A Mosquito Bites

War Day 4

WAR

IDF soldiers in Gaza

Friday Jan 3,2025 marked Day 454 of the longest war Israel has ever fought. And the most costly in human lives.

According to Ynetnews, the IDF released data of the human costs to the war so far. 891 security personnel have died and over 9000 injured since the war began on Oct 7,2023.

That’s not counting the hundreds of days that IDF soldiers have spent fighting the war on two fronts, in Gaza and in south Lebanon. Some reserve soldiers have reportedly done 200-300 days of service away from their homes, families and business or jobs and then are called back for another round of reserve duty for a month to three months.

The war began on Oct 7,2023 when thousands of Hamas terrorists invaded Israel from Gaza rampaging over Israeli moshavim, kibbutzim and souther villages massacring approximately 1400 Israelis, wounding thousands and kidnapping 252, all of whom were brought back as hostages to Gaza.

Documents seized by the IDF in Gaza show that Hamas had planned the invasion for years. Had detailed plans and photographs of the Kibbutzim and Moshavim and army installations. And had run trial exercises simulating the invasion, all of which went unhindered by Israel.

Approximately 100 hostages are still being held in Gaza’s dank dark cold tunnels by Hamas terrorists. Experts estimate that only scores are still alive after 454 days in captivity.

Israel is still being discomforted, some observers say terrorized, by rockets sent by the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Several times a week sirens blare across Israel sending Israelis scurrying to their safe rooms, bomb shelters, in a closet, or simply hiding beneath the apartment building’s stairs.

Another aspect of the war is Iran recruiting Israelis to spy.

According to Ynetnews in the last few weeks the Shin Bet (Israel’s FBI) and other security services have busted 12 spy rings.

Twenty-eight suspects from across Israel are implicated in the 12 cases tied to Tehran. Those arrested were accused of photographing army bases, torching Israeli cars, following Israeli officials who were targeted for assassination, and passing intelligence information to hostile enemies. One of those arrested even visited Tehran multiple times. All said they did what they did for the money Iran was paying them.

Most of the defendants come from lower socio-economic backgrounds and cannot afford the fees charged by criminal lawyers so the state has assigned them public defenders.

On Saturday Jan 4,2025 the Times of Israel reported that the Biden administration had agreed to provide an $8 billion arms package for Israel, including heavy bombs.

Gaza

IDF soldiers in Gaza

As of Saturday Jan 4,2025, 395 Israeli soldiers have died in Gaza.

Avi, a man in his late 30’s lives in Tel Aviv. He has been home for two days visiting his wife and two small children. During that time he’d stopped by the high tech office where he works, when he can work, to say hello.

In the early morning of the third day he puts on his uniform, grabs his gear and his rifle, gets in his car and drives south for an hour. He leaves his car at an army base near the fence with Gaza and goes back to his unit inside Gaza.

He’s only an hour’s drive from his family in Tel Aviv, but the fighting continues in Gaza. These are two distinctly different worlds. One a cafe society, parks, traffic jams, construction: another bullets and mud and danger. This will be his two hundred and sixth day in Gaza. He has already lost friends and fellow soldiers and even if he is very careful he knows that each day may be his last. Welcome to war.

On Wednesday, Jan 2,2025, the Israeli airfare bombed the municipal building in Khan Younis killing the Hamas police chief Mahmoud Salah and his aid.

But analysts say there are many other Hamas leaders who have come up through the ranks to fill the positions left by those Israel has eliminated.

Muhammad Sinwar

Hamas is now being run in Gaza by Muhammad Sinwar, brother of Yahya Sinwar who was killed by the IDF in October. Muhammad is said to be as fanatic about fundamentalist Islam and as ruthless as his late brother.

According to Channel 12TV, Hamas if making a comeback because teenagers from refugee camps in south Gaza are being recruited in significant numbers, given quick training, a weapon and sent to fight IDF soldiers in northern Gaza.

Channel 11 Kan TV reported on Thursday night Jan 2,2025 that 15 rockets had been fired from Gaza over the last week, with about two a day coming into Israel.

According to analysts, this influx of new fighters might account for the uptick in these rockets being fired into the nearby Israeli towns and moshavim along the Gaza border.

New Recruit To Hamas in Gaza

According to Channel 12TV, Hamas has combined forces with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Together the numbers of fighters now in the battle zone are between 20,000 - 23,000 fighters.

The Jerusalem Post reported that approximately 40,000 Hamas fighters were on the battlefield at the start of the war on Oct 7, 2023.

But, the Jerusalem Post indicated that the numbers now on the battlefield were closer to 12,000. The Post also reported that over 6,000 Gazans have been detained by the military during the war. At least 4,300 remain in custody, and at most, 2,200 were returned to Gaza, deemed less dangerous.

The Jerusalem Post also reported that the quality of new Hamas fighters receiving weapons, and fighting are far inferior to the veteran fighters from the start of the war.

Meanwhile, the IDF is still searching homes and buildings in south Gaza finding and destroying weapons and rockets. However, IDF soldiers are still falling victim to booby-traps in the buildings and snipers from the rooftops.

