Monday, October 16, 2023

10/16 Links Pt1: West Point Professor: "Hamas is legally obligated to evacuate the civilian population; IDF displays arms, plans, torture manuals collected from Hamas terrorists

From Ian:

West Point Professor: "Hamas is legally obligated to evacuate the civilian population
Hamas reacted to the Israeli warnings by telling the residents of Gaza City to “remain steadfast in your homes and to stand firm in the face of this disgusting psychological war waged by the occupation.”

In this post, I take issue with these assertions based on the facts on the ground and the law. They ignore the reality of what is about to occur (or perhaps has by the time of publication) and turn well-established IHL rules on their head. I will not take on the more legally and morally complex issue of the so-called siege, which has been, and will continue to be, dealt with elsewhere (see, e.g., here and here).

The Reality of the Situation
It is beyond dispute that civilians moving out of Gaza City and northern Gaza will face great hardship, especially considering the lack of access to food, medicine, and other essential supplies. The situation is tragic, and measures must be taken to provide humanitarian assistance in southern Gaza, where the population is heading (especially from across the border with Egypt). This is essential, for once the IDF moves into Gaza City and the surrounding area, delivery of humanitarian aid through the battle zone will be operationally impossible for some time.

But that Israel may lawfully defend itself against Hamas’s attacks by moving against the organization into the Gaza Strip, especially Gaza City, is equally clear (see here). It must do so for valid operational reasons to effectively defend against Hamas, especially in light of the continuing rocket attacks and Hamas’s remaining military capability (and the long lineage of Hamas’s attacks on Israeli civilians). In that regard, a reality that seems to have been missed by many is that the longer the IDF waits to move into Gaza, the more difficult the fight will be, placing the civilian population at greater risk. After all, Hamas is undoubtedly using the opportunity to strengthen its defenses and otherwise prepare for the Israeli assault. This explains the short suspense on the evacuation. I would also note that the ICRC’s suggestion that “it is impossible for Gazans to know which areas will next face attack” is unfounded. The IDF has unambiguously indicated the penetration of the Gaza Strip will be in the north; informed observers will have already come to that conclusion, for that is where Hamas is dug in.

Reduced to basics, an assessment of Israel’s warnings to evacuate requires a comparison of two alternatives: an urban assault into an area full of civilians; and evacuation into a place that is not fully prepared to accommodate them. Undoubtedly, residents of Gaza City and other concentrations of civilians in the north will be at a greater risk of harm staying in place than moving away from the combat zone. Moreover, once the operation starts, fleeing the hostilities will become extraordinarily dangerous, and access to humanitarian assistance will become impossible for those remaining behind. Regardless of the lawfulness of Israel’s siege-like actions, the simple fact is that civilians who head south will be safer. Moreover, warning the civilian population makes good sense not only because it protects civilians but also militarily, as U.S. forces learned in Fallujah and Mosul.

Given this reality, it is bewildering that humanitarian organizations are not encouraging the civilian population to move away from what will be a destructive and deadly urban battle, in which telling the difference between fighters and civilians is particularly difficult, especially considering Hamas’s past tactics of operating near civilians, engaging in perfidy, and failing to distinguish themselves from civilians.

Along the same lines, it is mystifying that humanitarian organizations are not condemning Hamas’s efforts to keep the civilians in place. Obviously, this is an attempt to exploit the civilians as human shields to complicate Israel’s operations, for the more civilians in the area, the more complicated Israeli targeting and clearance operations become. And, sadly, the more civilians who tragically will become “collateral damage.”
Alan Johnson: For the Total Defeat of Hamas, Against the ‘Total Siege’ of Gaza
WRONG AS POLITICAL WARFARE
A ‘total siege’ is counterproductive in the war against Hamas for another reason. As Walzer has noted, ‘the media are omnipresent, and the whole world is watching’ in modern wars, so ‘war has to be different in these circumstances’. A policy of ‘total siege’ would mean that, very quickly, the only story being told by the world’s media will be the desperate plight of Gazan civilians. Indeed, as of late Friday, it almost is, certainly on social media. Those tempted to say ‘Well, to hell with the Hamas-apologists rallying in support of the pogrom, why should we care about what they say?’ are, we believe, missing the point. A humanitarian crisis in Gaza will mean opposition to Israel’s war against Hamas bleeds into the political mainstream, and from there to resolutions at the UN, and to private calls from US presidents to Israeli Prime Ministers to wind down the war against Hamas. The outcome of the media war is organically connected to the success or otherwise of alliance-maintenance. The freedom of manoeuvre Israel needs to defeat Hamas and PIJ depends on avoiding policies — such as ‘total siege’, but also bombing that can be seen as untargeted — that will isolate Israel diplomatically and in global public opinion.

CONCLUSION
We are in no doubt: Hamas must go. It is beyond reasonable human endurance for the grieving people of Israel — and of its Gazan periphery in particular — to live adjacent to Hamas after 7 October. And we recognise that achieving that necessary goal while adhering to the distinction between combatants and non-combatants is an agonising, strategically hideous challenge.

But as it proceeds in the coming weeks and possible months, Israel’s campaign against Hamas and PIJ will be more just and more effective if it is a just war justly conducted, and is seen to be such, a liberal democratic state fighting an antisemitic terrorist organisation, not the people of Gaza. This distinction must be rendered clear to all to strengthen international alliance and influence the direction of western public opinion, or what is salvageable of it from the wreckage of pervasive anti-Zionism and media complacency and disingenuousness. For all these reasons, we suggest, the policy of ‘total siege’ is both morally wrong and an obstacle to the real goal: the total defeat of the eliminationist antisemites of Hamas.


