeli soldiers.

  Is Trump about to send US forces to fight alongside the IDF in an effort to complete the job? “If it’s necessary, we’ll do that,” he said, when asked at the press conference about the possibility of deploying American troops. Or is the idea to encourage all Gazans, including all Hamas terrorists, gunmen and supporters, to board the buses and the boats to unknown climes, in the expectation that the mere act of their relocation will render all of them “wonderful people,” as Trump described Gazans, and a boon to their new host countries, solving the problem of monstrous Hamas terrorism at a stroke?

  3. Morality

  What regard is being paid to the morality of what might be termed Trump’s “War to Prosperity” plan? By what international right does the US intend to occupy, empty, and repopulate a territory that, indeed, has no legitimate sovereign government, but is also not open and available to the United States simply by virtue of its desire to take it over?

  By extension, what message does the very unveiling of this intention convey, say, to China as regards Taiwan, or Russia as regards Ukraine?

  “A better life is not necessarily tied to the physical space that you are in today,” proclaimed Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, in an interview later Tuesday. What might the likes of Putin seek to make of that? And let’s not even contemplate what Israeli Jews would say if someone attempted to make that argument about us.

  There are international legal provisions for the temporary relocation of civilian populations at risk in times of war, but with the essential proviso that such evacuation is genuinely voluntary and temporary. As Trump made clear when asked several times on Tuesday, however, what he is planning is permanent.

  4. What of the hostages?

  Barely mentioned in the Oval Office comments or the main press conference, where does the Trump plan leave the 79 Israeli hostages still in Gaza? Families of some hostages who were in Washington planning a press conference after the White House summit canceled their event as they struggled to understand how what was being said would impact the fates of their loved ones.

  Will Hamas now lay down its arms, raise a white flag, and depart the combat zone? Or will it abrogate the current deal before the still-unfinalized second phase, in which 24 living male hostages are to be released, or even during the current first phase, in which 20 more hostages have yet to be freed, 12 of them living?

  
  Released hostage Ofer Calderon, top left, reunites with his children Rotem, Gaya, Erez and Sahar on February 1, 2025. Erez and Sahar were also abducted on October 7, 2023 and were freed in November 2023. (Ma’ayon Taof / GPO)

  5. An annexation policy in four weeks

  What are we to make of the president’s curiously precise prediction that he would be announcing his administration’s position on the matter of Israeli annexation of the West Bank in the next “four weeks.” That coincides with the end of the 42-day phase one, at which point Bezalel Smotrich has threatened to take his Religious Zionism party out of the coalition if Israel does not resume its military campaign against Hamas. Is this a Trump carrot, along with his Gazan-free Gaza blueprint and the insistence — denied by Riyadh — that normalization can be had with Saudi Arabia without a Palestinian state, in a package designed to enable Netanyahu to maintain his governing majority?

  If so, is Trump, in return, expecting Netanyahu to stick with the current Gaza deal at least until all living hostages have been returned — a goal the president has repeatedly endorsed and championed? But if that is the case, why has Trump unveiled a plan that would appear to put those hostages’ lives at greater risk?

  After the jaws drop

  These are by no means the only concerns and questions surrounding the surreal proceedings we watched unfold on Tuesday.

  The look on Netanyahu’s face, a mixture of embarrassment and glee, suggested (as is now being reported) that he was hearing for the first time at least some of what Trump was telling the world, and so did the prime minister’s rather halting response: “President Trump… sees a different future for that piece of land… He has a different idea… I think it’s worth paying attention to this… I think it’s something that could change history…”

  Israelis have been here before to some extent — almost exactly five years ago –when the same US president, with the same prime minister at his side, unveiled his Israeli-Palestinian “Peace to Prosperity” plan.

  That White House event prompted a chaotic period in which Netanyahu wanted to believe that he had been given carte blanche to annex the settlements and the Jordan Valley within days, until Jared Kushner was dispatched to disabuse him of the notion.

  A major difference this time is that Israel is in the midst of a grueling multifront war, with dozens of its people held hostage, and the margins for misunderstandings and outright missteps are even narrower than in our fraught regional norm.