Hamas Terrorist Captured in Gaza

According to the Times of Israel, The Israeli military said on Saturday Dec 28,2024, that it had completed an operation against Hamas at northern Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital and the surrounding area.

Some 240 suspected terror operatives were detained, including the medical center’s director and 15 terrorists who participated in the October 7, 2023, onslaught on southern Israel.

Retired generals like Giora Eiland believe that the IDF has done enough in Gaza and should call a ceasefire. Others in the Israeli government, like ultra right National Security Minister Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Smotritch are in favor of staying in Gaza and perhaps even reestablishing settlements abandoned in 2005 under the rule of PM Ariel Sharon.

On Thursday Jan 2,2025 a group of ultra right activists tried to sneak into Gaza in order to light eight flares in a make-shift Hannukah candelabra. They were caught and sent back to their homes.

Criticism has also been leveled against the Netanyahu government for not allowing the Palestinian Authority to take over some responsibility in Gaza as part of the “Day After” plan.

According to reports, Netanyahu still considers Abu Mazen, the 89-year-old leader of the Palestinian Authority, to be little more than a terrorist himself. It is unclear, according to pundits, if this is Netanyahu’s opinion, or if the view is being foisted upon him by ultra-nationalists Ben Gvir and Smotritch.

Meanwhile, Channel 12TV reported rockets continued to be fired from Gaza. On Friday rockets were fired from Gaza at nearby Israeli Kibbutz Nir Am. And a surface to air missile was fired at an Israeli helicopter but missed by a wide margin. 21 rockets have been fired from Gaza at Israel within the last week.

Destroyed Hamas Command Center Near Israel’s Border

On Saturday Jan 4,2025 the IDF released photographs of a destroyed Hamas officer’s neighborhood, including high rise buildings, that acted as a Hamas command center.

According to Ynet, the complex contained booby-trapped buildings, rocket launchers and tunnels. The complex was only scores of meters from the border fence and overlooked the Israeli moshav Nativ HaEsera and was within range of the southern city of Sderot.

North

IDF Shaldag Commandos in Iranian Missile Factory in Syria

On Wednesday the IDF issued a press release and video footage that on September 8, 2024, before the fall of the Assad regime,120 IDF special forces from the Shaldag commando unit dropped down on ropes from helicopters and attacked a Iranian missile factory in Syria 200 kilometers from Israel

Helicopters from the 669 rescue unit were also nearby should any soldiers be wounded and need medical help and extraction to a hospital.

The Iranian missile factory had been a target of IAF jet bombers for months but could not penetrate the underground production facilities.

Israel’s Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar addressed the troops before and after the mission calling what the raid “historic.”

Iranian Missile Factory in Syria

According to Haaretz, the Iranian facility was producing projectiles that could travel between 40 (@24 miles) to 300 kilometers (@ 180 miles) putting anywhere in Israel within range. The factory was to produce between 150-300 missiles a year.

According to Channel 12TV’s Nir Dvori, the troops encountered and eliminated about 30 Syrian soldiers guarding the facility. The Israel air force also bombed the roads leading into the facility to keep Syrian troops from reaching the building and engaging Israeli troops.

The Israeli troops spent two-and-a-half hours in the facility laying explosive charges throughout the building. They were then exfiltrated by helicopter. Once clear of the site the explosives were activated and the building was demolished.

Pundits say this was yet another important facility that would not fall into terrorist hands. Other observers said this could be a warning to Iran and the Houthis in Tehran of Israel’s reach.

Even as the cease-fire with Hezbollah holds firm IDF troops are still operating in southern Lebanon. IDF troops report the discovery of huge caches of weapons and rockets in southern Lebanon left by Hezbollah forces fleeing the area when the IDF invaded on Oct 6, 2023.

Part of the cease-fire agreement was that the IDF could continue to search for weapons in southern Lebanon and that the Lebanese army with UNIFIL would take up the task of insuring Hezbollah didn’t return to southern Lebanon as a fighting force.

UNFIL Patrol In Lebanon

According to Ynetnews, UNIFIL, established in 1978, has collapsed creating tragic incidents and included strategic failures.

“One of these most glaring failures is its inability to counteract Hezbollah’s systematic obstruction of its activities. Operating under the guise of environmental organizations such as Green Without Borders.

“Hezbollah has instead constructed an extensive network of observation posts, arms depots, and fortified positions, rendering large areas of southern Lebanon inaccessible to UNIFIL under the pretense of private property rights or agricultural protection.

“Reports highlight that its operatives have also infiltrated local communities, fostering distrust of UNIFIL while positioning themselves as de facto rulers. This dual strategy—physical control and psychological manipulation—has left UNIFIL unable to enforce its mandate.”

“Moreover, UNIFIL’s inaction has emboldened Hezbollah to act with impunity. The group has expanded its arsenal to include advanced missiles and drones while constructing attack tunnels aimed at Israel. These developments further undermine UNIFIL’s mandate and heighten the risk of further conflict. “

According to Ynet, “It is time to acknowledge that UNIFIL has outlived its usefulness. Its presence has failed to achieve its core objectives and has instead provided Hezbollah with a veneer of legitimacy. Terminating UNIFIL would force the international community and Lebanon to confront the realities on the ground.”

