Monday, January 01, 2024

01/01 Links Pt1: Herzog calls on world leaders to pressure Hamas on hostages; Hamas rings in 2024 with rocket barrage; Ordinary Palestinians Aided and Abetted Hamas on Oct. 7

From Ian:

Herzog calls on world leaders to pressure Hamas on hostages
Israeli President Isaac Herzog issued a special New Year’s message in which he urged the international community to pressure the Hamas terror group to release hostages held in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7.

“As we enter 2024, I call on the entire family of nations, on all world leaders, to demand and work for the immediate, unconditional release of our 133 hostages,” said Herzog.

“Babies, the elderly, women, men, are being held in brutal captivity by Hamas, without vital medication or visitation from the Red Cross. Their immediate release is at the core of our battle with Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

“May the light dispel the darkness, and may the New Year bring peace, hope, and healing for all.”

The post to X, formerly Twitter, was published in Hebrew, English, Arabic, Russian, Spanish, Italian, Hindi, French, German and Portuguese.

As we enter 2024, I call on the entire family of nations, on all world leaders, to demand and work for the immediate, unconditional release of our 133 hostages.

Babies, the elderly, women, men, are being held in brutal captivity by Hamas, without vital medication or visitation…
WSJ Freelink: Israel’s ‘Black Sabbath’: Murder, Sexual Violence and Torture on Oct. 7
Months have passed since the October day Israelis call Black Sabbath, when Hamas-led militants rampaged into Israel from Gaza, an attack that officials say killed some 1,200 people and included acts of torture, mutilation and sexual violence. Israeli investigators are now using some 200,000 photographs and videos and 2,000 witness testimonies to reconstruct what happened, with an eye toward building a legal case against those responsible that would meet international standards and provide a definitive historical accounting of the Oct. 7 attack.

Reporters from The Wall Street Journal examined some of that evidence, supplemented with interviews of first responders, survivors, families of victims and forensic scientists, to document an attack that Israeli Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai described as “systematic and unprecedented in its cruelty.”

Forensic evidence shared with the Journal by Israeli officials shows some victims were burned alive after militants used accelerants to set fire to their homes. Photos viewed by the Journal taken by first responders on the scene show bodies were mutilated including the sex organs of both men and women. The bodies of women and girls showed various signs of sexual assault, and recently, at least three female survivors have come forward to say they experienced sexual violence on Oct. 7.

Hamas officials have denied their fighters killed children and raped women.

Israel’s investigation is expected to yield a trial that would be the country’s most significant since the early 1960s, when Israel captured, tried and hanged former Nazi official Adolf Eichmann for his central role in the Holocaust.

“The state of Israel has never before dealt with crimes and an investigation on this scale,” said Roi Sheindorf, former deputy to the attorney general. “This will be one of the most important trials to take place in Israel.”

The Israeli police are examining testimonies from captured militants, footage from cameras obtained from them, social media, and vehicle dashboards and security cameras throughout southern Israel, as well as materials seized in Gaza.

One challenge for the investigation, legal analysts say, is that the collection of forensic evidence was limited in the aftermath of Oct. 7, while the Israeli military was engaged in combat in the area for days after the attack.

More than 21,000 Palestinians have since died in airstrikes and fighting between the Israeli military and Hamas, most of them women and children, according to Palestinian health authorities. The number doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.

An accompanying goal of Israel’s investigation could also be preserving history, much like the Eichmann trial laid out Nazi Germany’s Final Solution to the world and began a process for witnesses to come forward en masse to speak of the horrors they experienced.

Israel has identified about 800 dead civilians from Oct. 7, including 37 minors under the age of 17, six of whom were under 5. Some 25 people over the age of 80 were killed, including a 94-year-old woman, according to the prime minister’s office.

Hamas militants and others kidnapped roughly 250 people on Oct. 7, according to Israeli authorities.
NGO Monitor Statement on EuroMed HR Monitor
The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor is an ideological advocacy NGO led by Palestinians alleged by Israel to be linked to Hamas. The organization uses the facade of human rights and focuses primarily on demonizing Israel, with no publicly available information on its budget or funding sources. The repeated allegations directed at Israel, including accusations of “organ theft,” as well as “genocide,” “ethnic cleansing,” “collective punishment,” are not supported by evidence.

