Archive for category: news

News Update

Rockets were fired at southern and central Israel from Gaza today. A residential building was hit in Ashkelon, injuring 2 elderly women. Several rockets fell in open areas in Beersheba, a rocket fell on a Tel Aviv beach and on a street in Holon.

Several rockets were fired into Israel from Lebanon. The IDF responded with strikes against Hezbollah targets.

IDF troops are operating in the area of Jabalya in northern Gaza, attacking and destroying Hamas command centers, tunnels, rockets, weapons depots and eliminating terrorists. Much of the Hamas terror infrastructure has been found embedded within or beneath schools and residential buildings.

The Shin Bet, 551st Brigade reserve forces and Shayetet 13 commandos raided the Hamas General Security headquarters in Jabaliya, where surveillance and control equipment, weapons and maps were found.

IDF forces are also surrounding the city of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, where the Hamas leadership is thought to be hiding.

The IDF is taking extreme measures to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza. At least a third of the people killed in Gaza were terrorists. Civilians also have been killed by Hamas rocket misfires and as a result of being used as human shields by the terrorists.

The names of 5 IDF soldiers killed in Gaza have been released:

• Sergeant Yakir Yedidya Schenkolewski, 21 years old from Migdal Oz, 188th Armored Brigade.
• Captain Eitan Fisch, 23 years old, from the yishuv of Paduel, 188th Armored Brigade.
• Sgt. Tuval Yaakov Tsanani, 20 years old from Kiryat Gat, 188th Armored Brigade.
• Captain Yahel Gazit, 24, a 188th Armored Brigade officer, from Rakefet, 188th Armored Brigade.
• Sergeant First Class (res.) Gil Daniels, 34, from Ashdod, 261st Infantry Reserve Brigade.

Saudi media reported that explosions were heard in Yemen’s capital last night, assumed to be the result of an Israeli strike.

US officials are saying that Hamas is not releasing the rest of the female hostages because they do not want them to talk about what was, and is being, done to them in captivity and they have witnessed. Testimony from people who witness the atrocities committed by Hamas on Oct. 7 continues to be released and publicized. The eye witness accounts of the brutal gang rapes, mutilations and executions of Israeli women are too painful to read or listen too, but they must be heard and shared.

The civilized world must know about these barbaric crimes to understand that Israel has no choice but to completely eliminate the Hamas terrorists from Gaza. There can be no cease-fire until the terrorists are either out of Gaza or in Hell (the latter being preferred). Hamas has made it very clear that they will perpetrate the same barbaric crimes of Oct. 7 again  and again. And their next targets will be the women of Western Europe and the US, if Israel does not stop them now.

Israel is fighting not only for its own safety, but for the safety of the entire world. It is truly a battle of good against evil. Good will prevail. It must.

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News Update

This morning Hamas resumed rocket attacks against Israel. At least 50 rockets have been fired at southern Israel thus far. Some damage has been reported. Three IDF soldiers were moderately injured and two lightly injured from a mortar that fell near Nirim, near Gaza. IDF jets responded with strikes in Gaza.

IDF ground forces are holding their positions. The IDF has published a map to advise Gazans of safe areas for their evacuation.

Israel has said that it is open to resuming the truce if Hamas provides a list of 10 hostages whom they will release. Efforts to continue the truce continue in Qatar. Eight hostages were released yesterday. Israel released 30 more terrorists. Hamas claims that is is prepared to provide proof that hostages Shiri Bibas and her two little boys, 4-year old Ariel and 10-month old Kfir, are dead.

3 families in Nir Oz were informed today that their loved ones were murdered in captivity in Gaza:
• Aryeh (Zalman) Zalmanovitz, 85 years old, one of the founders of Kibbutz Nir Oz.
• Mia Goren, 56 years old. Her husband, Avner Goren,  56, was murdered on Oct. 7.
• Ronen Engel, 54. His wife and two daughters were kidnapped to Gaza on October 7 and released this week.

According to a Saudi media outlet, Israel conducted air strikes last night targeting warehouses in Sana’a, Yemen suspected of storing precision missiles and drones belonging to Houthi forces.