  It could be — it could well be — that for all the president’s repeated insistence on the necessity of his Gaza plan, what we saw on Tuesday was a characteristic Trumpian deliberate overreach gambit: the unveiling of a proposal so radical and so unpalatable that it shifts the various forces that are complicating his goals — from Hamas, to Egypt and Jordan, to the Saudis, even to Iran — and blasts open a viable path to weaken, marginalize and eliminate shared American and Israeli enemies, and jolt reluctant potential allies.

  Nine months after the 2020 annexation fiasco, it should be remembered, Trump was able to broker the Abraham Accords.

  “You cut to the chase. You see things others refuse to see. You say things others refuse to say,” Netanyahu extolled Trump in his prepared remarks at the press conference. “And after the jaws drop, people scratch their heads and say, ‘You know? He’s right.’”
  Except this time, the vision is short on morality, legitimacy and practical applicability.

  

  Family members visit the site of the Nova music festival massacre, six months after, in Re’im forest, near the Israeli-Gaza border, April 7, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

  Gaza is indeed a blighted, blood-drenched territory, from where despicable barbarians set out to slaughter Israelis 16 months ago. And in the war that Hamas brought down upon it, Gaza has indeed been rendered largely uninhabitable for many years to come.
  Israel, with the support of a patently empathetic US president and his team, needs to ensure that a future Gaza is a dependable, allied neighbor, not another genocidal threat. What Gaza isn’t is a real estate fixer-upper. link
  
  
• **The Arab World in Turmoil: "Trump's Statements Are Hostile and Irresponsible"**  

  Arab countries are closing ranks and condemning the statements made by the U.S. president. A source in the Saudi royal family told N12: "We want a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital as a core condition; otherwise, there will be no normalization." Egypt stated: "Efforts for reconstruction must advance without the Palestinians leaving the Strip." Netanyahu spoke with coalition leaders for a political-security update following his meeting with Trump.

  The remarks made by U.S. President Donald Trump last night (between Tuesday and Wednesday), following his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he stated that the U.S. intends to take control of the Gaza Strip, have sparked outrage in the Arab world. Arab leaders sharply condemned the statement that led to the uproar. A source in the Saudi royal family told N12: "When Trump says Saudi Arabia wants peace without a Plestinian state, it contradicts our fundamental condition."

  The same source clarified: "We want a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital as a core condition, and this is not subject to negotiation. Normalization will not occur without this condition." Meanwhile, Netanyahu spoke with coalition leaders for a political-security update following his meeting with U.S. President Trump.

  The Saudi Foreign Ministry issued an unusual statement at 2:56 a.m., emphasizing: "The Kingdom's position on the establishment of a Palestinian state is firm and unwavering. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman emphasized this position in his speech on September 18, in a clear and explicit manner that leaves no room for interpretation. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues to work toward the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital—and will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without this."

  They further noted: "Saudi Arabia refuses to harm the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, the annexation of Palestinian lands, or attempts to uproot the Palestinian people from their land. It is the duty of the international community to act to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people."

  Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said: "Efforts for the reconstruction of Gaza must advance without the Palestinians leaving the Strip. Egypt supports the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. There is a need to strive for a permanent and just political solution to the Palestinian issue through the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital."

  Today, President Trump addressed the issue of transferring Palestinians from Gaza, telling reporters: "Everyone likes this idea, but now is not the time to talk about it."

  **Abbas's Statement**  

  Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas issued an official statement, saying: "We will not allow harm to the rights of our people, for which we have struggled for decades and made great sacrifices to achieve. These statements are a grave violation of international law. Peace and stability in the region will not be achieved without the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, within the June 4, 1967 borders, based on the two-state solution."

  **Hamas's Response**  

  The terrorist organization Hamas condemned Trump's statements in an official announcement: "We condemn the statements made by U.S. President Trump. We emphasize that these statements are hostile toward our people and the Palestinian cause, and will not serve stability in the region, but will only add fuel to the fire. We will not allow any country in the world to occupy our land or impose guardianship over the Palestinian people."

  "We call on the U.S. administration and President Trump to retract these irresponsible statements that contradict international laws and the rights of the Palestinian people," the terrorist organization added. Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters: "Trump's remarks about his desire to control Gaza are ridiculous and absurd, and any such idea could ignite the region."