British writer Douglas Murray praises Israel's efforts to safeguard citizens
In a heated debate on the Gaza conflict on TalkTV, British writer Douglas Murray praised Israel's efforts to safeguard its citizens, contrasting it sharply with the tactics of Hamas.

"Israel tries to use the IDF to protect its citizenry. Hamas uses the citizenry to protect Hamas," Murray said.

Sparked by Shadow Secretary of State for International Development of the United Kingdom Lisa Nandy, the discussion delved into the dire situation faced by Gazan citizens and the morality and proportionality of Israel's reactions.

'Proportionality in conflict is a joke'
Challenging conventional opinions, Murray said, "Proportionality in conflict is a joke; it's a bizarre British concept."

He further articulated that only Israelis are expected to have a "precisely proportionate response" during conflicts, which he finds unreasonable.

Highlighting the disparities in wartime goals, Murray added, "The difference between the Western way of war and the Hamas terrorist way of war is that their objective is to kill civilians. The objective of Hamas is to kill innocent people."

In contrast, he emphasized that nations like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel aim "to kill as few innocent people as possible."

Murray also underscored Israel's meticulous efforts to minimize collateral damage.

"Israel uses precision-guided missiles to limit civilian casualties," Murray said.

However, he also hinted at a potential shift in Israeli sentiments and tactics: "I do not doubt that after the atrocities of the last week, the appetite of the Israeli public and military and politicians to continue this precision game will change."

The discourse between Nandy and Murray underscores the multifaceted dilemmas nations face during the conflict. As the situation in Gaza unfolds, such debates bring to the fore the ethical quandaries linked to warfare, defensive measures, and the overarching principle of civilian protection.


‘The Konceptsia’
A central purpose of intelligence is the avoidance of surprise. Label an event like Saturday’s massacre a “surprise attack,” and the next step will naturally be the search for the source of the “intelligence failure.” Israeli government spokesmen will reply that it is too early and too distracting to focus on that question while we are at war. From the standpoint of intelligence analysis, the answer is, yes and no.

A full accounting of how Hamas crossed the Gaza border and massacred over 1,200 men, women, and children with very little apparent opposition will certainly require data and answers that may not be available to analysts for years. But another “surprise attack” may well be in the making right now, and bureaucrats may already be busy covering their tracks. Inconvenient and limited as the answers will be, therefore, we should not hesitate to ask tough questions now about the failure of the intelligence and military organizations to perform the functions for which they exist: to anticipate grave threats and protect the people.

One way to begin answering those questions is to look at a number of other major “surprise attacks” in modern history which have also been blamed in good measure on “intelligence failures”: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 9/11 in America, and the Egyptian-Syrian attack in the Yom Kippur War—which is the most relevant case study for us.

Perhaps the most obvious and important point to be made about all three events is that there was already a tense, hostile background in place; the “surprise” lay in the specific timing, location, and strategy of the attacks. Both the U.S. and Israeli political and military leadership certainly knew the broad dangers they faced; the job of intelligence in all three cases was to identify the when, where, who, and how. While the failure of the intelligence leadership was calamitous, it was hardly exclusive to them.

In the current situation, Israel’s military operational failures were every bit as shocking, and perhaps even more consequential than its “intelligence failure.” Israeli fighter jets based two minutes flying time from the ruptured Gaza fence took six hours to appear overhead. Israeli soldiers were shot and abducted in their beds on army bases. A large, well-advertised public gathering of thousands of young Israelis, held right on the Gaza border—an event which may have in fact been the trigger for the attack—had no apparent security.

Intelligence and military organizations function within the overall perspectives of the larger society to which their members belong; they help shape those perspectives, but they are also its captives.

Which brings us to our first point: Intelligence and military organizations function within the overall perspectives of the larger society to which their members belong; they help shape those perspectives, but they are also its captives. They look at the world through the same glasses—rose-tinted or otherwise—that the rest of us do. The view through those glasses is also inevitably expressed in strategic concepts—what Israelis in 1973 referred to as the “Konceptsia.”

In 1973, the “Konceptsia” included a general agreement among Israel’s intelligence, military, and political leaders on at least the following ”facts”:
No. 1: Israel was surrounded by enemies, but was strong enough to survive with adequate warning.
No. 2: Egypt was the prime enemy, but still smarted from its 1967 defeat and would not attack unless it had the means to neutralize the Israeli air force.
No. 3: Syria was too weak to attack alone and would therefore only attack together with Egypt; a spectacular dogfight over Syria in September between the Syrian and Israeli air forces resulted in the downing of 13 Syrian fighter planes and no Israeli losses, suggesting the futility of such an attack.
No. 4: In 1967, Israel had—almost miraculously—fought off the combined armies of the Arab world; the Egyptian soldier was found to be technologically ill-equipped. In battle, the Egyptian units turned and ran.
No. 5: Israel maintained constant physical surveillance on all fronts and, it was believed, had high-level spies and other intelligence sources at top levels in the Arab countries, whose information, however selectively received and prioritized, seemed to reinforce the Konceptsia. Secret intelligence and espionage by their nature involve lies and deception. Can you trust your sources, especially foreign ones—whether they are spies within enemy organizations, or representatives of ostensibly friendly nations or allies?

Taken together, these different “facts” generated a sense of confidence, perhaps a sense of superiority (ethnic? cultural? chutzpah? gross underestimation of the enemy?), which formed the Konceptsia—the outlook and the operating assumptions which were widely accepted by Israel’s intelligence and military leadership, and formed the background to the intelligence failure which came very close to destroying the Jewish state.


No current plans for Biden to travel to Israel, White House says
President Joe Biden does not currently have any plans to travel to Israel in the wake of deadly Hamas terror attacks, the White House said Friday.