The Wall Street Reported that Israel is planning to eliminate all of the Hamas leaders throughout the world, when the ground war begins to wind down.

Security forces arrested 15 suspected terrorists in raids throughout the West Bank last night. Earlier yesterday, terrorists fired at a vehicle carrying IDF reservists in Samaria. No soldiers were injured. The terrorists are being hunted.

The civilian who participated in shooting the terrorists and stopping their attack on people at a bus stop in Jerusalem yesterday died from wounds sustained when he was accidentally shot by soldiers trying to stop the terrorists. He was Yuval Doron Kastelman, 38 from Mevasseret Zion.

News Update

Another 10 hostages will be released today in exchange for another day of truce, 30 more terrorists and more aid. Hamas has said that it is willing to agree to another 4 days of truce. Hamas also said that it would release hostages with Russian citizenship, out of appreciation for Putin. 10 hostages were released yesterday. For their stories, click here. For a list of the hostages released thus far, click here.

[How people can watch terrorists push an old woman in a wheelchair, whom they held hostage for almost 2 months, and release her in front of cheering crowd — and still demonstrate in support of those terrorists is just beyond my comprehension. The fact that Hamas is still holding a 10 month baby hostage doesn’t bother them either.]

Hezbollah terrorists are reportedly returning to their positions near the Israeli border with Lebanon.

[This serves as a reminder that this war is nowhere near over. Iran is the puppet master that controls Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen and militias in Iraq and Syria. Their goal is to dominate the Middle East, and possibly beyond. Israel is just a small part of that plan, the lowest hanging fruit.

Iran’s allies and partners are Russia and China. It’s no coincidence that for last 2 months you haven’t heard anything about Russia’s continued war against Ukraine or China’s continued harassment of Taiwan. Iran has been, thus far, using Hezbollah and its other proxies to poke at Israel and US forces in the region. When it decides the time is right, it will unleash those proxies in all out war. At that point, the US and its allies will be have to respond in force. While they’re busy responding, China might take the opportunity to invade Taiwan and Russia might expand their land grab in Europe.

This war Israel is fighting against Hamas is just the tip of the iceberg in the bigger conflict between the West and Iran. The US understands that, which is why it sent 2 carrier battle groups to the region and why it is not wavering in supporting Israel. The UK, France, Germany and other free countries see the bigger picture too. But much of the world and public opinion doesn’t, and Iran is well aware of that and is using it to their benefit.

There is no scenario in which Israel can go back to life as normal with Hamas and Hezbollah remaining in tact. Hezbollah has over 150,000 sophisticated missiles pointing at Israel. They also have a battle tested terrorist army far larger and better equipped and trained than Hamas. Would you be willing to live in northern or southern Israel knowing that hordes of terrorists planning to slaughter you and your family are just a mile or 2 away and ready to attack at any moment?

There cannot be a ceasefire until the terror threats in Gaza and the north are eliminated. Israel, and the free world, needs to stand strong against Iran and its terror proxies, and do what is needed to stop them now. Tomorrow might be too late.

What we all can do is spread the truth and not let the armies of terror win the hearts and minds of our fellow citizens or, in many cases, even our own children and family members.]

News Update

We are in the 4th day of the truce, awaiting the release of the final 11 Israeli hostages as part of the original agreement with Hamas to release 50 Israeli hostages. 39 Israeli hostages, all women and children, have already been released. Hamas has reportedly indicated that they will agree to Israel’s offer to extend the truce an additional days for each additional 10 hostages released.  For a list of the hostages released thus far, click here. 

Israel has released 3 times as many female and minor terrorists from Israeli prisons, who returned to their homes to cheering crowds chanting Hamas slogans and praising Hamas for orchestrating the release of terrorist. The terrorists being released were all arrested for perpetrating or engaging in attacks upon Israeli security forces or civilians. Thankfully, they were stopped before being able to carry out their intended missions.

[This is not a prisoner exchange. Young children, mothers and grandmothers who witnessed the slaughter of their parents, spouses, relatives and friends were brutally kidnapped and held in hellish captivity in Gaza are being traded for young women and teenagers who willfully perpetrated acts of terror with the intention of murdering Israelis.