On Thursday evening Jan 2,2025, according to Channel 12TV’s military correspondent Nir Dvori, Israel spotted two Hezbollah terrorist groups setting up missiles to fire at Israel. Jet fighters took out the terrorists’ positions.

So far, according to media reports, neither the Lebanese army nor UNIFIL has taken up any positions in southern Lebanon leaving the IDF to fill the void.

In Syria, the new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (AKA Muhammed al-Golani) has made conciliatory statements to the press that he only wants to have peaceful relations with his neighbors, including Israel.

However, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has stated that he does not trust the new leadership in Syria, made up of supposedly reformed Jihadists. The IDF has been ordered to stay on the border to prevent a possible sneak attack from Syria such as the one Hamas carried out from Gaza.

Hostages

Israelis Protest In Tel Aviv After Release of Liri Elbag Pictures

Families of the 100 hostages still held in Gaza after over 450 days continue their protests.

On Saturday, Jan 4,2025, hostage families agreed to release a Hamas video of 19-year-old hostage Liri Elbag as a sign of life. She was an army spotter in an IDF outpost in Kibbutz Nachal Oz along the Gaza border when she was taken hostage on Oct 7,2023 along with four other female spotters.

According to Ynetnews, Liri Elbag’s family said, ”The video released today tore our hearts apart. This is not the same daughter and sister we know. She is in bad shape, her difficult mental state is evident," they said. "We saw our heroine Liri surviving and begging for her life. She is several dozen kilometers from us and for 456 days we have not been able to bring her home."

They appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the decision-makers: "The time has come for you to make the decisions as if your children were there! Liri is alive and must return alive!

Still Frame Of Video Of Israeli Hostage Liri Elbag Held By Hamas In Gaza

Still Frame Of Video Of Israeli Hostage Liri Elbag Crying On Camera

Yifat Calderon, the cousin of the kidnapped Ofer Calderon, also attacked the Prime Minister in her statement published in Ynet. "Despite reports of progress, we are amazed to see how the delays and foot-dragging on the part of Israel continue. Every time there is a new excuse that could torpedo the deal. Once it was 'Philadelphia spin' and today it is 'kidnapping list spin'.

"Netanyahu, stop torpedoing! Get them out of hell! Instead of insisting on lists for two weeks, you could have already closed a deal!

However, former Police Chief Roni Alsheich told the Kan Channel 1TV that the police force has become politicized and that officers have told him they are given quotas for the minimum number of people that must be detained at any protest. Alsheich was a key figure in Netanyahu’s criminal probes.

The police, now under the control of ultra-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, deny the accusation. According to Alsheich, National Security Minister Ben Gvir “allows himself to do whatever he wants and the political system swallows it because it understands that without him there is no government.”

Observers point out that Ben Gvir’s Otzmah Yehudit party has eight seats in the present knesset. PM Netanyahu’s Likud-led coalition has 68 seats in the Knesset out of 120. Should Ben Gvir leave the government Netanyahu’s party would fall and new elections would be called.

On Wednesday, according to the Times of Israel, after weeks of hope and negotiations the hostage talks have apparently reached an impasse.

However, on Thursday night Channel 12TV reported that an Israeli team was heading to Qatar to continue the negotiations. Observers say that the Israelis want to make some sort of hostage deal before President-elect Trump takes office on Jan 20,2025.

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz told reporters that progress was being made in the negotiations but were being done secretly behind closed doors.

Ynetnews reported that PM Netanyahu was calling a special cabinet session to discuss the terms to be raised in Qatar. Gen (res) Gal Hirsch, in charge of the hostage negotiations, has said that the deal on offer now is for the release of all the hostages at one time.

A mother of one of the hostages appeared on Israel Radio’s Reshet Bet crying, saying that the government and the media were putting the families of the hostages on an emotional roller coaster by telling them one day there was progress in the negotiations and the next day the negotiations had stalled.

She said it was hard on the distraught families who were thinking of the conditions their children or parents or spouses were forced to endue in Gaza. Another woman interviewed said she only believes the one IDF liaison assigned to her, and disregard any other announcements.

Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump has made threatening statements to Hamas warning them to free the hostages. However, it was unclear, according to analysts what he would do to follow up on the threat.

Hamas has so far refused to provide a complete list of hostages held in Gaza. The preliminary negotiations were for 25 hostages released, but no list of names was provided. Families of hostages have been adamant that an “all the hostages” approach is the only one they accept. Those interviewed say they don’t want their loved ones left behind to die in Gaza.

A report in the New York Post says that “A senior Hamas official has denied reports that the Gaza-based terrorist group is refusing to provide a full list of the living hostages, according to Qatar’s Al-Araby Al-Jadeed news outlet.

The official explained that Hamas has already provided a partial list but is facing difficulties in contacting other terrorist groups responsible for holding the captives.

Egyptian sources told the Qatar outlet that "the negotiations for a Gaza cease-fire are steps away from the finish line. Agreements have been reached on contentious points during the latest round of talks. One of the issues expected to be resolved concerns the lists of hostages and prisoners."