Biden has been in close contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the days following the attacks, and the United States has already sent security aid to the country, specifically to resupply the Iron Dome missile defense system.

White House principal deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton faced multiple questions about the administration's support for Israel Friday but did not provide any details when asked if Biden planned to visit the country as a show of solidarity "like he did in Israel earlier this year."

"I certainly have no presidential travel to preview for you today," Dalton responded. "But I would just note that Secretary Blinken was there yesterday, making very clear our commitment. Secretary Austin is there today making very clear our commitment.

"The president has done four different calls with Prime Minister Netanyahu today, or to date, and is continuing to be in regular touch with not just the prime minister but heads of states, of our allies and other nations around the world as we continue to respond to this," she closed.


Ground offensive will be aimed at destroying Hamas from bottom up
As Israel’s security cabinet and the Israel Defense Forces finalize plans on Sunday ahead of the expected Israeli ground offensive into the Gaza Strip, it is becoming clear that Israel’s objective will be to eliminate all Hamas military and political infrastructure in the Strip, from bottom to top.

The IDF has called for residents of northern Gaza and Gaza City to evacuate south, crossing the Wadi Gaza river, to avoid their use as human shields by Hamas’s terrorist army, which is commanded by Mohammed Deif and which has some 30,000 operatives.

Since Hamas came to power in Gaza in 2007 via a violent coup, it has built, trained and armed a terrorist army and guerilla force, and has entrenched it in high-rise buildings, subterranean bunkers and tunnels, in the midst of Gaza’s civilian population.

As a result, fighting is likely to take place in and around multi-story residential buildings converted by Hamas into military targets, doubling as command posts, lookouts and firing positions for the terror group.

The IDF can be expected to send in armored vehicles, infantry, combat engineering, artillery and special forces, backed by close air support and firepower support from the navy as well.

The mission will be to seek out and destroy all Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets, including senior operatives hiding out in bunkers and combat tunnels, thousands of kilometers of which crisscross Gaza. Repressing rocket fire on the Israeli home front by systematically destroying rocket launchers as the maneuver progresses will also be a key mission.

The forces can expect to come up against terrorists appearing from tunnels and buildings, firing shoulder-fired missiles, sniper rifles, mortar shells and other weaponry that has been mass produced in Gaza with Iranian funding or smuggled into the Strip with Iranian assistance.

The IDF has been training for years for this type of urban warfare, based on the concept of the 360-degree threat, in which enemies can appear from any direction, including from above and below.
Tally of Hamas terrorists killed by Israel’s military and security forces
In the wake of the mass murder perpetrated by the Hamas terror organization, whose death squads raided southern Israel and killed 1,400 Israelis on Oct. 7, while kidnapping 199 people, as confirmed by the Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson’s Unit on Monday, the IDF has been eliminating a growing number of Hamas terrorists.

In addition to the approximately 1,500 terrorists who were part of the surprise assault and who were killed by Israeli security forces, the Israeli Air Force—working in conjunction with the Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence service, and the Military Intelligence Directorate—have been working to systematically eliminate a growing list of high-ranking Hamas operatives.

Among those eliminated over the past nine days was Ali Qadi, commander of Hamas’s Nukhba special forces Jabalya assault company.

Qadi had been apprehended in 2005 for kidnapping and murdering Israeli civilians. He was released in 2011 as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange that freed more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Zechariah Abu Ma’amar, head of the international relations office in Hamas’s Political Bureau, was killed in an IAF strike, as was Belal Alqadra, commander of the Nukhba Southern Khan Yunis assault company.

Alqadra was responsible for the Kibbutz Nirim massacre on Oct. 7, the IDF stated.

The military stated that others eliminated were Muetaz Eid, commander of the Hamas Southern District of National Security; Joad Abu Shmalah, Hamas Minister of Economy in the Gaza Strip; and Merad Abu Merad, head of Hamas’s Aerial Array in Gaza City who coordinated some of the atrocities.

Additional Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror operatives currently unnamed have also been killed in some 3,600 IAF airstrikes. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have fired 6,000-plus rockets at Israel.


Herzog reveals shocking details of Hamas terror tactics
Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Sunday revealed a disturbing Hamas booklet found on a Palestinian terrorist’s corpse in one of the Gaza-area communities.

“This booklet is an operating manual, how to enter citizens’ yards, kibbutz, city, moshav, how to break in there. And first—and what do you do when you find the citizens? You torture them. This is the booklet that says exactly how to torture them, how to kidnap them,” Herzog told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

In a copy of the guide provided for the press, the manual—titled “The Warrior’s Guide: Jihadi Version”—outlines tactics that include creating chaos, intimidating captives, applying electric shocks and carrying out executions.

The eight-page guide instructs the terrorists to use captives as human shields if attacked, regardless of their religion, race or gender. The hostages should be “killed when necessary,” especially if there is any sign of revolt among them, it says, while instructing terrorists to document their actions live.

Many of the terrorists wore GoPro cameras and their footage was uploaded to social media.

The manual also details the use of other tactics to assert control over seized territory, including suicide bombings, car bombings, ambushes and sniper fire. It instructs terrorists to seize the identification documents of their captives and accurately document their personal information.

It features an illustrative chart laying out the Israel Defense Forces hierarchical structure, its armaments and its electronic assets in surprising detail.


Medical report presented to Red Cross: Hostages in immediate danger & unbearable suffering
An initial medical report on the condition of the hostages and missing persons has found that there is an immediate danger to life and unbearable suffering for some of the hostages and missing persons.

The report, presented today to International Red Cross representatives in Israel who visited the Families Headquarters, reveals the horrific situation: Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis patients, people with special needs, infants, and the elderly are enduring extreme conditions as time runs critically short.