In contrast, EMHRM systematically echoes and amplifies denials of Palestinian abuses and war crimes where the evidence is readily available, such as using Al-Shifa medical complex and other hospitals in the Gaza Strip for terror. In addition, social media posts by EMHRM officials systematically promote claims that delegitimize Israel and Zionism.

EMHRM also mixes political propaganda with blood libels and other forms of antisemitism, such as the organ theft charges, accusations of “slow poisoning of [Palestinian] children,” and declarations that “the legacy of the Holocaust lent uncritical credence to the Zionist narrative.” Richard Falk, Chair of EMHRN’s Board of Trustees and featured on the NGO’s website, is a 9/11 conspiracy theorist and has been widely denounced for his antisemitic statements.

Hamas Terror Links: Ramy Abdu and Mazen Kahel, respectively current and former chairman of EMHRM, were listed by the Israel Ministry of Defense in 2013 as “main operatives” for institutions considered by Israel to be fronts for Hamas in Europe.

EMHRN appears in the European Union’s transparency register of “‘interest representatives” who “carry out activities to influence the EU policy and decision-making process” (emphasis in original).


JCPA: New U.S. Poll Raises Questions about Americans' Support for Israel's War Against Hamas
A new poll of American public opinion, conducted by Dr. Irwin J. Mansdorf of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, finds that nearly a third of the American public holds anti-Israel views in light of the war in Gaza.

The survey, conducted on December 13, 2023, found overall sympathy for Israel among Americans still at high levels.

"However, in the current survey, we saw that even some supporters of Israel have started questioning important issues," said Mansdorf.

"The main problem is with the Israeli attacks in Gaza, with over 34% believing that the Hamas reports about civilian casualties and damage are reliable, and they hold Israel responsible."

More than 24% believe that reports of sexual assaults against Israeli women by Hamas are exaggerated and do not conform to reality, while 35% were unsure.

21% agreed that Israelis use the Holocaust to gain global sympathy.

22% claimed that Hamas rocket attacks on Israeli cities mainly targeted military targets and not civilian ones.


We are the world - Ashdod ISRAEL 2024
We gathered a group of local singers from Ashdod, a city on the Mediterranean coast where over 275 alarms were activated, to dedicate a song to all those who sanctify life over death. Hoping for the safe return of the Israeli abductees to their home. The song chosen is "We are the world" which symbolizes above all the light and empathy of the free and enlightened world as a whole, in front of the dark world of ignorance, fear and terror. We pray together people of all religions, one big family: that a change can only come when we stand together as one - we are the world.


2023 Men of the Year: Israel Defense Forces
For the past three months, the IDF has been ensuring that Hamas is unable to make another dumb decision. Israeli troops have killed about 9,000 Hamas terrorists since Oct. 7, including more than half of the group's senior brigade commanders, according to the IDF. Earlier this month, leaked footage showed dozens of Gazan men in their underwear surrendering to Israeli soldiers. Many of the men were Hamas terrorists who provided valuable information under interrogation, the IDF said.

"There is also a widespread feeling that the underground Hamas leadership does not care about the Gazan public above ground," said IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari. "This also greatly worries the military operatives of Hamas."

The IDF has reported destroying about 500 of Hamas's underground terror tunnels and much of the group's other infrastructure in Gaza. On Dec. 7, the first night of Hanukkah, Israeli soldiers lit a giant menorah in Gaza City's Palestine Square, a once-busy commercial center where Hamas led celebrations after the Oct. 7 massacre. The IDF later dug up a network of tunnels under the square, where it said all of Hamas's top officials hid out during the war.

Senior IDF commanders have signaled they will resign after the war in Gaza due to their failure to prevent the Oct. 7 attack. But first, they must finish eradicating Hamas. And after that, there's the problem of Hezbollah, another Iran-backed terrorist group, to deal with.

For killing terrorists, and in hopes of more dead terrorists to come, we at the Washington Free Beacon salute the soldiers of the IDF as Men of the Year.




Seth Frantzman: Iran stations warship in Red Sea as US aircraft carrier leaves Middle East - analysis
The article details questions about US aircraft carriers in the region. There were two carriers in the region, the Eisenhower and Ford.

The US had sent the second carrier after the October 7 attack to deter Hezbollah and others from escalating attacks.

