Troops enter Gaza
The IDF has gone deep into Gaza. According to army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, “The advance of the armored and infantry forces is carried out under the cover of heavy artillery and aerial fire. Before every step of the ground forces, heavy fire is showered in front of them. Alongside dozens of fighter jets and armed drones that are available within minutes to attack for an integrated divisional combat team, also the Navy's missile ships Covering fire for the ground forces and the spear rockets of the artillery corps are launched at targets high above the troops.”
In a morning statement, the IDF spokesman said that "our soldiers at this time are fighting on the battlefield with courage and valor. There are also fierce face-to-face battles, in which terrorists are confronted and eliminated." According to Hagari, "one must understand that this is dangerous combat - it is complex, and it has costs - but it is necessary to achieve the goals of the war.”
One of the fortunate results of the IDFs entry into Gaza was the rescue yesterday of Ori Magadish, 20, who was kidnapped on Oct 7, 2023 and held captive in an apartment in Gaza. Her parents, relatives and friends celebrated her rescue by IDF special forces long into the night.
Roi Wolf (left) Lavi Lifshitz (right)
But, unfortunately, two Israeli soldiers from the special forces unit of the Givati brigade, Roi Wolf, 20, from Ranana, and Lavi LIfshiftz, 20, from Modiin. were killed last night when a Hamas terrorists emerged from a hidden tunnel and opened fire on the soldiers with an RPG aimed at their location.The terrorists were eliminated.
UPDATE: On Wednesday, the IDF announced 9 more soldiers had been killed in battle. Seven when their APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) was hit by an anti-tank missile. Two when their tank rolled over a mine. This brings the total to 11 Israeli soldiers killed so far in the fighting.
According to the Army Spokesman, 245 hostages are still held in Gaza by Hamas terrorists. Reportedly 1400 were massacred by Hamas on Oct 7, 2023, when 2,500 Hamas terrorists broke through the Gaza border fence and went on a killing spree. Horrible scenes of decapitated infants and bodies burned beyond recognition were held back from the public, according to media reports. Most Israeli media reports say that some of those killed were identified only by a tooth or some scrap used for DNA testing. So far 826 bodies have been identified since the start of the war.
Speaking on Channel 11 Kan TV, Zohar Palti, former deputy head of the Mossad, said that “This is only the beginning. We had a few minutes of joy over the rescue last night of Ori Magadish, but then the sadness of the loss came to us…We are not in a movie. Soldiers look back at the massacre on Oct 7 and go forward with purpose. So far, in my opinion, the army gets a 10 for planning and execution.”
According to Nir Dvori, military correspondent for Channel 12TV, many of the details of the fighting in Gaza are being kept secret for security reasons.
Missiles
Rockets continued to fall on Israel sent from Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the south and Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists in the north. On Tuesday rockets fell on Ashdod causing four injuries, one seriously. Booms were heard across the center of the country as missiles were intercepted by the Iron Dome or landed in open areas. The sound of Israeli jets high overhead was as constant as the wind.
Col (ret) Dede Simchi told a channel 11 KanTV panel that at the outset of the war Hamas was firing hundreds of rockets a day, “now they’re down to seven or eight at a time.” Commentators said that even so the rockets sent hundreds of thousands of residents fleeing to bomb shelters and safe rooms. This was all part of Hamas’ goal to terrify the Israeli home front.
On Monday, a nine-year old girl died of heart failure racing to a bomb shelter.
Also, sirens were sounded in Eilat and for the first time Israel deployed the Arrow anti-missile system at three rockets sent from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houti terrorists.
And, because of the war, freighters bound for the port of Ashdod were diverted to Haifa.
The Israel air force continued to bomb Gaza. “Those living there were warned for the last two weeks to go south and leave northern Gaza. Those that stayed knew the risk they were taking,” attorney Uri Karb told a panel on Channel 11 KanTV.
Humanitarian aid continued to be delivered into Gaza. 80 trucks on Tuesday and just as many over the last few days. Families of the hostages believe that the Israeli government should extract some quid pro quo for the aid like Hamas allowing the Red Cross to visit the hostages. However, the Red Cross representative in Gaza told Channel 12TV news that try as he might Hamas would not allow anyone in to see the hostages.
Channel 12TVs anchorman Danny Kushmaro said that in his opinion Israel shouldn’t allow even one half a teaspoon of water into Gaza until the hostages are released. But Gen (Res.) Israel Zev told a Channel 12TV panel that if allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza kept the USA on Israel’s side then the aid was worth giving.
Other panelists pointed out that Hamas would be happy to see a crack in the support of the USA and other countries for Israel.
Israel and the USA have also persuaded Egypt to allow wounded Gazans to cross into Egypt for medical treatment. A field hospital was set up at the Egypt/Gaza border and would begin operating on Wednesday.
Antisemitism
The media also reported on the steep rise in anti-semitism around the world. Reportedly, the FBI is now concerned about Hamas attacks on US soil. In Britain anti-semitic attacks have risen over 300 percent. Recently approximately 200,000 pro-Palestinian protesters marched in London. Protests were also held in other countries with most backing Hamas.