  **Islamic Jihad's Response**  

  Islamic Jihad also condemned Trump's remarks: "The statements made by U.S. President Trump while welcoming the fugitive from the International Criminal Court, Netanyahu, represent a new version of the Balfour Declaration, foreboding ill, as it 'promises to those who have no right, what does not belong to them.'"

  **PLO's Response**  

  

  The Destruction in Gaza

  
  Hussein al-Sheikh, Secretary-General of the PLO Executive Committee, responded: "The Palestinian leadership emphasizes its firm position that the two-state solution, in accordance with international legitimacy and international law, is a guarantee for security, stability, and peace. It emphasizes its rejection of all calls to uproot the Palestinian people from their homeland. Here we were born, here we lived, and here we will stay. We appreciate the Arab position committed to these fixed principles."

  **Turkey's Response**  

  Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan criticized Trump: "Trump's statements about controlling the devastated Gaza Strip are unacceptable. Any plan that leaves the Palestinians out of the equation will lead to further conflicts."  link
• Katz orders IDF to prepare plan enabling Gazans to leave the Strip voluntarily
  

  Inspired by US President Donald Trump’s relocation vision, Defense Minister Israel Katz has ordered the IDF to prepare a plan to enable Gazans to leave the Strip voluntarily, Katz’s office says.

  Katz is quoted as welcoming Trump’s “courageous plan, which could enable a wide swath of the population in Gaza to leave to various places around the world.”

  Katz also says: “Hamas used Gaza residents as human shields and built terror infrastructure in the heart of the population, and is now holding them hostage, extorting money from them by use of humanitarian aid, and preventing them from leaving Gaza.”

  He says he has ordered the military to ready a plan by which any resident who wants it can emigrate to any place that agrees to absorb them.

  Katz specifically mentions potential destinations such as Spain, Ireland, Norway and other countries that have leveled “false accusations” regarding Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, arguing that if these nations refuse to accept Palestinians, “their hypocrisy will be exposed.”

  He also mentions Canada, which has “an organized immigration program” and has “previously voiced a willingness to absorb Gazan residents.”

  The plan would provide for exit through land crossings, as well as “special arrangements” for departure via maritime and aerial routes.

  “Gaza’s residents should be allowed the freedom to exit and emigrate, as is the practice anywhere around the world,” Katz argues, adding that Trump’s plan could advance “rehabilitation plans in a demilitarized Gaza that poses no threat in the post-Hamas era, which will take many years.” link This is no different than Smotrich and Ben Gvir's statements to 'allow' voluntary emigation. There is nothing voluntary in it when it is us making their lives so miserable that any alternative is better. Katz's plan is only an extension of the extremists' ethnic cleansing plan to rid the area of Palestinians. It starts with Gaza and then continues to the West Bank and in the end, the extremists' dream is to rid the country of Arabs, including our citizens. This is ethnic cleansing, apartheid, racism.

• Human Rights Watch: Trump’s Gaza plan could amount to ‘ethnic cleansing’
  

  Human Rights Watch says US President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate over a million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, if implemented, could amount to “ethnic cleansing.”

  The euphemism, which came into wide use after the war in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, refers to the forcible displacement of the civilian population of an ethnic group from a geographic area.

  Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East director at the New York-based Human Rights Watch, says it is unclear if Trump’s plan will be implemented, but that the statement of intent is “very concerning.”
  

  “If it were to transform into state policy, it would potentially amount to ethnic cleansing. And if done with intent, it would be forced displacement. And if that forced displacement was done as part of a systematic and widespread attack against the civilian population as a matter of state policy, it would actually be a crime against humanity,” he argues.

  Coogle says countries are obliged to consider individual applications for asylum, but “do not have an obligation to participate in the forced displacement of the entire population of the Gaza Strip.”

• Trump: Israel Will Transfer the Gaza Strip to the U.S. at the End of the Fighting

  The U.S. president in a dramatic announcement • He declared that there would be no need for American soldiers on the ground in the Strip: "The Palestinians have a chance to be happy and safe" • Regarding the reconstruction of Gaza, he said: "We will work with large development teams from around the world and will slowly and carefully begin building what will become one of the greatest and most spectacular developments on Earth."