The Iranian regime's view is that these naval assets have not been able to prevent the Houthis in Yemen from continuing attacks on ships. However, a US helicopter destroyed three small Houthi boats over the weekend, indicating that the Houthis are taking losses. The story about the US carrier leaving the region was covered in Al-Mayadeen media, which is pro-Iran, showing that pro-Iran figures in the region are watching this development closely.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry has stressed that the recent killing of IRGC officer Razi Mousavi in Syria is not a setback for Iran. The opposite appears to be true since Iran’s regime has had a huge outpouring of funeral events for the late IRGC officer who was killed in an airstrike. Iran has blamed Israel. Iran’s foreign ministry is spinning this as being an incident that won’t stop Iran’s projects in the region. The Iranian foreign ministry also stressed that Iran-Egypt ties are improving. This could have negative implications because Iran backs Hamas in Gaza, which borders Egypt.
Seth Frantzman: IDF combat engineers, bulldozers: A key weapon in the Gaza war
On October 7, Hamas terrorists attacked dozens of points along the border with Gaza. They broke through the security fence and massacred people in Israeli communities. It took days of fighting to secure the border area again on Israel’s side of the fence. When the fighting was mostly done and Israeli communities retaken, the damage had to be repaired, and Israel had to consider its next steps in the Hamas-run enclave [in Gaza].

Into the breach came key units from the Combat Engineering Corps. In the first month of the war, the engineers helped repair and reinforce the breaches in the security fence. When the ground operation in Gaza began, they were pressed into action to help neutralize explosive devices and create access routes for forces to enter the Gaza Strip.

One IDF statement in early November noted that “during ground operations in the Gaza Strip, combat engineering troops created access routes, cleared the area of explosive devices, and neutralized terror infrastructure and terrorist cells found in the area. Furthermore, combat engineering and infantry soldiers located and struck military compounds used for planning and executing terror activities.”

Today, some of the engineering forces and their vehicles have been brought back from the tough battles in Gaza. I drove down to the Erez Crossing to meet with members of the unit. The engineering forces and vehicles taking part in Israel's war in Gaza

The Erez Crossing used to be the main crossing for civilians from Gaza to enter Israel. There was a large hall there, and buildings devoted to processing civilians and enabling them to cross. It looks like a kind of border crossing. However, Hamas attacked this crossing point and killed IDF soldiers there on October 7.

Driving to Erez, one passes next to Ashkelon and then heads toward Gaza and Route 4. This coastal city just northeast of the Strip, as well as other nearby areas, have been targeted by thousands of rockets since the war began.

When I drove down, Ashkelon was just beginning to return to its routine, such as normal educational frameworks, almost 80 days into the war. This illustrates how much the conflict has left a wave of destruction near the border.
Could Hizbullah Attack from Jordan?
The IDF has been fundamentally altering its operational deployment on the border with Jordan, following a spike in arms smuggling and fears of Iran-sponsored terror attacks that cross the border.

A military source said the IDF is preparing for attempts by Hizbullah, or other pro-Iranian militias, to infiltrate from the Jordanian border into an Israeli community.

In recent months, Iran-backed forces have tried to infiltrate Jordan from both Iraq and Syria. The Jordanians are making great efforts to stop the infiltrators, and the IDF maintains contact with the Jordanian army.
Ordinary Palestinians Aided and Abetted Hamas on Oct. 7
Two sides. One side hasn't firebombed community centers and places of worship. Its clergy haven't called for a deity to slaughter the other side. It hasn't yelled death threats at people in shopping malls. It hasn't targeted businesses because the owner belongs to a particular religion. It hasn't attacked Santa Claus and tried to shut down Christmas. It hasn't blocked roads to keep people from getting home. The other side has done all of those things. Everyone knows it, too.

A few weeks ago, this writer was invited to the Israeli consulate in Toronto to see 42 minutes of raw video footage, mostly taken from video recorders of dead Hamas terrorists. The uniformed Hamas killers were proud of what they did: on the videos, they said so, over and over.

But here's something else we witnessed: people who weren't in uniforms, flooding into Israel to participate in the barbarity of that dark Saturday. In the Hamas footage, a Palestinian in civilian clothes uses an oversized garden hoe to decapitate a foreign agricultural worker who is still alive. There are videos of Palestinian civilians beating hostages - some elderly - with sticks and their fists.

The Hamas footage shows non-Hamas Palestinians looting and vandalizing the homes and bodies of Jews. Some Palestinians came by car, and some on foot and on bicycles. Some are children. They can then be seen stealing agricultural equipment, televisions, motorbikes and more. On that terrible day, many, many Palestinians were supporting Hamas.