Hamas is gaining support as a result of their hostage taking. It gains support each time Palestinian terrorists are released by Israel. It gains support for every humanitarian aid, including fuel, truck that is allowed into Gaza as part of the hostage deal. And hundreds of trucks are now entering Gaza. And the Palestinians are cheering Hamas.

This is not a war between 2 armies. It is a war between the armed forces of a sovereign democratic country and a terrorist organization. It is comparable to the war the US and other democracies waged against ISIS and Al Qaeda. The only difference between Hamas and ISIS and Al Qaeda is that Hamas is targeting Israel and the Jewish People and disguises their terrorism and genocidal mission as a Palestinian freedom movement. The other difference between Hamas and the other terror groups is that millions of people throughout the free world are supported and demonstrate for them. Apparently, terrorism and brutality against Jews is ok, under the “right conditions”, even in the warped minds of the intellectual giants of our greatest universities.

A cease-fire with a terrorist army committed to destroying you, that has publicly pledged to continue to repeat the atrocities they perpetrated on Oct. 7 is NOT an option. Hamas has proven that they are an existential threat to Israel. As long as Hamas is allowed to function in Gaza, Israelis will not be able to return to live in the south or, for that matter, feel safe anywhere in Israel. This is an untenable situation for a sovereign nation to exist in. No other nation would stand for it. Neither will Israel.

Hamas’s plan was to gain the support of their subjects by slaughtering, raping and destroying to the greatest extent of their power, and then hold out against Israel’s response until the peace loving nations of the world for Israel to stop. This is what they’ve successfully done repeatedly in the past, and have come out stronger each time. They expect this time to be no different. This time they have scores of hostages to use to buy more time and more support. They know that time is on their side. The more time that passes and the longer the truce lasts, the greater the pressure will be to force Israel to stop.

President Biden has shown very strong support for Israel and for the continuation of Israel’s ground war to annihilate Hamas. But many members of Congress and his administration are either in favor of a cease-fire or are beginning to waiver in that direction. He is losing support in his party and voting base in an election year. How long will his unwavering support remain firm in the face of the immense pressure against him?

The only way Israel can continue as a sovereign nation is to destroy Hamas and make the south safe. The IDF has the power and ability to do that. The only question is whether it has the time to get the job done. And that time is dictated by world public opinion, and specifically public opinion in the US. The battle for public opinion today is being fought in the media and on social media.

We all have the responsibility and opportunity to fight the battle of public opinion to assure that Israel has the time it needs to defend its citizens and its existence as a sovereign state.

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News Update

The government approved an agreement with Hamas for the release of at least 50 hostages, children and mothers, in exchange for a 4 day cease-fire and the release of 150 detainees, also women and minors. Most of the detainees are from east Jerusalem and the West Bank. None of them have been convicted for murder, but many of them were convicted for attempted murder and all were involved in terror attacks. Israel will also permit the entry of 300 trucks with humanitarian supplies daily, including fuel, into Gaza, during the cease-fire. For more on the prisoners to be released, click here. 

Qatar will operate a control room coordinating with Israeli authorities, Hamas, the Red Cross, and the US to ensure the deal’s elements are implemented effectively. If the initial phase of the agreement goes well, then there is the potential of extending the cease-fire an additional day for every 10 additional hostages released. The cease-fire is set to begin at 10:00am on Thursday.

The government said that it is committed to continuing the ground war after the cease-fire. it warned that if Hamas breaches the cease-fire, Israel will respond with massive force.  The Chief of General Staff, the head of the Shin Bet, and the head of the Mossad unanimously agreed that the deal would be beneficial from a security standpoint. Hezbollah said that it will honor the cease-fire.

The IDF has continued to strike Hamas targets in Gaza, killing dozens of terrorists and uncovering tunnels and weapons caches in civilian buildings.

If you’re looking for a way to help the tens of thousands of IDF soldiers fighting the war against terror, a great way to do it is to support Grilling for Israel, a volunteer organization that brings barbecues to IDF units and bases throughout the country and has served tens of thousands of soldiers. Even more than the great food, they bring a much needed morale boost to the troops, reminding them that they are cared for by the people they are defending. To support Grilling for Israel click here.