  U.S. President Donald Trump made another dramatic statement today (Thursday) regarding his plan for the Middle East. In a post he published on the social network Truth, the president reiterated that the Palestinians would be evacuated from the Gaza Strip, confirmed that the U.S. intends to take control of the Strip, but emphasized that Israel would transfer the Strip to the U.S. after the end of the fighting and that no American soldiers would be sent there.

  "Israel will transfer the Gaza Strip to the U.S. at the end of the fighting. The Palestinians will already be settled in beautiful, distant, and safe communities, with modern homes, in the region. The U.S. will begin the rebuilding of Gaza, and it will become one of the most incredible developments of its kind on Earth. There will be no need for any American soldiers! Stability will take over the region!!!" the president wrote.

  Trump's remarks clarify that he is not backing down from the plan he presented and come after senior officials in his administration attempted over the past day to downplay and soften the statements he made at the White House press conference with Prime Minister Netanyahu. Contrary to Trump's statements, White House spokeswoman Lewitt and Secretary of State Rubio claimed that the evacuation of Gaza's residents would be "temporary" only. At the press conference, Trump explicitly stated that he wants "to permanently settle the Gazans in good homes." It appears that all government officials, including Trump, agree that the plan includes the evacuation of Gazans from the Strip, at least for a certain period, and the president reiterated this in his statement.

  Another issue Trump addressed in his statement is the deployment of American forces on the ground. While at the press conference, the president refused to commit to not using military force when explicitly asked about it, in his statement now, he clarifies that "there will be no need for any American soldiers."

  It seems that the central novelty in Trump's remarks is the assertion that Israel will transfer the Gaza Strip to the U.S. at the end of the fighting "when the Palestinians are already settled in distant communities." It is unclear from Trump's words who will be responsible for evacuating the Gazan population.

  Yesterday, we reported in the main edition that the White House has begun planning the implementation of the plan and is preparing to relocate residents from Gaza to areas in Somaliland, Puntland, and the Moroccan state. Somaliland and Puntland are territories within Somalia that are not internationally recognized as independent states. The common factor among Somaliland, Puntland, and Morocco is their dire political need for the U.S. Somaliland and Puntland seek recognition, and Morocco has the issue of the disputed territory in Western Sahara. Additionally, all three regions have a distinct Sunni majority.

  "Trump's words introduce a psychological element into the negotiations that was not there before," said a source in the prime minister's entourage. "It's a 'hold me back' situation, where it is unclear if it will materialize, but at the very least, it will accelerate negotiations to extend the first phase of the deal, release more hostages, and continue the ceasefire."
  

  The statements come after Trump presented his grand plan for the Middle East the day before yesterday in a meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. Trump's plan included the "permanent" evacuation of Gaza's residents from the Strip, American takeover of it, and rebuilding "for all people." It now seems that Trump is not backing down from the plan he presented. link

• 50 Million Tons of Waste: Do the Numbers in Gaza Align with Trump's Fantasies?

  Since the beginning of the war, hundreds of thousands of housing units in Gaza have been destroyed. Schools and roads have been severely damaged, and 90% of Gaza Strip residents have been displaced from their homes. Can Trump's vision of a "real estate pearl" come true?

  Sixteen months have passed since October 7, and the reality in the Gaza Strip has completely changed. The Strip is a small area of 365 square kilometers. For comparison, it is smaller than the area of Vienna, the capital of Austria. The length of the Strip, from the Rafah crossing in the south to the Erez checkpoint in the north, is 41 kilometers, and its width ranges from six to twelve kilometers.

  Before the war, approximately 2.2 million people lived in the Strip, almost half of them in refugee camps. The main population centers are Gaza City, where about 700,000 people lived before the war, Khan Yunis, which had 400,000 residents, and Rafah, which had a population of 280,000.

  According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which is controlled by Hamas, 47,518 people have been killed since the start of the war, more than half of them women and children. About 90% of Gaza's residents have been displaced from their homes during the various stages of the war.

  About 69% of all buildings in the Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed. According to UN estimates, this amounts to approximately 245,000 housing units. Civilian infrastructure—including hospitals, schools, and roads—has been severely damaged.