A recent report released by the Israel Ministry of Health, that had interviews with rescued hostages, detailed physical and sexual abuse, starvation, isolation in a dark cell for months at a time, and other heinous acts.

The report, prepared for submission to the UN is organized into two sections. The first section outlines the neglect, abuse, torture, and humiliation suffered by hostages who were released or rescued from captivity in Gaza, along with the effects of these experiences on their physical and mental health.

This section is complied by interviews with medical teams that provided treatment to the hostages upon their return to Israel.

The second section of the report examines rehabilitation models considered suitable for released hostages, utilizing data collected from primary care nurses, physicians, and mental health professionals who have been delivering ongoing care, including through clinics specializing in the treatment of released hostages.

Every day Israel’s media have interviews with family members, mothers and fathers, whose children are still held hostage in Gaza after more than 450. The common cry is “We Want Them Home Today.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu has said he is doing everything in his power to obtain the release of the hostages, however the families have stated that they’ve lost faith in the Prime Minister and his promise to bring the hostages home.

Some pundits report that Netanyahu is heavily influenced by ultra-right ministers Ben Gvir and Smotritch who are against any prisoner exchange that would see the release of convicted terrorists currently held in Israeli prisons. They have said the release of the prisoners would be a grave mistake, similar to the one that saw the release of 1,100 terrorist prisoners in exchange for kidnapped soldier GIlad Shalit in 2011.

One of those prisoners released was Yahya Sinwar, who went on to lead Hamas and plan the invasion and massacre of Oct 7, 2023. Sinwar was killed by IDF troops on Oct 6,2023 during operations in Gaza.

Some observers point out that the Hamas is currently run by the brother of Sinwar who is reportedly as radical and fanatical as his late brother. Experts say that documents seized by the IDF in Gaza show that Yahya Sinwar was against any release of hostages and wanted to keep on fighting until the Arab world came to his aid. Some say that his brother Mohammed, has a similar attitude.

On Saturday night Jan 4,2025 Channel 12TVs political correspondent Yaron Avraham reported that the negotiating teams in Qatar are making slow but incremental progress. According to the report Israel is now demanding the release of hostages under the age of 50. This new demand resulted in Hamas making a counter demand. Leaders in Israel and Gaza must be consulted before any decisions are made.

West Bank

Palestinian Authority Police in Jenin, West Bank

Israel defense forces raided the West Bank city of Nablus on Wednesday dressed as Arabs, right out of a scene of Fauda, and arrested a wanted terrorist sitting in a coffee house.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority has sent their police in force to arrest terrorists throughout the West Bank, often engaging in firefights. Observers say that the PA is carrying out these raids and fights to show that they can indeed take an active part in controlling Gaza once the war ends.

And according to the Times of Israel, in a surprise move the Palestinian Authority on Wednesday, Jan 1,2025, ordered the temporary suspension of Qatar financed Al Jazeera TV broadcasts across the West Bank. The PA claims that the Qatari-based network’s critical coverage of Ramallah’s recent crackdown on terror groups in the territory is detrimental to the PA.

“This decision comes in response to Al Jazeera’s insistence on broadcasting inciting content and reports characterized by misinformation, incitement, sedition and interference in Palestinian internal affairs,” the official PA news agency Wafa said.

Meanwhile, according to the Times of Israel, quoting an annual Shin Bet (Israel’s FBI) report, says the Shin Bet has foiled 1,040 major terror attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem, broken up 20 terror cells among Arab Israeli citizens and foiled a record 12 Iranian espionage plots.

The report also says the Shin Bet assisted in the elimination of top Hamas leaders in Gaza and Lebanon, including Mohamed Deif and Yahya Sinwar, and 25 Lebanon-based senior commanders in Palestinian terror groups…. And that the Shin Bet was involved in three hostage rescue missions and several other missions to rescue bodies of hostages from Gaza.

Politics

Former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant

Former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant went on TV Wednesday night Jan 1,2025 and announced he was resigning from the Knesset, giving up his seat and his membership in the Likud. Gallant said, among other things, he was quitting because he could not support the government’s push for a Haredi Draft exemption law. Gallant had recently been fired by Netanyahu as Defense Minister.

Some say that Gallant simply pre-empted Netanyahu dumping Gallant from the Likud and his Knesset seat. Others criticize Gallant for quitting just when he could have stood up to Netanyahu and force a significant Haredi Draft Law that would help alleviate the shortfall in the manpower of the army.

The Haredi Draft law has been a bone of contention in governments ever since the establishment of the state. Rabbi Isaac Herzog, then Chief Rabbi of Israel, was tasked with applying the Halacha, religious laws, into a series of volumes that dealt with the application of the Talmud to the modern state. One was how to deal with Aganot, abandoned women, a tricky subject since many women who had survived the Holocaust had lost their husbands however no bodies were produced to prove the husbands demise.

Another Holocaust related law was the Haredi Draft Law. Rabbi Herzog believed that it was his duty to protect young ultra-Orthodox men who wanted to study in Yeshiva since nearly the entirety of religious scholars had been decimated by the Holocaust. He and Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben Gurion reached a compromise. A quota of 450 students could be drafted into Israel’s nascent defense forces. The idea of a quota is still exigent on the books.