Examples of critical cases:
- A 9-month-old baby being fed only baby formula in need of proper nutrition and vital baby products.
- Children ages 5, 13, and 16 with autism require special assistance.
- A 23-year-old woman with an untreated gunshot wound and wounded people with amputated limbs.
- A 27-year-old woman with Crohn's disease requires biological treatment and medical nutritional therapy whose condition is at risk of worsening.
- A man with a severe autoimmune disease who requires hospital biological treatment is at risk of worsening and death.
- A 60-year-old man with multiple sclerosis who has difficulty walking.
- An 85-year-old woman with heart failure, kidney disease, asthma, and cardiac arrhythmias is at risk of developing blood clots, fluid retention, and death.
- An elderly woman with Parkinson's disease and dementia who suffers from being underweight is at risk of a worsening condition and death.

The report submitted today to the Red Cross by the medical team headed by Prof. Hagai Levin describes the condition of the hostages and missing persons suffering unbearable and life-threatening torture due to lack of access to medical care. According to the report, they are undergoing indescribable suffering and need urgent treatment with life-saving medications and care for injuries. Based on initial information: Many wounded (after amputations; severe injuries from rape), medical conditions such as Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and cancer; and patients with special needs such as autism, dementia, and infants.

A detailed file with information on over 150 hostages and missing persons was sent on October 14th to the contact person of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and then an additional update was sent.


Hell is having your children held in Gaza
What can you do when you know that they are in such darkness? How do you not lose your mind, resist the urge to lose control, leave the house and scream as if engulfed in flames? Your children are in a hostile territory.

We are not the central figures here. The spotlight is on them — the parents whose children were taken to Gaza. "The most challenging moments come when night descends; nobody wishes for nightfall". This is Yoni Asher's tragic, grief-laden new reality. His two beautiful daughters, Raz, who is 4.5 years old, and Aviv, who is only 2.5 years old, were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz along with his wife to Gaza.

Yoni, like countless other parents, found his life shattered, cast into a hellish realm where his children are 'simply' missing—an unbearable new reality. Later, Hamas published an exceptionally brutal video, even according to Nazi standards. The video depicted a cart similar to those used for transporting vegetables or goats.

Inside, Israeli women were visible, their faces drained of color from fear, clutching young children tightly. These brave women attempted to forcibly blindfold the children, shielding them from the horrors of this terrifying new world, a world crafted by the devil. Yoni recognized his mother-in-law, wife, and daughters in the video. How will he go on with his life? How does he manage to breathe, let alone eat or sleep? We have no clue.

However, when this resilient, young father states, "the worst is when night falls", there is not a parent in the country who doesn't feel his pain. Throughout the daylight hours, they continue their duties, operating a "war room" from home with the help of relatives and volunteers who freely offer their assistance through Zoom.
Jerusalem Catholic Patriarch offers to be exchanged for Gaza hostages

James Cleverly confirms 10 British hostages are being held by Hamas as he warns the terror group want a war between 'the Muslim world and the wider world'

Israeli hostages 'spat at and abused' by 'jubilant crowds' in Gaza
Former British commander Richard Kemp says Israeli hostages who were dragged into Gaza were in many cases spat at and abused by "jubilant crowds" who had come out to the streets to "celebrate Hamas' victory".

Mr Kemp spoke to Sky News Australia about the latest unfolding events being seen as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues.

He also discussed the unfolding hostage situation in Gaza.

"Nobody knows where they are – the IDF is clearly working on that," Mr Kemp said.

"The likelihood is they're going to be dispersed in a number of locations."




‘This is necessary’: Israeli Defence Force preparing for a ground attack on Gaza
Israel Defence and Security Forum Head of Research Or Yissachar says the Israeli Defence Force can be seen “preparing for a ground attack”.

He says the objective of a ground attack is to “uproot this evil called Hamas”.

“This is necessary,” he told Sky News Australia.

Mr Yissachar called Hamas the “ISIS version” of the Gaza Strip.

“We saw ISIS-type atrocities taking place – with the murder of over 1,300 civilians.”


Israel-Gaza war will end with the 'full and unconditional surrender' of Hamas
Israel Defense Forces International Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus says the war will end with the “full and unconditional surrender” of Hamas.

“Our plan is to dismantle Hamas and its military capabilities,” he told Sky News Australia.

“How that will be done? We’ll see, but that is the aim.”

The Israel-Gaza conflict has intensified, with the death toll continuing to grow each day.

The Israeli military is preparing to attack Gaza by air, land and sea, with an invasion expected at any time.


‘Fail to understand’: IDF spokesperson hits out at criticism over evacuation warning
Israel Defence Forces International Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus stressed that civilians in Gaza are not Israel’s enemies ahead of a potential ground attack.

Israel issued a warning on Friday for civilians in northern Gaza to leave ahead of an anticipated incursion, providing an initial window of just 24 hours to evacuate 1.1 million people from the region.

Israel's government subsequently extended the window to allow more time for people to evacuate.

The IDF official expressed confusion at criticism directed towards Israel over the evacuation time limit.

“I fail to understand how evacuating civilians from a combat zone could be a war crime, I really don’t understand maybe it's me but I can’t understand the logic behind it,” he told Sky News Australia.

“It’s like you are damned if you do and damned if you don’t, we are trying to do the right thing to evacuate civilians so we can conduct significant combat activities and then we get criticism for doing that.”


Hamas want civilians to be their ‘human shields', attempts to stop evacuation of northern Gaza
Israel Defense Forces International Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus says Hamas is attempting to stop the evacuation of civilians in northern Gaza.

He said around half a million civilians have “listened to reason” and evacuated to the south of Gaza.

“It is ongoing, but sadly, Hamas is trying to stop that evacuation,” Lieutenant Colonel Conricus told Sky News Australia.