  The World Bank estimates that the damage caused in the Strip during the first four months of the war amounts to $18.5 billion. According to the UN, there are 50 million tons of debris in the Gaza Strip, a weight 12 times greater than that of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Assuming that 100 trucks work nonstop to clear the rubble, the process would take more than 15 years.

  U.S. President Donald Trump declared that the United States would take responsibility for what he defined as "a hell that could turn into a real estate pearl." The heated debate on the issue will continue in the near future, and the big question is where, in the end, it will lead. Given the numbers, it is doubtful that Trump's fantasies can materialize.  link

  
  

• Saudi Arabia’s former intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal slams Trump’s proposal to relocate Gazans en masse, calling it a “mad ethnic cleansing plan” in lockstep with the agenda of Israel’s far right.

  “It is a fantasy to think that ethnic cleansing in the 21st century can be condoned… There’s no way that I can explain it,” he says, warning that the plan will cause “more conflict and more bloodshed.”

  He calls on the international community to take the matter up in the United Nations, but notes that “with the American veto, I cannot expect that there will be much success in passing any resolution.”

  He echoes the Saudi foreign ministry’s statement made yesterday, which doubled down on Riyadh’s stance against normalizing relations with Israel before a two-state solution has been reached.

  
  

Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria

• After the destruction and the clashes, Hezbollah supporters 'quietly' return to southern Lebanon

  After clashes with the IDF, Lebanon appears to have gotten the message, and now the residents of the southern villages are returning to their destroyed homes calmly and without provocation; Despite attempts to present a "victory", Hezbollah brought destruction to the residents; A Lebanese woman recorded herself returning to the ruins, with crying heard in the background
  This is the second week that residents of southern Lebanon have been returning to their villages on the border, after months of being displaced by fighting. With the end of the first 60 days of the cease-fire, the return was initially accompanied by chaos, provocations and clashes with IDF forces, during which 24 Lebanese citizens were killed and 134 were wounded by gunfire, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. But now it seems that Lebanon has gotten the message, and in the past week things have looked different.
  The Hezbollah-affiliated newspaper Al-Akhbar reported Tuesday that the return of Lebanese civilians to villages in the south of the country last Sunday as part of what was they called the "second Sunday of return," passed peacefully, without clashes or deaths, unlike the previous week. This is reportedly due to an implicit agreement between Hezbollah, the Amal movement in Lebanon, and the municipalities in southern Lebanon to control the demonstrators in order to prevent bloodshed. Sources also told the newspaper that UNIFIL conveyed Israeli threats to the Lebanese, who wanted to avoid a repeat of the prior week's violent events.

  Lebanon closely monitors all IDF movements in the south of the country and consistently reports that it is still operating there, blowing up houses and flying drones in the country's skies. Al-Akhbar and the Al-Manar channel, which is also affiliated with Hezbollah, presented maps of the "liberated" border villages to which the residents have returned and of the villages where the IDF is still operating.

  Although Hezbollah boasts about the return of residents of southern Lebanon, including its activists and supporters, and assures that the organization is still strong, the villages of the south have been completely destroyed. Despite attempts in Lebanon to present an image of "victory" in documenting the return, Hezbollah brought destruction and devastation to the south of the country, destroying the villages it used as weapons depots, and operating and firing at Israel from those populated areas. Hezbollah also operated in other areas of Lebanon, such as Al-Baqa'a in the interior of the country and the Dahieh neighborhood of Beirut, but the villages of the south were the main arena of fighting throughout the months of the war.

  The destruction and devastation in the area are visible every day in footage posted on social media. Alongside the residents' joy at their return, and the Hezbollah flags hoisted alongside pictures of the eliminated operatives, what can mainly be seen is the rubble. Residents of Al-Khaiam, north of Metula, for example, described in a video how they were organized in the field alongside a burning fire and food, but everything around them appears to be destroyed, and the Hezbollah flags placed on the rubble sharpen the question of who is to blame.

  One of the residents who returned to Al-Dahira in southern Lebanon photographed the ruins of the village, while walking among the fragments of collapsed houses, and said: "Be careful where you step," as the sounds of residents crying can be heard in the background.