One of the reasons why Hamas mass murder on Oct. 7 was so effective and efficient was because Palestinian civilians who had been working alongside Israelis in those kibbutzim had told Hamas how to disable the Israeli security and communications systems. They had told them who to kill first, and where victims could be found. Hamas did not act alone on Oct. 7. Ordinary Palestinians aided and abetted Hamas.
Hamas rings in 2024 with rocket barrage on central Israel
The Hamas terror group welcomed in the new year by launching a wave of rockets towards southern and central Israel.

More than 20 rockets were launched at Israeli population centers just a few minutes after midnight, sending millions of people racing for shelter.

Sirens sounded in numerous locations in the center of the country, including Rehovot, Holon, Lod and Modiin, as well as Ashdod, Sderot and towns along the Gaza border.

The Iron Dome defense system intercepted most of the projectiles, with others landing in open areas.

There were no reports of injuries or damage.

The Israel Defense Forces had expressed cautious optimism earlier on Sunday in the wake of a decrease in the number of rockets launched from the Strip, as Jerusalem is reportedly preparing to allow some residents of the country’s southwestern region to return home.

The sharp drop in rocket attacks is a direct result of the IDF’s ground operation in Gaza, during which many launch sites have been destroyed, the military added.

According to IDF data, in the first week of December, after Hamas violated the hostages-for-ceasefire deal, 75 rockets were launched at Israel per day on average. Last week, that number dropped to 14.

The figure does not include mortars launched at ground troops operating inside the coastal enclave, rockets falling into the Mediterranean and failed rocket launches.


IDF kills Hamas Nukhba commander who led Kibbutz Kissufim assault
Israel continued pressing its Gaza offensive in the new year, killing a Hamas commander in an airstrike and pounding more of the terrorist group’s infrastructure, the Israel Defense Forces said on Monday morning.

An air force fighter jet directed by ground forces killed Adil Mismah, the Nukhba company commander in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.

Mismah commanded the terrorists of this elite company who attacked Kibbutz Kissufim on Oct. 7, where eight residents and six Thai workers were murdered, and at least four people were abducted. Mismah directed other Hamas terrorists to communities near the Gaza border, including Kibbutz Be’eri and Kibbutz Nirim, where a total of 135 Israelis were murdered.

Some 1,200 persons, mostly civilians, were murdered on Oct. 7 when waves of Hamas terrorists led by the elite Nuhkba forces stormed across the border, rampaging across the northwestern Negev. Thousands more were wounded and at least 240 taken hostage. The terrorists committed acts of rape, sexual abuse, burning people alive, torture, mutilation and desecrating the dead.

After the IDF invaded Gaza 20 days later, Mismah continued to lead attacks against Israeli forces.

In Gaza City’s Shejaia neighborhood over the weekend, Israeli soldiers raided a command and control center used by both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.


Divided Hamas coming to realize it won’t remain in Gaza
A split in Hamas is widening as some senior officials realize that the terrorist group will not remain in Gaza after the war.

Hamas’s “Qatari” camp, led by Khaled Mashaal and Musa Abu Marzouk, views exile as inevitable, while the “Iranian” camp led by Yahya Sinwar and Saleh Arouri remains defiant on staying in Gaza.

“It is clear that Hamas internalizes the fact that it will have to give up its rule in the Gaza Strip and even hand over the keys to a new and different Palestinian entity that will be based mainly on the Palestine Liberation Organization,” said an Arab source involved in talks between Hamas, the Palestinian Authority and several Arab countries.

“Official and semi-official talks” have been taking place in Qatar in recent days, joined by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.”

The Arab source stressed, “These understandings come mainly from the ‘Qatari group’ in Hamas.

“We were very surprised to see how far the Hamas members who are in Qatar went and came close to the Fatah and PLO positions,” the source added.

Hamas officials in the “Qatari camp” “express a great willingness to join the PLO and now it remains mainly to conclude the conditions for this,” the source said, adding that Sinwar bitterly opposes the Qatari talks and is “furious with his colleagues.”

This is why Sinwar recently sent several letters to Hamas leaders in Qatar trying to convince them he had effective control of the Gaza Strip.

“Sinwar forbids any discussion of the question of the day after the day that does not take place with his consent or in his presence,” the Arab source said.

