Archive for month: December, 2024

News Update

A missile fired by the Houthis from Yemen last night was intercepted before entering Israeli airspace. Sirens sounded throughout central Israel, sending millions to shelters. U.S. and British forces reportedly struck Houthi targets in Yemen.

Sergeant Uriel Peretz, 23, from Beitar Illit, a soldier in the Netzah Yehuda Battalion in the Kfir Brigade, fell in battle in the northern Gaza Strip. Peretz was killed by an anti-tank missile fired by Hamas terrorists at a building in Beit Hanoun where the force was stationed. Seven other soldiers were wounded in the attack.

The Shin Bet announced the arrest of Alexander Granovsky, a 29-year-old Petah Tikva resident, accused of carrying out missions on behalf of Iran. Granovsky, who has a long criminal record, allegedly conducted various acts, including photographing a sensitive Israeli infrastructure site and the residential neighborhood of former IDF Chief of Staff and Defense Minister Benny Gantz. He also reportedly set fire to eight vehicles, purchased military uniforms to film himself burning them, and shared details of another Israeli citizen for potential recruitment.

According to a senior political source, Prime Minister Netanyahu believes that even if Israel enters into a deal, fighting will resume afterward to achieve the war’s objectives, which is the total destruction of Hamas. For more, click here.

Hamas is reportedly willing to release only 22 of the 34 hostages on the list submitted by Israel during the phase of a potential deal. Instead of the other 12 hostages, Hamas wants to release 12 bodies.
Israel turned this down and made it clear that it would only accept living hostages during the initial stage of a deal.

Israel’s population grew by 1.1% over the past year to just over 10.027 million, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics. The rate of population growth fell from 1.6% in 2023 to 1.1%. 7.707 million (76.9%) of Israel’s citizens are Jewish and 2.1 million (21%) Arabs.

News Update

Israel launched its largest airstrike against Yemen yesterday. The operation involved 25 aircraft, including fighter jets, reconnaissance planes and tankers. Targets included Sana’a International Airport, where a control tower, terminals, runways and aircraft used by the Houthi government were hit, as well as 2 power stations in the area. Early today, the Houthis launched a ballistic missile at central Israel, which was intercepted before entering Israeli territory. The launch disrupted air traffic for several hours and sent millions of Israelis to shelters.

Major Hod Shriebman, 27, a company commander in the Multidimensional Unit (888), from Tzofit, was killed during combat operations in Jabaliya, northern Gaza.Another soldier from the same unit was seriously wounded. Additionally, a tank commander from the 401st Armored Brigade’s 9th Battalion was severely wounded in northern Gaza by sniper fire.

Ludmila Lipovsky, 83, was stabbed and murdered by a 28-year-old terrorist near her assisted living residence in Herzliya today. The terrorist was neutralized by security guards at the scene. The Shin Bet said in a statement: “The suspect in this morning’s stabbing attack in Herzliya is a Palestinian from the West Bank area, a former Palestinian Security Service collaborator who was involved in foiling terrorist infrastructures in the West Bank, exposed and transferred for rehabilitation in Israel. The suspect was arrested at the scene and will be brought to Shin Bet custody for further questioning into the circumstances of the attack.”

The newly appointed governor of Damascus said in an interview with U.S. public radio network NPR: “There exists a people who want coexistence. They want peace. They don’t want disputes. We want peace, and we cannot be an opponent to Israel or an opponent to anyone.” He also said: “It’s natural for Israel to be worried about certain factions. Israel may have felt fear, so it advanced a little, bombed a little, etc. We have no fear towards Israel, and our problem is not with Israel. And we don’t want to meddle in anything that will threaten Israel’s security or any other country’s security.”

Israel is intensifying a campaign targeting the inner circle of Hamas leadership, aiming to disrupt the organization’s infrastructure and command network. The inner circle consists of the son’s of close relatives of the Hamas top leadership, many of who, have already been eliminated. For more, click here.

News Update

Three soldiers from the Kfir Brigade’s 92nd Battalion (Samson) were killed by an improvised explosive device in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza. Capt. Ilay Gavriel Atedgi, 22, from Kiryat Motzkin; Staff Sgt. Netanel Pessach, 21, from Elazar; and Sgt. First Class (res.) Hillel Diener, 21, from Talmon.

According to IDF data, the number of terror attacks in Judea and Samaria dropped in 2024 to 254 from 847 in 2023 and 342 in 2022.  Rock throwing and other violent incidents also dropped significantly. For more, click here. 

The Palestinian Authority has banned Al Jazeera from operating in areas under its control, citing the channel’s coverage of the Palestinian Authority’s operations in the Jenin refugee camp as incitement against Palestinian security forces. The PA sent a message to Al Jazeera saying, “To all Al Jazeera employees working in Palestinian territories, we hope you reflect on your actions and resign from this biased channel that has destroyed and continues to destroy the Arab world,” Fatah wrote to the channel’s staff. Al Jazeera floods the media with lies, especially in Palestine, siding with a group of hostile mercenaries in the Jenin camp and trying to present them as heroes resisting the occupation.”

Hezbollah is reportedly now focusing on “internal reorganization” and rebuilding its political and organizational structure after losing dozens of prominent military, political and administrative figures during the war. It is also investigating the pager explosions and deciding where to bury Nasrallah.