  Hezbollah suffered significant damage during the war. Its warehouses, infrastructure and weapons were destroyed, its top leadership was eliminated, smuggling routes from Syria were blocked, especially after the overthrow of the Assad regime, and it appears that the organization is in need of extensive reconstruction – both internal and external. The Shiite terrorist organization also needs a lot of financial resources for the assistance it provides to the affected families. Behind the cries of joy of the residents of southern Lebanon these days and the entry into the villages together with the local army, lies great distress. Along with this, it is important to remember that the organization and its surroundings make it clear that they will rebuild everything on the border, and that they have not abandoned their path. link

• 
  

West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel

• IDF says forces destroyed bomb-making lab in northern West Bank overnight
  

  Israeli soldiers, cops and Shin Bet agents continued the large-scale counterterrorism operation in the northern West Bank overnight, the IDF says in a statement.

  The forces discovered and destroyed a bomb manufacturing lab along with several explosive devices.
  

  They also arrested two terror suspects and took them for questioning, in addition to locating and seizing weapons and money used for terror activities, the statement says.

  No Israeli forces were hurt.

Politics and the War (general news)

•  
• **Gallant in First Interview: "PM Pointed to Buildings in Tel Aviv and Said – Hezbollah Will Destroy Everything"**  

Former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, in his first interview since being dismissed from his position, revealed what happened during his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on October 7. "He showed me the buildings in Tel Aviv from his office window and told me, 'Hezbollah will destroy everything if we strike them,'" Gallant recounted. The full interview will air tomorrow (Thursday) after the main evening news.

"I turn to the Prime Minister and tell him, 'We have to do this.' And the PM points to the buildings from the window and says to me, 'Do you see them? All of this will be destroyed as a result of Hezbollah's residual capabilities. After we hit them, they will destroy everything you see,'" Gallant described the conversation between him and Netanyahu. "He (Netanyahu) was talking about all the buildings visible from the window of the PM's office on the second or third floor in Tel Aviv."

The former Defense Minister added: "When I said I didn't share the sense of pessimism—I was talking about this. The Prime Minister told me we would have thousands of casualties in a ground operation in Gaza. I told him, 'We won't have thousands of casualties. Moreover, what do we have an army for, if after they killed a thousand of our civilians, kidnapped them, and murdered women, children, and the elderly, we don't activate it? The struggle to launch the ground operation wasn't easy.'"

Netanyahu's reasoning, according to Gallant, for not supporting a ground operation in the Gaza Strip was that "Hamas would use the hostages as human shields." The former Minister shared, noting: "I told them, 'We share only one thing with these animals—we both want to protect the hostages.'"  link

• Following US, Israel says it will halt participation in the UN Human Rights Council
  

  A day after US President Donald Trump stopped US engagement with the United Nations Human Rights Council, Israel is following suit, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announces.

  “Israel joins the United States and will not participate in the UNHRC,” writes Sa’ar on X.

  “The UNHRC has traditionally protected human rights abusers by allowing them to hide from scrutiny, and instead obsessively demonizes the one democracy in the Middle East — Israel,” Sa’ar charges.

  “This body has focused on attacking a democratic country and propagating antisemitism, instead of promoting human rights.”

  “Israel will not accept this discrimination any longer!” Sa’ar declares.

The Region and the World

• Iran’s Revolutionary Guards transform ship into country’s first drone carrier
  

  Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have taken delivery of the country’s first ship capable of launching drones and helicopters at sea, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reports.

  Amid military exercises lasting from early January to early March, Iran’s armed forces have unveiled new weaponry as Tehran braces for more friction with Israel and the United States under US President Donald Trump.

  “The Revolutionary Guards took action to transform a commercial ship… into a mobile naval platform capable of carrying out drone and helicopter missions in the oceans,” says Navy Commander of the Revolutionary Guards Alireza Tangsiri.

  The Shahid Beheshti, a former container ship, is equipped with a 180-meter (590-ft) runway and can operate without refueling for up to one year, Tasnim said.

  The ship is different from previous Revolutionary Guards warships because it can launch and retrieve larger drones such as the Qaher and Mohajer-6.

  “The addition of this ship into our fleet is an important step in increasing the defense and deterrence capability of Iran in distant waters and in maintaining our national security interests,” Tangsiri adds.

  Last month, Iran’s navy received its first signals intelligence ship.