But no Arab country is willing to finance Gaza’s reconstruction if Hamas remains in control, and without significant reforms from the Palestinian Authority. The UAE, for example, is pressuring Hamas to disarm and demobilize, which the Emiratis say would pave the way for Gaza’s restoration.


IDF finds Hamas bodycam footage of 'civilians' carrying RPGs
The IDF's 401st Brigade has been operating against Hamas's Daraj Tuffah Battalion in the northern Gaza Strip over the last week. The soldiers conducted targeted raids on military posts and the residences of senior officials and neutralized dozens of anti-tank missile cells.

Soldiers from the Shaked Battalion, based on intelligence on the presence of a terrorist cell in a building, scanned the area and conducted a targeted raid on the location. During the activity, soldiers encountered several Hamas terrorists and engaged in a firefight, which ended with the soldiers killing the terrorists.

Soldiers also uncovered a camera belonging to one of the terrorists who was killed, with footage showing Hamas’s operational methods. The footage shows a terrorist presenting himself as a civilian while hiding an RPG-type rocket under a blanket in a civilian area. This strategy, and the use of Gazan citizens as human shields, has been a well-recorded tactic of Hamas.

The footage shows a recording of the now-eliminated terrorist praising God that he was able to destroy 3 Israeli military vehicles. IDF: Exposed: Video footage of Hamas’ operational methods (IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

Commander of the Shaked Battalion, Lt.-Col. Yair, said, "Our forces eliminated the terrorists and found their weapons along with a large amount of weaponry that was seized. The Shaked Battalion will continue to fight the enemy as long as necessary."
IDF will offer soldiers the option of ‘harvesting’ their sperm in case of death
An affidavit on giving permission for sperm to be removed from their bodies if they die will from now be publicized on the IDF’s website, Meitiv, for newly recruited soldiers and also sent to each one directly.

Those who agree to it also need to get an attorney to sign the affidavit.

This was decided by the Knesset Health Committee on Monday in preparation of the law for using the sperm of a deceased person for procreation. Acting committee chairman MK Merav Ari (Yesh Atid) announced that in coordination with the Defense Ministry, an affidavit from IDF that he is interested in the use of his sperm will be offered on the website.

Information about this option will be provided in a text message to of all those designated for recruitment. Ben-Ari emphasized that cooperation with government ministries is necessary.

Col. Alon Meitav explained that with the exception of the conscription order itself, all contact with the Shin Bet takes place through the website, which receives about nine million hits a month and about 8,000 inquiries a day. In addition, contact with the IDF is also carried out through text messages on the phone.

Attorney Masada Matzlawi, from the counseling and legislation department at the Justice Ministry, spoke about the wording of the law that would reflect the wishes of the deceased. Zvi Hauser, a former MK and the initiator of the law, suggested that it is enough for the court to be convinced that the deceased did not object.

Rabbi Lior Segev from the Puah Institute for Fertility, Medicine and Halacha emphasized that since taking the sperm is a surgical operation, the expression of the will of the deceased is required.


IDF downs two drones launched from Syria

IAF hits Hezbollah terror cell preparing to launch drones

Iran Showcases Its Reach with Militia Attacks across Middle East
The Gaza war has given Iran the opportunity to showcase its newly restructured network of allied militias, demonstrating Tehran's strategic reach while allowing it to keep a distance from the fight. On any given day since the Oct. 7 Hamas assault on Israel, one of these militias has carried out an attack somewhere in the Middle East - and on some days several in different places.

The Houthis in Yemen are targeting ships in the Red Sea; Kataib Hizbullah and other Iraqi groups are hitting U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria; and Lebanon's Hizbullah is engaged in daily exchanges of fire with Israeli forces across the Israel-Lebanon border.

The groups are all loyal to Iran, which arms, finances and inspires them. Together with Hamas, they constitute the main components of the "axis of resistance." Representatives of the militias collaborate and consult through a joint operations room that meets regularly, most often in Beirut.
Iranian warship Alborz enters the Red Sea

Freed Israeli hostage Mia Schem in first interview since her release from Hamas captivity in Gaza

‘We, the living, have to continue telling their stories’
“We were convinced we would die the whole time. We decided that we would save as many people as we could in the process,” said Neria Sharabi.