Attorney General Gila Beharav-Miara

However, according to the Times of Israel, Israel’s Attorney General Gila Beharav Miara has made it clear that the Haredi Draft Law bill that is being fought over must reflect the fundamentally changed reality after October 7th.

The attorney general is demanding that any bill must include personal sanctions on those trying to evade the draft. Also, that the numbers drafted will increase, the first year a thousand, the second year a 20% increase , and by the third year no quota at all, meaning all draft age men ultra-Orthodox or not, will be eligible for the draft.

The ultra-Orthodox parties in the Knesset have threatened to quit the government, resulting in the collapse of the government and new elections, if such a law is passed. An outcome Prime Minister Netanyahu is anxious to avoid.

Observers point out that the lack of manpower in the IDF is weighing heavily on the soldiers who have already served nearly a year in combat and are sorely in need of reinforcements. This lack of manpower is one of the reasons the issue of the Haredi Draft has became a major issue. A year ago, according to a poll, 67% of the Israeli population supported the draft of Haredi men into the IDF. Today the number is closer to 85%.

On the other hand there are idealistic young Jewish men who are coming to Israel to volunteer in the army, forgoing their university or higher education to help fight in combat units. This, despite the dangers involved.

And even a new squad of ultra-Orthodox young men who have joined the army. They were featured Thursday night Jan 2,2025 on Channel 1 Kan TV. One said he was proud to have joined the army. But commentators say they are in the extreme minority.

Ben Gvir (center) On Temple Mount

On another legal front fraught with danger to Netanyahu’s government is, National Security Minister Ben Gvir whose Otzmah Yehudit party has eight seats in the current government. Should he leave the government will fall.

On Wednesday Ben Gvir staged a minor rebellion against Netanyahu by abstaining from a vote on the state budget that needed to be passed to keep the country running. Ben Gvir’s motive was to get a larger allocation for the police in the budget than was currently allowed.

In Ben Gvir’s defense, a veteran policeman near retirement age supported Ben Gvir’s move. “He’s looking out for the police,” said the officer. “There simply aren’t enough policemen today. Who wants to work for 12,000 shekels a month, (@$3000) with no overtime pay, on-call 24/7, working holidays and weekends, and risk their lives for 12,000 shekels (@$3,000) a month.” According to one source the starting salary for an Israeli policeman is 6,000 shekels (@$1,500) a month.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu was hospitalized for what his office said was prostate surgery. Because of that surgery Netanyahu convinced the court that he was unable to attend his trail and continue with his testimony. The court suspended the trial until after the surgery.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right)

However, the day after the surgery Netanyahu left the hospital to vote on the budget, rallying his Knesset members to vote with him thus undermining Ben Gvir’s move to derail the passing of the budget.

Ynetnews reported that on Tuesday, when the prime minister realized that the coalition did not have a majority to pass the “trapped profits law,” which is critical to approving the budget, Netanyahu decided to leave the hospital while he was still recovering from the procedure, or the surgery, and vote in favor.

In the end, the law was approved by a narrow margin, with Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit faction voting against and members of ultra-Orthodox Agudath Israel not participating. Ben Gvir later apologized to Netanyahu but said he would still vote according to his conscience.

The doctors at Hadassah had strongly opposed Netanyahu leaving the hospital for the vote, and a doctor at Hadassah told Ynet: "It's not healthy for him." His personal physician was present at the plenary session.

Netanyahu’s office described the problem as prostate removal surgery, although observers say that is probably an exaggeration. Since the surgeons reportedly went in through the urethra, more than likely Netanyahu underwent a Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). A common surgery that's used to treat urinary problems that are caused by an enlarged prostate.

A prostatectomy, the removal of the prostate would, according to Mayo Clinic, require making cuts in the the stomach, or below the scrotum, something that would probably restrict movement and prevent leaving the hospital for the Knesset considering the patient has stitches or clamps and is hooked up to a catheter and bag.

One observer said that more than likely the patient would be unable to walk freely and unencumbered as Netanyahu did at the Knesset. But it is possible. According to both Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins hospital recovery can take from 3- 7 days to be fully mobile and up to 12 weeks to get back to normal activities.

During Netanyahu’s previous medical conditions it was weeks or months before it became clear he’d had a pacemaker put in after a cardiac emergency.

According to a report in Ynetnews Netanyahu was released from the hospital on Thursday Jan 2, 2025, because of his current medical issue four days after his surgery he was released from the hospital but the physicians in charge of his case recommended a two-week rest before he could return to a normal schedule.

Ynetnews reports that “Doctors have recommended that Netanyahu spend two weeks recovering and resting at home following the surgery. Those close to Netanyahu estimate that his defense attorney, Amit Haddad, will file a request with the court to cancel all or part of next week's hearings. Netanyahu and Haddad have not yet made a final decision on the matter.”

Pundits point out that Netanyahu and his attorneys have been successful in keeping him out of the courtroom for nearly five years and appear to always be finding additional reasons. Last week it was the visit of a foreign dignitary, this week a medical problem that could well last for two more weeks. What is he afraid of, asks the pundit?