Reports on Israel TV showed the protests and interviews with Israelis living in London, Belin, and Los Angeles. Each said that they were now fearful of going to the parks, going to school, or to synagogue.
According to Daniel Edelson writing in Ynetnews, “the majority of Muslim Americans think that the Hamas attack on Israel was justified. They also showed a Muslim-Americans' distrust and distaste for US President Joe Biden (46%) are higher than those they feel for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (34%). This is according to a new survey by the American survey company Cygnal. According to the survey, most American Muslims agree that Israel has the right to defend itself, but unlike other demographic groups - think that the Hamas attack was justified - and disagree that Israel should enter Gaza.”
Danny Kushmaro of Channel 12TV news said that Jews around the world looked to Israel for their safety and now with the Hamas invasion of the Gaza settlements and the pro-Palestinian protests around the world, he said friends outside of Israel wonder if Israel can protect them when Israel is having trouble protecting itself.
Islamic Fundamentalists Searching for Israelis and Jews
On Monday, a group of Islamic fundamentalists raided the airport in Makhachkala in the Russian Republic of Dagestan searching for Israelis and Jews who had landed on a flight from Israel. The attempted lynch went on for hours until police managed to get control of the situation and arrest 60 protesters.
Speaking on Israel TV Kan Channel 11, Knesset Member Zev Elkin said the “writing was on the wall as soon as Russia’s foreign minister met with Hamas leaders in Moscow. The authorities should have known this type of attack could happen.” He pointed out that the previous day gangs had also searched for Israelis and Jews in a tourist hotel in town
According to Ynetnews, the Mossad has expressed concern that attacks like that in Dagestan’s airport could happen in scores of other places around the world. Because of this concern, Mossad along with other Israeli Military Intelligence were concentrating efforts in cities with Jewish populations but also with large numbers of Moslems. They warned Israelis to avoid staying in 10 different areas in North Caucasus.
GAZA
The IDF spokesman said that Israel would keep pushing into Gaza. The advance was preceded by fierce bombardment and artillery fire. Reportedly, on Tuesday, the IDF was approaching Gaza City from three sides. Nir Dvori, military correspondent of Channel 12TV said that Israeli forces were encircling Gaza City, sealing it off so that no one could escape and in that way capture or eliminate Hamas terrorists.
Israel has attacked over a thousand Hamas targets over the last few days. On Tuesday, Israel attacked a Hamas stronghold in the Jabalyiah neighborhood, destroying a series of buildings reportedly used for training terrorists. The bombs also hit the tunnels and a brigade command infrastructure beneath the buildings. Nir Dvori of Channel 12TV news reported that 50 Hamas terrorists were killed in the attack including Ibrahim Be’ari, a Hamas brigade commander reportedly responsible for ordering terrorists into the Israeli Gaza settlements who participated in the Oct 7th massacre.
Crater in Gaza where a Hamas stronghold once stood
Channel 11 KanTV’s legal expert Uri Karb said that Israel had been warning residents of northern Gaza for the last two weeks to go to the south where there was UN facilities and shelter. Another panelist said that those who stayed knew the risks. A third pointed out that pictures around the wreckage showed young men of military age, and said those were Hamas fighters, the only men left in the area.
Army spokesman Hagari told a press conference on Tuesday night, “We call on north Gazans to go south. Sinwar (head of Hamas in Gaza) is cynically using civilians as human shields. We call on them to leave.” Hagari also said that the use of hospitals to protect terrorists was against international law and made those hospitals legitimate targets. He urged the hospitals to be evacuated, like the Shefa hospital, that sat atop Hamas headquarters in an underground tunnel beneath the hospital. According to news reports, the IDF is heading towards the Shefa hospital as well as the Al Azhar university, both in Gaza city.
Israel Hason, former deputy director of the Shin Bet, told Channel 12TV news that Israel should allow a port to open in Gaza. “Let them leave. I’m sure they’ll leave and find better homes in Europe.”
The North
Hezbollah continues to fire missiles and RPG rockets into northern Israel. On Tuesday, missiles hit the town of Metulla along the Lebanese border but caused no injury. Metulla has been described as a ghost town since, like many Israeli towns and villages along the border, all the residents have been evacuated.
According to Ehud Yaari, Arab affairs correspondent on Channel 12TV, Hezbollah cannot stand up to the armed Israeli drones that have been deployed along the Lebanese border. As a consequence, the Hezbollah and Hamas fighters along the border have a two step approach. First fire the RPG rocket, wait, and if no response fire another rocket.
A recent poll of Lebanese citizens, according to Ehud Yaari, showed that 52% want to keep the status quo, and 32% want to become more aggressive and expand the attacks.
Israel has been successful in keeping the Hezbollah terrorist squads from infiltrating. And also successful in eliminating those squads that fire rockets. Israel has also been hitting Iranian backed militias in Syria that have fired rockets into Israel.