Neria, 22, together with his brother Daniel, 23, arrived at the Supernova Music Festival near Kibbutz Re’im, just over 3 miles from Gaza, at 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 6. They sat outside and had a few drinks before entering the festival site a couple of hours later.

Rockets in the sky
“It was the biggest and most amazing rave I had ever attended in Israel,” Neria said of the event, which was attended by 3,500 partygoers.

The pair joined a group of friends, danced and mingled all night, blissfully unaware of what was about to happen.

“At 6:30 a.m., we started seeing rockets in the sky. Someone approached the DJ, who turned off the music and told us to disperse,” Neria recalled.

Like most Israelis, both brothers had served in the army, Daniel as a combat medic.

“We were in the process of packing up when I saw some of those who had left earlier come back with gunshot wounds. As a combat medic, I knew how to treat them. I immediately volunteered to help,” Daniel told JNS.

He quickly realized that the situation was more serious than he’d thought. As Hamas terrorists approached the site of the rave, security forces tried to block them. Eventually, they got through—and began targeting the revelers with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.

The Sharabi brothers fled toward the highway.

“At first we were all running in the same direction, but eventually we lost sight of everyone else we knew. Neria and I managed to stay together amid the chaos. Two of our friends, Itay and Ben, were killed by the terrorists,” said Daniel.

Another friend, Yosef-Haim Ohana, 23, was abducted and remains in Gaza over 80 days later.

Fighting back
“We ran on the road, jumped from car to car, carefully avoiding the shooting. Then, we saw a tank which had drifted to the side of the road,” said Daniel.

Daniel and Neria entered the tank. They first tried to alert the army via the tank’s radio, but in vain. Eventually, Neria seized an M-16 rifle off a dead soldier, exited the tank and started shooting back at the terrorists together with another two soldiers onsite.

“Quickly enough, people understood that we knew what we were doing. They came to take shelter behind the tank, which was the safest place near the site, while we fought back. I assisted those who needed first aid,” said Daniel.

Throughout the assault, Daniel was on the phone with his reserve commander, Yoni Skrisewsky, who helped the group organize their defense remotely.

While giving instructions to the Sharabi brothers over the phone, Skrisewsky departed from Tel Aviv to join the fight with another three reservists. On the way, Skrisewsky encountered more terrorists, and was only able to reach the site of the party five hours later.


Kibbutz Be’eri resident Ilan Weiss, missing since Oct. 7, is confirmed killed
Ilan Weiss, who had been considered missing since the Hamas-led massacres on October 7, was killed in the assault on his community, Kibbutz Be’eri announced Monday.

Weiss, 56, left his home on the morning of October 7 to join the kibbutz emergency response team. His family didn’t hear from him after 7:15 a.m. that day.

His wife Shiri, 53, and daughter Noga, 18, were seized and taken hostage in Gaza. The two were released on November 25 as part of a temporary ceasefire deal brokered by Qatar and the United States between Hamas and Israel.

“This morning we received the bitter news of the murder of kibbutz member Ilan Weiss,” the kibbutz said in a joint statement with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which was set up to support the families. “The kibbutz community bows its head and sympathizes with the family’s unbearable pain.”

It described Weiss as “a family man and a devoted father to his daughters.”

“He was a well-known and respected man among his entire community, which he loved so much,” the statement said.


Residents of six Gaza border towns set to return
The IDF Home Front Command is preparing to allow a partial return home for residents of the northwestern Negev.

Residents of communities located four to seven kilometers (2.5 miles to 4.3 miles) from the Gaza Strip will be able to voluntarily return to their homes. They will receive grants of 200 shekels (some $55) per adult and 100 shekels (around $28) per child.

Kibbutz Bror Hayil, Kibbutz Dorot, Kibbutz Gvar’am, Moshav Mavki’im and Moshav Yakhini fall within this range. An exception was made for residents of Kibbutz Yad Mordechai, which is less than two miles from the border.

Following the Oct. 7 massacre of communities near the Gaza border, all residents within seven kilometers of the Strip were evacuated.

After the residents return, the IDF will boost local security teams, providing them with better equipment. They will be trained by the military and will be considered employed by the army.