“They’ve put roadblocks in place, they have taken, or they’ve confiscated vehicles from civilians, and there are reports that they have also attacked convoys of people that are trying to evacuate.”

He said Hamas is basically trying to have the civilians in Gaza stay and be their “human shields”.


Hamas Praises Egypt for Not Opening the Border With Gaza | WSJ News
The president of Hamas’ political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, called on Gazans not to evacuate their homes. Israel has called for the mass relocation of civilians in the Gaza Strip ahead of the expected ground invasion.




Expectations Israel preparing for coordinated assault on Gaza
Israel’s Prime Minister has vowed to “dismantle and demolish” Hamas ahead of an expected coordinated assault by ground, sea and air.

American Jewish Committee Jerusalem Director Lt Col Avital Leibovich joined Sky News Australia to discuss the ongoing conflict.

“We have asked two days ago the population in Gaza City in the vicinity – which is about one million people – to move south,” Ms Leibovich said.

“We gave them a specific area which is safe – it was an open corridor, which they could take their cars and drive; we gave them two days to do that.

“I’m happy to say that 700,000 Gazans did that.

“The only ones who are staying behind are the Hamas terrorists.”


FDD: IDF seizes EFPs, RPGs, and other weapons from Hamas
The Israel Defense Forces seized a large cache of weapons, including what appears to be deadly armor piercing explosively formed projectiles, or EFPs, from Hamas during a recent raid in Gaza. The presence of a large number of EFPs is a clear indication of Iranian support for Hamas.

Other significant weapons found in the Hamas cache include SA-7 shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, RPG-7 and RPG-29 shoulder-fired anti-tank rockets , TC-6 landmines, and “sticky bombs.”

The IDF released photographs and video of the weapons systems on its website.

Two of the weapons systems shown by the IDF, the black explosive disks with a concave face, and the black cone-shaped devices, appear to be EFPs. Two explosive experts contacted by FDD’s Long War Journal agree with this assessment.

The black cones are identified by the IDF as a “Shawaz charge,” which are used “against armored fighting vehicles.” In 2008, the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center identified the Shawaz charge as a “self-made EFP.”

The black explosive disks, which are not explicitly identified by the IDF as EFPs, are described as a “dome spray charge.” These black disks, which have a concave metal face plate, have the characteristics of an EFP. As the explosive is detonated behind the conical plate, it is liquified and creates a molten jet that pierces armor.

These black explosive disks are mounted to a “dedicated tripod,” according to the IDF. The disk devices shown by the IDF are nearly identical to EFPs promoted by Hamas’s Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades on July 15, 2023. The Qassam Brigades, which also calls these devices a Shawaz charge, claimed it detonated a Shawaz charge, which was placed on a tripod, against an Israeli armored vehicle in Jenin in the West Bank last summer.

The quantity of EFPs found during the IDF raid in Gaza indicates that Hamas has one or more factories and are producing a large number of the weapons. The manufacturing of EFPs requires a machine shop and technical and explosive expertise.
IDF displays arms, plans, torture manuals collected from Hamas terrorists
The Israel Defense Forces displayed a large amount of weaponry, documents and sensitive material on Sunday that it had confiscated from Hamas terrorists, who penetrated into Israel a week ago.

The cache included bombs, rocket-propelled grenades, launchers and explosive charges, with just 10% of the recovered weapons put on display, per the IDF.

The Yahalom Combat Engineering Unit, which collected the weaponry and explosives, also identified explosive devices, grenades, weapons and land mines saturating communities near the Gaza Strip.

“All of these were used last Saturday against innocent civilians,” said a commander of the Weapons Research Institute, whose name was not given.

Among the documents were detailed attack orders against communities near the Gaza Strip, including planned atrocities against civilians and soldiers.

Israeli forces also found a breakdown of the combat doctrine used by the Hamas terrorists. “The documents contained coordination actions, stages of attack and code words,” per the IDF.

In Israel, soldiers from the 202nd Battalion found the body of a Hamas terrorist, who had a detailed plan to attack Kibbutz Alumim. Hamas documents confiscated by the Israel Defense Forces, Oct. 15, 2023. Credit: IDF.

Another document detailed the treatment and abduction of civilians from communities near the Gaza Strip

Israeli President Isaac Herzog held up the manual in an interview with CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, on Sunday. “This was found on the body of one of the terrorists, this is a booklet,” Herzog said, “an instruction guide. How to go into civilian areas, into a kibbutz, a city, a moshav, how to break in.”

The manual detailed what Hamas terrorists were to do when they found civilians. “It says exactly how to torture them. How to abduct them. How to kidnap them,” Herzog said.


Sderot ‘martyred’ by rocket fire as Israeli citizens evacuate
I24 News Correspondent Pierre Klochendler has provided an update on evacuation efforts from the ground in southern Israel ahead of an expected assault.

Israel's Prime Minister has vowed to “dismantle and demolish” Hamas ahead of an expected coordinated assault by ground, sea and air.

In the southern Israeli city of Sderot, about 10 per cent of the population refused to leave despite repeated evacuation warnings, Mr Klochendler reports.

“Rocket fire has ceased in this city since 11am on Monday local time, maybe because there is no point in kicking a dead body, so to speak, although the city is not destroyed,” he told Sky News Australia.

“But there has been a lot of rocket fire on the city – it has been quite martyred by rocket fire.”

The I24 News Correspondent also noted that 44 people died in Sderot trying to repel Hamas forces, including citizens and security forces.

Warning: This video contains content which may be distressing to viewers.