Hanukkah begins tomorrow night. For 8 days and nights we kindle lights and celebrate the miracles of the oil, the military victory of the Maccabees over the Hellenist Syrian empire and the victory of Judaism over Hellenism. After the tragedy and horrors of October 7, the nation of Israel seemed to be in existential danger, facing off against a powerful axis of evil led by Iran, tens of thousands of Hamas terrorists to the south and over 150k Hezbollah missiles and tens of thousands of experienced terrorist soldiers capable of destroying large parts of the country to the north. Today, thanks to the sacrifice of hundreds of soldiers who paid the ultimate price and hundreds of thousands others who fought, and continue to fight, Hamas stands in ruins, Hezbollah has been severely degraded and push back from our borders, Syria’s military capabilities has been destroyed and Syria is no longer a base for Iranian soldiers and weaponry, and Iran has been crippled and its axis rendered impotent. Our hostages remain in captivity, but we hope that current negotiations will succeed in releasing them very soon.

On this Hanukkah, as we look at where we stand today as opposed to where we were 14 months ago, we can be thankful for the miracles that have brought us to this day, pay tribute to the many who gave their lives to ensure our safety, and pray for the immediate release of all of our hostages, for comfort to the widows and orphans of our brave soldiers, and for true and lasting peace.

May we all merit to see miracles in our own lives, for the nation of Israel and for the entire world. Happy Hanukkah!

Special wishes of happiness and peace to our Christian readers. May you continue to be blessed for your support of Israel. Merry Christmas!

News Update

A Houthi ballistic missile fired overnight was intercepted over Israel. Shrapnel from the missile hit a school in Ramat Gan, causing the main main building to collapse and damaging nearby homes and cars. Shrapnel was also found on the grounds of the Knesset. Earlier today, the Air Force intercepted a suspicious aerial target in the area of the Mediterranean Sea before it crossed into Israeli territory.

In response to the continued Houthi attacks, IDF fighter planes struck and disabled 3 sea ports in Yemen. Fuel storage facilities and a power station in the capital city of Sana were also hit. IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagai said that the strikes aimed to degrade Houthi military capabilities and prevent the use of targeted facilities for military operations, including the smuggling of Iranian weapons.

Speaking to troops in Rafah, IDF Chief of Staff Halevi that the IDF is intensifying operations against Hamas to secure the return of the hostages. He said, “We are dismantling Hamas and targeting its infrastructure and forces so that there will never be another October 7. We are exerting pressure on Hamas daily, driving it into greater distress, to ensure the return of the 100 hostages—hopefully alive—and for those who are not, to provide them a proper burial in Israel.”

Hamas officials told the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Akhbar newspaper in Lebanon that negotiations in Doha are progressing well. There are 2 issues that still need to be resolved. The first is that Israel is demanding a comprehensive list of all living and dead hostages, but Hamas claims that it needs a 7 day ceasefire in order to compile and verify that list. The second is that Israel is demanding that soldiers be included among the initial hostages released. Discussions are also revolving around which terrorist prisoners will be released in the hostage deal.

Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported yesterday that ousted Syrian President Assad handed over documents to Israel detailing the locations of weapons stockpiles, missile launchers and military hangars, in exchange for guarantees from Israel to ensure the safety of his escape route.

News Update

Israeli airstrikes targeting weapons depots in Aleppo, Hama and Tartus in western Syria reportedly caused tremors measuring 3.0 on the Richter scale yesterday. Israel is also striking remaining pro-Iranian militias in Syria. IDF officers have been meeting with elders in the 7 villages in the Syrian Golan that have come under IDF control since troops were deployed to the demilitarized zone in Syria last week. Residents of some Druze villages have requested that Israel annex them.

The IDF intercepted a missile fired from Yemen today, before it entered Israeli territory.

The Lebanese army has began deploying to the south of the country and are launching their own operations to find Hezbollah weapons, including rockets and launchers, near the Litani and Saluki rivers. Israeli troops are still deployed in southern Lebanon, near the Israeli border, and are striking armed terrorists discovered in the area. Troops are also discovering more Hezbollah tunnels and munitions.

Israeli officials are still optimistic that a hostage deal can be reached soon. The deal would be implemented in stages, with women, children and elderly hostages released in the first stage.

The Al Jazeera network said that the IDF killed Ahmed al-Louh, who worked as a cameraman for the network, in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. The IDF confirmed that Ahmed al-Louh had been killed in a strike on Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists operating in a command and control center embedded in the offices of the “Civil Defense” organization in Nuseirat. The IDF said, “Among the terrorists eliminated in the strike was the Islamic Jihad terrorist Ahmed Bakr al-Louh, who previously served as a Platoon commander in the Islamic Jihad’s Central Camps Brigade. The terrorists used the command and control center to plan and carry out an imminent terror attack against IDF troops.”

The Palestinian Authority security forces continue their anti-terror operation in Jenin, to regain full control over the city. The operation is being conducted by the PA’s unit 101, a 2,000 strong elite unit trained by U.S. and Canadian advisors. For more, click here.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced on Sunday the closure of Israel’s embassy in Dublin, citing Ireland’s “extreme anti-Israel policies.” He said, “Ireland’s actions and rhetoric are rooted in delegitimization and demonization of the Jewish state, accompanied by blatant double standards. Ireland has crossed every red line in its treatment of Israel. We will redirect our resources toward strengthening ties with nations that respect Israel.” Sa’ar also revealed plans to open a new embassy in Moldova saying, “The relationship between Israel and Moldova is friendly, and both nations seek to deepen ties. Moldova already has an embassy in Israel, and it is time for Israel to reciprocate.” For more on the closing of the Dublin embassy, click here.