It will take longer for the residents of Sderot and other communities closer to the border to be able to return to their homes due to the extensive damage inflicted there during the Oct. 7 invasion.
Kibbutz Be’eri: Through the ruins
Experience the haunting aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 attack on Kibbutz Be’eri through a tour that unveils the devastation from a unique vantage point. Through immersive footage, the aftermath of the terrorist rampage that claimed many lives and inflicted widespread chaos unfolds. This short film is a testament to the community’s unimaginable loss and to the harrowing echos of an event that forever altered the landscape of Kibbutz Be’eri and all of Israel.


Be’eri residents released from Hamas captivity return to kibbutz for first time
Hostages released from Hamas captivity returned for the first time to Kibbutz Be’eri, as they look to move on from the memories of October 7 and the nightmare in Gaza.

Hila Rotem entered her house carefully, asking her aunt to stand by her side next to the broken kitchen countertop while she collected, from among the charred objects, the ones that were important for her to take. “It was sad to see the house. I took things that were important to my grandfather, who died when I was nine. Some broke, but I took what remained,” she said.

Amit Shani, along with Raaya, Hila’s mother, and the members of the Sharabi family – Oren, Ofir, Yuval, and Nira – visited the kibbutz as well, talking about what they went through on October 7 and during captivity.

Through no choice of their own, and while their relatives remain captive in Gaza, they have become prominent ambassadors in the fight to bring back the remaining hostages. Walking between the remnants of their homes, the former Be'eri residents tried to digest what they were seeing. Despite the complexities, they remained adamant in sharing their feelings and speaking of the trauma they had been through.


Australia sees ‘shocking’ anti-Semitism rise since October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks
Australia has seen a “shocking rise” in anti-Semitism since the October 7 terrorist attack last year by Hamas, Sky News host James Macpherson says.

“Since the horrific Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7 last year, there’s been a shocking rise in anti-Semitism around the world,” Mr Macpherson said.

“The situation’s become so bad here in Australia that many Jewish residents in Sydney were too scared to venture out last night for New Years Eve celebrations.

“This morning, a 76 year old Jewish doctor was hospitalised after being beaten in the head as he collected his rubbish bins in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton.”




‘Albo the trot’: Failing to prevent anti-Semitic crisis in Australia
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is a “failure” as he is failing to show leadership with the ongoing anti-Semitic crisis on Australian shores, Former speaker of the House Bronwyn Bishop says.

“The problem is, he is just Albo the trot,” Ms Bishop told Sky News contributor Gary Hardgrave.

“In the 20-plus years I sat in that chamber nobody ever said he was leadership material.

“And it’s just been proven.

“We’re seeing all this anti-Semitic movement going on right now simply because there is a failure of leadership at the top.”


Hamas in London
At least four groups with links to Hamas are reportedly behind several of the marches: The Muslim Association of Britain (MAB), the Palestinian Forum for Britain, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and the Friends of al-Aqsa.

"[M]embership of the Muslim Brotherhood remained (and still remains) a secret." — UK government report, "Muslim Brotherhood Review: Main Findings," December 17, 2015

Too often, unfortunately, those many propaganda goals evidently correspond to what the organizations behind the never-ending pro-Hamas protests in London -- and around the world -- seek to obtain: Creating sympathy for Hamas and the Gazans, demonizing Israel, which is fighting terrorism for all of us so that we will not have to, and increasing pressure for a permanent ceasefire that will enable Hamas to survive.

"Unfortunately, Hamas's bloodlust is not limited to Israel and Jews but also extends to Europe and Christians. I want to remind you that in the past, Hamas members expressed the Islamic intention to conquer Europe." — Israel's Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, in a letter sent to about 20 European leaders warning of "a massive network of Hams operatives and the growing activism of Hamas across Europe," December 2023.

Uprooting Hamas in the UK anytime in the near future, given the lack of enthusiasm that the Met Police have shown in the wake of the pro-Hamas demonstrations, sadly seems unlikely.


Shocking moment pro-Palestine protesters set off SMOKE BOMBS in NYC Macys as demonstrators march through Big Apple... but are marshalled away from Times Square

While US Navy Fights Houthi Jihadists on the Sea, Pro-Hamas Commies Rally in NYC for Them

EXCLUSIVE Furious Aussies say ABC should be dropped as the official NYE broadcaster after the family-friendly 9pm fireworks was hijacked by pro-Palestine slogan and angry Indigenous rap group: 'Sick and tired of it'



Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism  today at Amazon!

Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424. 

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2019 Nobel Peace Prize nominee

Elder of Ziyon - حـكـيـم صـهـيـون



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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