Hero Israeli K-9 unit credited with rescue of over 200 civilians during Hamas terror attack

Israel war: Hamas rocket knocked down by David’s Sling interceptor



Chicago man, 28, shares horrifying story of how he narrowly survived Supernova festival where Hamas terrorists shot him in the back TWICE and slaughtered his friend's girlfriend - as he's finally released from hospital a week after 'Israel's 9/11'

Rolling Stone: ‘They Wanted to Dance in Peace. And They Got Slaughtered’
WHEN ISRAELI SOLDIERS ENTERED what was now a crime scene, they came upon remnants of the festival — discarded water bottles and shoes and some of the tents still standing. While some photos taken during and after the event could pass as a typical music festival like Bonnaroo or Lollapalooza, the aftermath looked apocalyptic. Psychedelic scenery around the stages had fallen over. Smoldering abandoned cars blocked the exits, and bullet casings lined the roads. More than a week later, The New York Times has reported, the shells of cars and pieces of tents remain on the festival grounds.

“It’s crazy to do a massacre like that on innocent people,” Mizrachi says. “Young people with dreams. They just wanted peace, love, and to travel the world.”

The attendees who died were united in their love of music and community; now, their families and friends were brought together in mourning. Chizmario buried a childhood friend. Nikitin went to a service for her friend and bar manager. Gaster has attended funerals for seven of his friends and colleagues. When the family of Supernova attendee Bruna Valeanu, a 24-year-old who had recently moved with her family from Brazil to Israel, tried to plan her funeral, they needed 10 people to attend, per Jewish tradition, according to CBS News. On social media, they asked for 10 people to show up. Around 10,000 came to grieve.

In a statement issued Oct. 14, festival producer Nova Tribe denounced what it called “a scene of unspeakable tragedy, an inhumane war crime, an unprecedented violation of the most basic human values.

“At this moment, our production team is focused on providing the right and extensive emotional and mental support to everyone involved,” organizers wrote. “We are working tirelessly, day and night, conducting search and rescue operations, helping identify the victims and updating their families. Searching for those located in the disaster area, or other locations, recovering equipment from the site and its surroundings and, above all, ensuring the security of Israel.”

The organizers also promised to uphold the festival’s mission. “We will keep fighting until we reach our objective adorned on our tribe’s flag: to spread light throughout the world.”

Survivors of the massacre are still making sense of what they endured. “Everyone needs to know what happened,” Nikitin says with a broken voice. “It’s the last thing I can do for my friends and for Nova and for all of Israel. It was a peaceful festival. Everyone hugged everyone, and everyone loved everyone.”

“All they wanted was to come and listen to the music,” says Gaster. “They like to party with their friends. They wanted us to come and dance in peace. And they got slaughtered.”


UN Agency Accuses Hamas of Stealing Humanitarian Supplies, Then Deletes Statement
The UN agency responsible for Palestinian refugees on Monday said that it had received reports that Hamas had seized humanitarian supplies from a UN compound in Gaza City before backtracking and deleting all references to the accusation.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in a statement said that fuel and medical supplies were seized from the compound, which they had evacuated on 13 Oct.

“UNRWA received reports this morning that yesterday a group of people with trucks, purporting to be from the Ministry of Health of the de facto authorities (DFA) in Gaza, removed fuel and medical equipment from the Agency’s compound in Gaza City,” UNRWA said. “UNRWA’s fuel and other types of material are kept for strictly humanitarian purposes, and any use of such assets for any other purposes is strongly condemned.”

“De facto authorities” is a term frequently used by the UN to refer to the Hamas terrorist group that controls the Gaza strip. The Gaza-based Palestinian Ministry of Health is likewise controlled by Hamas.

After posting the statement on their website and on social media on Monday, UNRWA then deleted the statement without explanation.

UNRWA’s deleted statement charging Hamas with seizing aid from its Gaza City compound.

UNRWA did not immediately respond to The Algemeiner’s request for comment about why they withdrew the statement.

A social media account run by Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Monday called out the deletion as an example of UNRWA’s overly-close relationship with the terrorist group responsible for the 7 Oct. massacre of more than 1,400 people in Israel.

“Wait UNRWA – Did Hamas also break into your Twitter account? Or are you just scared of disappointing your terrorist friends?” the @Israel account posted on X/Twitter.
Ex-Mossad chief: Gaza residents massacred Israelis, don’t end siege

Israel war: Graham warns Iran if country helps escalate conflict US will be 'coming for you'



PMW: US pressure forced Abbas to distance the PA from Hamas’ atrocities – but only for a few hours
Palestinian Media Watch has been informing the world of the PA’s terror support, salaries to terrorists, and religious-based Jew-hatred for years, so it came as no surprise that the PA and Fatah have been expressing support for Hamas’ atrocities.

The Western world as part of its refusal to accept the truth about the PA/Fatah has been trying to pressure Abbas to condemn the massacre. Senior Fatah official Abbas Zaki told Lebanese TV:
“There were large pressures [on Abbas], and Blinken even demanded before he met with him that there be a condemnation.”

[Al-Mayadeen TV (Lebanon), YouTube channel, Oct. 14, 2023]

Yesterday, Mahmoud Abbas had a statement put on the website of the official PA news agency WAFA, in which he distanced the PA from Hamas’ atrocities, but was not even close to a condemnation. A few hours later even that mild distancing was too much for the PA and it was removed. The text highlighted in yellow below was repeated in both statements. The green highlight shows what was changed:

In Abbas’ current wording, “[the policy] of the PLO are what represents the Palestinian people … and not the policy of any other organization,” the PA does not distance itself from Hamas or from its “actions.” It merely repeats the common PLO/Fatah mantra that only the PLO is the representative of the Palestinian people and not “any other organization.”