Personal Stories

  

**Sahar Calderon**  

17 years old, released after 54 days in Hamas captivity with her brother Erez. Their father, Ofer, is still in Gaza.   (just released this past Saturday)

"I went through a Holocaust there myself, and my dad is going through a Holocaust there, and everyone there is going through a Holocaust. I wish I could erase it from my mind... I’m scared to go outside. I’m afraid of every stranger I see. I’m afraid someone will hurt me... On the outside, I might look radiant and happy, but inside I’m broken. Inside, I’m empty. Every day I wake up, I’m back in October 7, I’m back in Gaza."

**Ada Sagi**  

75 years old, released after 53 days in Hamas captivity.  

"A woman with gloves came in. Meirav went into the shower first, they took off her earrings and changed all our clothes, everything we came with from Nir Oz. And that guy, Mustafa, got angry, made these gestures to us, ‘Hamas will come like this, they’ll take you,’ because we refused to let him check us."

**Moran Stella Yanai (40)**  

Kidnapped from the Nova festival and released after 54 days in Hamas captivity.  

"There was this constant fear that you’d be assaulted at any moment, and another day would pass, and another. You prepare yourself..."

Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages

Am I My Brother's Keeper?

Uriel Abulof

Professor of Political Science, Tel Aviv University.

Come dawn, Bibi lies in bed, what thoughts has he in his head? Come dawn, Bibi stares at his reflection, for what does he retain affection?

And what have we, but blood and tears? Who knows what nine is? Nine months of Bibi's tyranny and nine months of war. Eighteen months in the shadow of death sprung upon us by the offspring of the merciless, on blood-stained soil under an empty sky. I am transported in my mind to the first birth, the first slayer, Cain's burning jealousy of Abel, vanity, soul-consuming hatred, a knife gripped firmly in hand. He raised the knife and sacrificed a life, while debasing his soul to perpetuate his firstborn rule - an autocracy. Avenging his humiliation and likening himself to a God by taking the soul of his brother, while killing his own soul. Fearful, in the face of the true God, he could but lie and evade responsibility: "And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, ‘I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?’"

By pursuing power and greed, by deceit, by hubris and cowardice, by his alliance with the enemies of Israel, Netanyahu is inflicting upon his people its greatest tragedy since the Holocaust. The voice of our brothers' and sisters' blood crieth unto us from the ground. The contemporary Cain does not slay with his own hands, but spreads animosity, hatred and poison, as Ze’ev Jabotinsky said: "The most toxic poison, which may poison a man's morals, lies in the word 'lawlessness,’” a keyword in the Kingdom of Cain wherein is emblazoned the sign: “Abandon.”

"The Prime Sewer runs through Cain's body / and he will slay his brother”, to paraphrase the poem of Else Lasker-Schüler, as if writing about Netanyahu himself as he is called to account for the Meron disaster. "One moment of silence please", begins the narrator of the poem, contemplating the death of those he could have saved, and promptly renouncing his responsibility for the death, since "who could have known that which I did not know". He briefly ponders and resolves: "I could not have known", shifting the responsibility to the dead, who failed to inform him. But the speaker is noble of spirit: "I do not blame him", imagining the dead sleepwalking, beating his breast, finally acknowledging the generosity of the speaker, since the dead did not know "to what extent" the speaker was with him. Does Netanyahu envisage the dead from the disasters he brought upon us - thousands killed, kidnapped, injured and scarred in body and spirit - walking in their sleep and thanking him?

Netanyahu's dream is our nightmare, and we will emerge from it only once we realize that Bibi has abandoned us because we abandoned ourselves to him, to transform our country into the land of "I deserve it all/I can do as I wish". Mr. Abandonment is also Mr. With Abandon - and it is up to us to change that. If only we could place the Mark of Cain on his forehead - for shame but also protection - and release him from the obsession of "scare-divide-and-rule”. But we are human beings, so what can we do? This question too was well answered by Jabotinsky: "Not with revenge, not with arms, shall the sin of a Hebrew man against another be punished. The People will repay you, Cain, by voicing my song and sayings”. This song, we must write together, by building a new life in a free, democratic and Jewish Israel.

Acronyms and Glossary

COGAT - Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories

ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague

IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague

MDA - Magen David Adom - Israel Ambulance Corp

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

PMO- Prime Minister's Office

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

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