West Bank
Israeli forces have been very active in the West Bank city of Jenin. So far 700 Palestinians have been arrested in the West Bank and 35 have been indicted for terrorist activity.
Ynetnews quoted Palestinian sources Tuesday night that “IDF forces operate in the Jenin refugee camp.” The Palestinians report that the IDF forces “are operating in the Jenin refugee camp and are calling on the loudspeaker to the secretary of the Fatah movement in the city, Ata Abu Ramila, to turn himself in.” According to the report, “the forces are surrounding the house of Amer al-Fayed, a security officer in the mechanisms in the refugee camp.”
Hostages
Ehud Yaari, Arab affairs correspondent for Channel 12TV, said that Hamas military spokesman Abu Ubaideh told an Arab news source that Hamas would release hostages holding foreign passports in the next few days. Yaari said it was unclear which foreign hostages even if the announcement was true and not disinformation.
A number of the hostages, as many as 75 out of 245, are said to be Thai citizens. Reportedly, the Prime Minister of Thailand has flown to Qatar to try to negotiate the release of those Thai citizens.
In Israel, a woman was interviewed whose husband and son were kidnapped in Kibbutz Nir Oz. She said her husband had gone out to fight the terrorists, but was captured with their 12-year old son. She and her two daughters, one an infant, one 10-years old, were captured and taken away on motorcycles. Only the baby began to cry and the terrorist stopped to give the mother the child to keep her quiet.
Shortly after that Israeli tanks appeared. The motorcyclist lost control of the bike and they all fell sprawling in the dirt. She grabbed her two daughters and ran. They hid in the bushes for hours, were almost captured again, and eventually found safety. She still regrets not trading her life for her 12-year old son and going into captivity with her husband. Or leaving the girls and going with her son who had a nervous disposition.
She is only one of the hundreds of stories that are shown each night on all the tv stations, a stark reminder of why Israel is fighting in Gaza.
Politics
Writing to YnetNews Ronen Bergman, a well-respected journalist, quoted a paper he’d uncovered citing a waring to Prime Minister Netanyahu that the likelihood of a war was very high because of an Israel weakened by ‘political strife.’ Bergman wrote that on the day of the ‘Reasonableness’ vote in the Knesset, that would have given Netanyahu and his party control over the courts, Herzi HaLevi, the army Chief of Staff, tried to have a meeting with the Prime Minister to warn him of an imminent danger, since the protests that had been ongoing for nearly two months against the Prime Minister’s push for Judicial Reforms had given the impression that Israel was a divided country and thus ripe for attack. Netanyahu refused to meet the Chief of Staff to discuss the “distinct possibility of war.” Bergman stated that there would eventually be a committee of inquiry into the causes and responsibilities of the Hamas invasion of the Gaza Jewish communities, but that would have to wait until the war was won.
The Relocated
Over 125,000 Israelis have been relocated since the start of what is called Black Saturday (Oct 7). Many have been put up in hotels and hostels with the government agreeing to pay the bill for up to 15 days, although hotels complain that the money has not been forthcoming. The government has been slow to provide funds for relocation and allocate compensation for damages.
The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo hosted groups of relocated Israelis on Monday.
Several busloads were taken to the Zoo from their hotels in Jerusalem. Most were relocated from the southern border towns like Sderot, Netivot and Ashkelon.
Shimon (not his real name) is a fireman in Ashkelon. He and his family have been living in a Jerusalem hotel for the past two weeks but have to vacate because their 15-day stipend has run out. Shimon commutes to work in Ashkelon every day, leaving his wife and three children, aged five months to seven years, with his wife Dorit.
Shimon’s apartment building does not have a bomb shelter and his apartment does not have a ‘safe room.’ After Jerusalem, he thought he may go to Mitzpe Ramon in the Arava desert, where a friend has found his family an apartment, and his boss has arranged for him to work at a local fire station.
Shimon said that the apartment buildings to the left and right of his were hit by rockets. And while his wasn’t, there was no bomb shelter in the building nor did his apartment have a ‘safe room.’
He was a cheerful guy, muscular, with arms covered in trendy tattoos. He had no long term plans other than to go home, eventually. He complained that his kids were suffering, they had no framework, no school, no kindergarten. “The hotel had activities, but it isn’t the same.” He said that going to Mitzpe Ramon was a decent option, “But the kids, they have to adjust again to a new place and new friends and new classes. It isn’t easy for them.”
Giora, (not his real name) is a demolitions expert in the police stationed in the southern town of Sderot, where he lives with his wife and two children. Giora did not relocate since he’s on duty in Sderot, even though most of Sderot has been evacuated. Giora had taken a day off to take his family to the zoo. On October 7th, he’d heard shooting and grabbed his handgun and rushed out of the house. He and a buddy confronted the terrorists who were over running the town. Some had seized the city police station. Giora and his friend fought until reinforcements arrived. His friend was killed in the fighting.
Giora was at the zoo with his wife and children. They still lived in Sderot. He still went to work every day. He didn’t think about why. “That’s my job,” he said. He didn’t seem to understand why other visitors wanted to shake his hand.