Meanwhile according to the Times of Israel, Liat Ben-Ari, a senior prosecutor in the State Attorney’s Office who led the effort to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, announced on Wednesday night her intention to retire at the end of January.

State Prosecutor Liat Ben Ari

Ben-Ari, 59, began work for the State Attorney’s Office in 1998 in the financial crimes department of the Tel Aviv District and was appointed a deputy state attorney in 2019.

As well as managing the investigations against Netanyahu, Ben-Ari also managed the investigations against former prime minister Ehud Olmert who was ultimately convicted on charges of fraud, bribery and obstruction of justice.

Former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit made a statement that appeared on Channel 12TV asserting that one of the main reasons Ben-Ari resigned was because of threats and harassment by unnamed individuals but related to the Netanyahu indictment and prosecution.

Channel 12TV poll show that should elections be held today Netanyahu and his coalition would only receive 47 seats in the Knesset while the opposition would gain a majority of over 61.

However, no elections are on the horizon, so the polls are simply a what if scenario.

National Security Minister Ben Gvir was also hamstrung by the High Court on Thursday Jan 2,2025 with a ruling that prohibited him from interfering in any interrogations of prisoners. The court found that inserting himself into the interrogations was beyond the purview of his ministry. Critics say that Ben Gvir was doing his best to politicize the police.

According to Ynetnews, while the High Court of Justice unanimously upheld on Thursday a law that expands National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s authority over police operations, the court struck down, in a narrow 5-4 decision, a key provision allowing him to delineate general policy on police investigations, ruling it unconstitutional.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has said that Ben Gvir was overstepping his powers as Minister of National Security by getting involved in interrogations.

Ben Gvir has been campaigning to have the Attorney General fired. She has often stood in the way of Judicial Reform legislation submitted by Netanyahu’s Justice Minister Levine and Ben Gvir.

On Thursday Ben Gvir blasted the high court for interfering in his duties and said that the high court had decided it was the supreme power in the land taking over from those elected to do the job. Justice Minister Yariv Levine has long taken the same position stating that the government not the high court should have the last word.

Former Jerusalem district police chief MK Miki Levi of the Yesh Atid party told Kan’s Reshet Bet radio that it was imperative that the police were independent of the government. He lauded the High Court for their decision keeping Ben Gvir from meddling in the interrogations of suspected criminals.

Jacobi (left) Ben Gvir (center) Muallem (right)

Meanwhile, according to the Times of Israel, Avishai Muallem, head of the Judaea and Samaria Police District, was arrested and accused of leaking classified information to Ben Gvir, bribery attempts, and attempting to remove materials with evidence against him from the police system.

Muallem was already under investigation for offenses relating to his recalcitrance to investigate Jewish Nationalists crimes in the West Bank to please his boss ultra right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir.

Israel Prison Service Chief Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi is also a suspect in the affair

And a potential tsunami was spotted by Channel 12TV’s Uvda program when the host Ilana Dayan revealed that the police had found evidence that PM Netanyahu’s wife Sara was suspected of witness intimidation in the trial of her husband.

Ynetnews reported on Dec 26,2024 that based on the Uvda expose the Attorney General Gila Beherav Miara has ordered an investigation into Sara Netanyahu over obstruction of justice. Reportedly, she encouraged employees to harass witness Hadas Klein who is billionaire Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchen’s Israel representative. Klein has testified she supplied champagne and cigars to the Netanyahu’s including expensive jewelry ordered by Sara Netanyahu as gifts.

When Milchen gave his testimony in Prime Minister Netanyahu’s trial for three felonies, he gave it in England in a closed room set up specially for him in the Old Ship Hotel in Brighton since he was unable to travel to Israel.

But Sarah Netanyahu made a point of going to Milchen’s testimony, and sat in the front row of the make-shift court room only feet away from Milchen as he testified. Lead prosecutor Liat Ben Ari repeatedly alleged that Sara could be communicating via eye contact and facial gestures with Milchan and demanded that they avoid eye contact.

(Ben-Ari recently resigned from her position. Some say due to threats and intimidation against her and her family)

Sara Netanyahu (left) Prime Minister Netanyahu (right)

According to Ynet veteran correspondent Nachum Barnea, who wrote a column on the possible indictment of the Prime Minister’s wife. “Sara Netanyahu is much more than just a spouse - she is the head of the political apparatus.” Barnea cites the Uvda TV program and writes,

“The quotes from Hani Levis's cell phone turn the claim that there was nothing, just a clueless husband, a persecuted wife and an obsessed son, into a ridiculous lie. Levis was the head of the Likud chairman's

office located in the Ze'ev ( Likud) headquarters building in Tel Aviv. Netanyahu can claim that he did not know what his wife was doing, but he had to know what his chief of staff was doing….”

Barnea also wrote, "Benjamin is Sarah; Sarah is Benjamin; he is the battle leader and she is the missile; he is the wind and she is the turbine; that's how (Shaul) Elovitch (former chairman of Bezeq indicted for fraud, breach of trust, and receiving illicit gifts) saw them; that's how the entire world sees them.

“But on the way to court, Sarah miraculously became a separate entity, something that is talked about but doesn't really exist: an avatar, if you will. If the prosecution fails to prove in court that the two are one, it is in big trouble.”