The PA had to decide whether to be true to its ideology of supporting and rewarding the murder of Israelis or to give into international pressure and condemn the worst atrocities against the Jews since the Holocaust. In situations like this in the past, Abbas at times has given into international pressure to ensure that international funding will continue. This time Abbas wavered but, in the end, remained true to PA ideology: the murder of Israelis by Palestinians is not to be condemned.


Abbas’ advisor justifies Hamas terror massacre as “self-defense”
PA Supreme Shari’ah Judge and Abbas’ advisor Mahmoud Al-Habbash: “If not for this occupation (i.e., Israel) there would be no tensions, violence, and fear from any side, and there would be no bloodshed. The occupation is the cause of all the disasters. Israel claims that it is defending itself, but that’s the opposite [of the truth]. Israel is the one that is attacking and we are the ones who are defending ourselves, and it is our right to defend ourselves. It is the Palestinian people’s right to use all means of self-defense as is anchored in the international laws. The occupation is the aggression, the occupation is the terror, and we are the victims of this aggression and this terror, and what we are doing is nothing more than self-defense against this Israeli terrorism.”
[PA Supreme Shari’ah Judge Mahmoud Al-Habbash, Facebook page, Oct. 9, 2023]

Posted text on Facebook page: “[Abbas’ advisor Mahmoud] Al-Habbash to [US state-owned Arabic TV] channel Alhurra: We will not negotiate over our rights and will not sell our honor and our homeland for a handful of aid”

Hamas war on Israel October 2023 - At least 1,300 Israelis were murdered and over 3,300 wounded, in addition to at least 199 Israelis who were abducted into the Gaza Strip, in a Hamas terror war that began when approximately 2,500 Hamas terrorists broke through Israel's security fence at the Gaza Strip border and launched a surprise attack, taking control of several Israeli towns and attacking a music festival on the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret (Simchat Torah), which fell on the Sabbath, Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas terrorists also fired at least 5,000 rockets at Israeli population centers. In response, Israel launched Operation Iron Swords to counter the Hamas terror threat. Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon joined Hamas' terror war starting from the following day, attacking Israel from the north.

Mahmoud Abbas’ Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash also serves as PA Supreme Shari’ah Judge and Chairman of the Supreme Council for Shari'ah Justice and PA Chairman.


Abbas’ advisor: “We are in an open confrontation” with Israel on “every inch of the Palestinian land”
PA Supreme Shari’ah Judge and Abbas’ advisor Mahmoud Al-Habbash: “We are in an open confrontation with this occupation in one arena of struggle that stretches from Jerusalem to the West Bank, Jenin, Hebron, the Gaza Strip, every inch of the Palestinian land. We are standing against one occupation in one arena.”
[PA Supreme Shari’ah Judge Mahmoud Al-Habbash, Facebook page, Oct. 10, 2023]

Posted text on Facebook page: “[Abbas’ advisor Mahmoud] Al-Habbash in an interview with Egyptian ON TV: The aggression will not break our people’s willpower and the occupation will pay the price”

Mahmoud Abbas’ Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash also serves as PA Supreme Shari’ah Judge and Chairman of the Supreme Council for Shari'ah Justice and PA Chairman.

Hamas war on Israel October 2023 - At least 1,300 Israelis were murdered and over 3,300 wounded, in addition to at least 199 Israelis who were abducted into the Gaza Strip, in a Hamas terror war that began when approximately 2,500 Hamas terrorists broke through Israel's security fence at the Gaza Strip border and launched a surprise attack, taking control of several Israeli towns and attacking a music festival on the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret (Simchat Torah), which fell on the Sabbath, Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas terrorists also fired at least 5,000 rockets at Israeli population centers. In response, Israel launched Operation Iron Swords to counter the Hamas terror threat. Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon joined Hamas' terror war starting from the following day, attacking Israel from the north.




Netanyahu speaks with UAE leader

Germany’s Scholz said planning to visit Israel tomorrow

Calls for Israel to restrain itself are ILLEGAL | The Caroline Glick Show
Is Israel really violating international law in the war against Hamas?

The Biden administration, the EU, the UN, Arab nations and others have begun to wage a campaign to restrain Israel’s efforts to destroy Hamas in Gaza. The campaign is based on allegations that there is a contradiction between Israel’s military operations and the laws of war.

To understand the nature of these claims, and what the laws of war require from Israel, as well as from the nations waging this campaign against Israel, Caroline spoke with Prof Avi Bell. Bell is a world expert on the laws of war and international humanitarian law.


'Dangerous': Fears Israel-Hamas conflict will 'reanimate international Islamist jihadism'
Independent Women’s Forum fellow Dr Qanta Ahmed says she is fearful that the Israel-Hamas conflict could reanimate “international Islamist jihadism”.

“This is extremely dangerous for the State of Israel and for the Muslim world,” she told Sky News Australia.

Dr Ahmed condemned the actions of Hamas after militants launched a surprise attack on Israel.

Fighting in the Israel and Gaza war has intensified, with the death toll already climbing into the thousands.

Israel’s chief military spokesperson says they’re prepared to fight on two fronts after Hezbollah escalated tensions on the Lebanon border, killing one person and injuring three others.


Albanese calling for a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict
A two-state solution to the Middle East conflict is being pushed for by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell said the PM delivered a speech to the House of Representatives in which he criticised the Hamas attacks on Israel and Sydney’s anti-Semitic pro-Palestine rallies.

“He announced $10 million extra for improving security around places of worship,” he said.

“The Prime Minister also spoke about the urgency of getting Australians out of Israel.”

Mr Clennell said Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has also spoken out against the violence in the Middle East, with the LNP leader claiming Hamas has no desire for a two-state solution.


‘World looked the other way’: Scott Morrison slams UN for not condemning Hamas earlier
Former prime minister Scott Morrison says the entire world “looked the other way” when it came to previous Hamas terrorist attacks over the years.