Further, Barnea wrote, "The poison on the streets and on the Internet was not a spontaneous outburst of emotions, as claimed by those inciting violence on the right and left, on the advice of their lawyers.

“There was an operation here. The goal (of the Netanyahu family)is to defame, destroy, make life miserable, threaten and intimidate anyone who is perceived as a threat to the family's will, its status and its rule. The arenas are social media, the BBC media, the private domain of the enemies who were marked and their families. The list of targets includes the Attorney General, the prosecutor in the trial, (Liat Ben Ari who resigned shortly after this article appeared) a prosecution witness, a serving prime minister, an entire bereaved family.

“We have known all this for a long time: if I am not mistaken, (former prime minister) Naftali Bennett was the first to call this phenomenon "the poison machine." What was new and sensational in "Uvda" was the revelation that the finger on the trigger belonged to the Prime Minister's wife. The poison on the streets and on the Internet was not a spontaneous outburst of emotions, as claimed by those inciting violence on the right and left, on the advice of their lawyers. There was an operation here.

“Unfortunately, they succeeded: witnesses changed testimonies, critics lowered their profile, politicians switched sides. Hadas Klein was the exception: she decided to fight. The demand she made following the broadcast, to open a criminal investigation against Sara Netanyahu, is entirely reasonable. (Likud Knesset Member)Tali Gottlieb (who shrugged off a threat to indict her for libel) has (Knesset) immunity; Sara does not.”

One pundit posited that should Sara Netanyahu be indicted that might be the last thread to be pulled that would tear apart Netanyahu’s hold on the government.

Antisemitism

Pro-Palestinian Demonstration Times Square New York City

On New Years Eve in Times Square in New York a group of a few hundred protested against Israel and the occupation of Palestine with shouts and banners.

And according to Ynetnews, Cornell university students protested against their university. The affair began with the unveiling of the course, which will be taught this coming semester by Prof. Eric Chaipitz of the Faculty of American Literature. According to the course syllabus, its goal is to examine and define terms such as "resistance" and "genocide" in the context of the war in Gaza. president who condemned anti-Israel course

The faculty union and the Middle East Studies Association have attacked Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff for his public criticism of an anti-Israel course on “Indigenity and Resistance in Gaza,” which claims that Israel is committing “genocide.” Opponents say his comments violate academic freedom and discourage independent research

The course under discussion is taught by Prof. Erik Caipitz. After the October 7 terrorist attack, Caipitz called Israel a “terrorist state.” Faculty members and Jewish organizations accuse him of waging an anti-Israel campaign and dismissing anti-Semitism, while, they say, defending Hamas terrorists. an avowed but Jewish anti-Israeli professor.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Columbia University’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) printed its first newspaper known as “The Columbia Intifada.” Social media reported that the first printing of the paper was 1,000 copies.

New York Republican Congressman Mike Lawler described the introduction of the paper as "outrageous," stating that the university should "lose federal funding and have their tax-exempt status revoked" if Jewish students are not protected on campus.

He also wrote, ”The Columbia Intifada" contains extreme anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian content. Notable headlines seen on the front cover include "Palestinian Prisoners," "The Myth of the Two State Solution," and "Zionist Peace Means Palestinian Blood."

And, according to the Times of Israel, Touro University in New York, with 19,000 students, has opened a course to train future lawyers to battle antisemitism. In the spring semester Touro will launch its first legal clinic on the topic.

Also, Walmart is facing a backlash for selling T-shirts featuring images of Yahya Sinwar and Hassan Nasrallah for between $25-$30 apiece. Questions have arisen whether such merchandise crosses the line between free speech and glorifying terrorism.

And, according to Ynetnews, in Canada doctors reportedly fear for their lives. A surgery of doctors by the JMAD (Jewish Medical Association of Doctors) said antisemitism is up 80% since Oct 7th.

Editorial: The Red Sea

Houthi Fighters in Yemen

The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen hit Israel six times in a week with missiles. Another was intercepted on Jan 3,2025 at 04:34 over Israel. Shrapnel fell on the central Israeli city of Modiin. There was little damage and few injuries. Most of the missiles were destroyed while inbound to Israel. Last week, one slipped through Israel’s defenses and landed in a park in Jaffa blowing out windows and causing minor injuries by flying glass.

Missile Fragment in Beit Shemesh

Also last week, another missile was intercepted over Israel but a section the size of a small car landed in an open area of the city of Beit Shemesh at the base of the Judean Hills about 15 miles from Jerusalem.

However, each time a missile approached, the sirens sent Israelis scurrying to shelters. Last week at least nine people were injured rushing to their bomb shelters or sealed rooms. One woman fell down the stairs and wound up unconscious requiring hospitalization. Early Friday morning 12 people were injured scurrying to their safe areas.

The Houthi rebels claim they used a “hypersonic” missile, capable of speeds up to 16 times the speed of sound, to attack Israel. However, experts doubt the claim as few countries, let alone a rebel army, have produced a hypersonic missile.