“There have been 500 or so motions condemning Israel but not one in the United Nations that condemned Hamas,” Mr Morrison told Sky News host Sharri Markson.

“The barbarity of Hamas should come as no surprise and they have inflicted on it in its most awful terror on the innocent civilians.

“So there’s only one response to that for Israel and they have been articulating it and that is to completely remove Hamas from Gaza.

“And to ensure that it has no capability to inflict terror on innocent citizens in Israel.”


Hard left’s ‘absolute refusal’ to condemn horrors of Hamas
Members of the hard left have shown their “absolute refusal” to condemn the horror attacks by Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, says former Liberal MP Nicolle Flint.

It comes as pro-Palestine rallies are being held around the world after Hamas launched its attacks on Israel last week.

“As the week has unfolded, we have seen the most horrendous atrocities committed against babies, young adults, civilians, elderly people by Hamas,” Ms Flint told Sky News host Cory Bernardi.

“These people on the left who claim to be tolerant and kind, have really been defending terrorism.

“You can’t describe it any other way.”


Dramatic moment Lidia Thorpe wears a Palestinian scarf into the Senate and compares Australia to Israel as the 'illegal occupier of these' lands
Lidia Thorpe has compared the Australian government to Israel as the 'illegal occupier of these lands' in an impassioned speech pledging support to Palestine.

The firebrand Greens-turned-Independent senator arrived in the chamber for the first day of sitting in a month wearing a Palastinian keffiyeh scarf.

In response to the tragic war between Israel and terrorist group Hamas which is taking place, Ms Thorpe said she sympathised with victims on both sides of the conflict.

She said Palestinians 'live with generational trauma of dispossession, they continue to fight for sovereignty, liberation, and land back, as do First peoples of this country.

'You have the responsibility to support Palestinians standing against it, just as you have the responsibility to support First Nations people here standing against it.'


Dozens of protesters demanding Israel-Hamas ceasefire arrested outside Schumer’s NYC home
Local lawmakers were among dozens of demonstrators demanding a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war who were arrested outside New York Sen. Chuck Schumer’s Brooklyn home on Friday night, according to police sources.

Hundreds of people gathered at the Grand Army Plaza for the rally, organized by Jewish Voice for Peace — a self-described anti-Zionist activist group — before marching a few blocks to the senator’s Park Slope residence and blocking the street.

“New York Jews blocking @SenSchumer’s home demanding a ceasefire NOW,” Jewish Voice for Peace Action wrote on X.

Protesters held a large banner that read, “Jews say stop genocide against Palestinians” in front of Schumer’s building’s door with several police officers standing nearby.

Police were seen escorting dozens of handcuffed detainees onto MTA buses and driving away.

According to Jewish Voice for Peace, those arrested included “rabbis, politicians, scholars, and descendants of holocaust survivors — ages 20 to 80,” the organization tweeted.

Assembly members Zohran Kwame Mamdani (D-Queens) and Marcela Mitaynes (D-Brooklyn) were among those arrested at the rally, sources said.

They will be issued summonses for blocking vehicular traffic, the sources said.

Schumer, the highest elected Jewish official in the US, is departing for Israel this weekend, where he will lead fellow senators to show support for the country’s government, his office announced earlier on Friday.


Hunt for the pro-Hamas protesters: Suella Braverman warns 'the police are coming' as she vows crackdown on anyone 'mocking murder of Jews' - as cops ask for help in catching two women wearing images of paragliding terrorists



'Morally repugnant': 'Despicable' pro-Palestinian protests condemned
Sky News contributor Joe Hildebrand has condemned pro-Palestinian protests in the wake of Hamas’ attack on Israel as “politically stupid and morally repugnant”.

“I support people’s right to protest but why you would hitch your wagon to that train, I don’t know,” Mr Hildebrand told Sky News host Peta Credlin.

He further said calling for Jews to be killed is not a "legitimate form of protesting" or free speech.

“The radical left hates free speech when anyone else utilises it – they seem to think ‘oh it’s okay’ or ‘it’s not a big deal if people come to our rallies and say kill all Jews’.

“It is just absolutely despicable behaviour and I can’t believe it’s even remotely being defended.”


Foreign wars ‘playing out’ on Australia’s streets
Sky News host Liz Storer says the Australian government has “failed its people” by allowing foreign wars to play out on our streets.

Her remarks come as pro-Palestinian rallies are being held in Australia’s cities after terrorist group Hamas launched attacks on Israel.

“I think if you’re going to allow these rallies to continue you sure as heck better be taking notes,” Ms Storer said.

“Because especially every single person that was there on Monday night – you should be deported.

“You do not get to stand in front of our national icon – and scream ‘gas the Jews’. We do not subscribe to that.”


‘Proposal of genocide’: Concerns over pro-Palestine rallies as Israel fights Hamas
Sky News contributor Evelyn Rae has criticised the anti-Semitic hate speech from last week’s pro-Palestine rally at the Opera House.

Ms Rae claims it would be a different story if the protest was for humanitarian aid for innocent Palestinian civilians.

“What are they there for? If they are saying please can we send humanitarian aid to the innocent Palestinians who are caught up in there – I’m all for that,” she said.

“I think that they have a right to protest that and I think it’s a conversation that should be had.

“What we have to remember is while everyone who is a member of Hamas is a terrorist, not everybody who is in Palestine is a member of Hamas.

“How as human beings do we respond to a proposal of genocide of a group of people who have no part to play in this?”


Minute of Silence at New York Liberty Game for Israeli Victims of Hamas Descends Into Booing, Chants of ‘Free Palestine’



Starbucks Threatens Barista Union with Legal Action Over Pro-Hamas Tweets





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This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For 20 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

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