Iranian Fattah -1- Hypersonic Missile

The cost per missile is estimated to be between $5-$40 million dollars. Some speculate that North Korea or Russia might have supplied the Houti rebels with such a weapon, but experts say probably not.

At best, pundits say, North Korea or Russia might have provided Iran with such a weapon but Iran would be hard-put to turn over such an expensive weapon to the Houthis.

However, say some analysts, Iran is now in a very tough spot. The Islamic fundamentalist Iranian rulers have lost the reach they once had. Their proxy the Hezbollah in Lebanon have been defanged, at least for now.

Their ally Bashir Assad in Syria has been dethroned and is now residing in Russia. Without Assad the Iranian supply route to Hezbollah in Lebanon has been severed.

The pro-Iranian militias in Iraq have announced they’re withdrawing from the battle with the West. And the Hamas fighters in Gaza have been reduced to a rag-tag militia fighting in brief, but deadly, skirmishes.

Given this situation, say pundits, Iran could well turn over expensive weaponry to their only remaining proxy, the Houthis in Yemen.

Experts say, however, that most probably the Houthis are using their own repainted version of the Iranian Fattah 2 ballistic missile that the Houthis have renamed the Palestine 2. Each of these missiles cost approximately $100,000. They have a range of approximately 2000 kilometers and can reach Israel within eleven minutes.

Because of their weight and speed once met in the air by either the David’s Sling or Arrow 3 defensive missile systems, the Houthi missiles disintegrate but their parts keep flying and falling.

One analyst wonders where the Houthis are getting the finances for their rockets.This from a country where the annual median income is just over $400 per person.

One missile, that fell in the middle of night on Saturday, Dec 28, 2024 broke up in the air after being hit by an Israeli missile, but the rocket’s trajectory and weight carried pieces over a 40 kilometer distance landing in Jerusalem, Modiin, and Tel Aviv.

The Houthis have sworn to keep on firing at Israel as long as the war lasts in Gaza. However, Israel, that has already attacked the Houthis twice with air craft, are now considering taking a more aggressive posture. Israel’s Defense Minister Yisrael Katz has threatened to smash the head of the Houthis.

Ron Ben Yishai, veteran military correspondent for Ynetnews, wrote that Israel should pressure the US and allies to take a more active part in fighting the Houthis. Not only because of the attacks on Israel, but more because of the Houthi disruption of maritime commerce through the Straits causing most ships to divert to the costly trip around Africa’s cape of good hope to avoid Houthi missiles.

Some observers say that just as Hamas funneled all of their income, donations and support from Arab states into building tunnels and buying weapons, the Houthis seem to be following the Hamas lead in spending any money they receive on rockets.

More than likely, though, one observer says, the Iranian are handing over these weapons for free, and donating a few million dollars into the coffers of the Houthi leaders and even the heads of the Yemen government, to allow the Houthis to keep up their attacks.

Reportedly, the Iranian government has an annual income of $35 billion from the sale of oil.

But, should the US or Israel cut off the Iranian income from oil, the Iranian government would probably collapse under massive protests.

However, Western allies are concerned that destroying the Iranian oil facilities will cause a tsunami in the price of oil, something the West would like to avoid.

That doesn’t mean that the US, Israel and allies are not considering ways to take down the Houthis, even if Israel’s Mossad Head Didi Barnea has called for strikes against Iran.

“Why go for the Houthis,” some critics say, “when it is Iran behind the mayhem.”

The Iranians claim they are not involved with the Houthis. The Houthis claim they are independent of the Iranians. Few familiar with the Middle East believe either of these claims.

Most experts believe that Iran is worried. Some military analysts speculate that Iran may now speed up their race towards a nuclear weapon and use that weapon as their trump card in their war with the west.

According to the Times of Israel, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan recently presented US President Joe Biden with options for potential American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites if Tehran decides to move toward a nuclear weapon before the inauguration of Donald Trump later this month, according to a report on Thursday. reportedly told President-Elect Trump that Iran is very close to becoming a nuclear power.

Voices in Israel are calling for a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities while Iran is in a weakened sate. The Israeli air force has taken out the anti-aircraft batteries all the way from Israel to Iran in a recent air attack. The path is open for Israel to hit Iran’s nuclear installations that are strategically spread across the country.

Voices have also been heard urging the Israel Air Force to shift focus from the air attacks, that are complicated and expensive, to surface to surface missiles, as the Iranians and Houthis are utilizing. Time will tell if this tactic will be adopted.

Meanwhile, Israel is spending up to tens of millions of dollars for anti-missile rockets each time the Houthis fire a missile at Israel. This while compared to the relatively minimal cost to the Houthis or the Iranians.

Reportedly, the Houthis are satisfied with whatever damage the missiles cause as long as the Israeli population is woken from their slumber to the sounds of sirens warning of incoming missiles.

In some ways, the Houthis are like the1959 film The Mouse that Roared, the Terry Thomas movie about a small impoverished country that goes to war with a superpower in order to get reparations.

In other ways the Houthis are like mosquitos. They bite. The bite itches. But unless the bite is scratched to the point it causes an infection, the mosquito is more a nuisance than a danger.

Still, some mosquitoes carry a plague that can decimate an entire population.