UK Statistics Authority urged to review fabricated Gaza casualty figures
The UK Statistics Authority has been urged to review the Palestinian Casualty figures in the Gaza War after several analyses indicated that the figures have been fabricated.FDD: Hamas-Run Gaza Health Ministry Admits to Flaws in Casualty Data
UKLFI Charitable Trust (“UKLFI CT”) has written to Sir Robert Chote, Chair of the UK Statistics Authority, inviting it to assess the quality of the Palestinian casualty statistics. These statistics are produced by the Hamas controlled Ministry of Health, and then circulated by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) as well as other UN bodies.
Several analyses show that the Hamas produced figures have been fabricated, regarding both the totals and the breakdowns into men, women and children.[1] UKLFI CT is concerned that these unreliable statistics are invoked and relied upon to support allegations of serious violations of international humanitarian law and genocide by Israel.
Jonathan Turner, chief executive of UKLFI commented: “Credence given to these allegations is fuelling antisemitism on a major scale and is also liable to lead to incorrect decisions by public authorities on important issues.”
The Palestinian statistics are also deployed in a way that implies wrongly that all the Palestinian Arabs killed were civilians, as there is no reference to the number of Palestinian Arab combatants killed. The ratio of civilians to combatants killed is particularly relevant when assessing the proportionality of Israeli military actions and hence whether they are likely to have violated international humanitarian law.
The Israel Defence Forces estimated that 13,000 Palestinian Arab combatants had been killed by the end of February 2024. This indicates a ratio of civilian to combatant deaths of less than 1.5:1, even if the apparently fabricated total figures produced by the Gaza Health Ministry are used. This ratio is much lower than the usual ratio of civilian to combatant casualties in urban warfare, as indicated by a Report by the UN Secretary General which found that in urban armed conflicts worldwide in 2021, 89% of the casualties were civilians.
Furthermore, the Gaza Ministry of Health statistics do not distinguish the many Palestinians killed by Palestinian munitions (such as their own rockets that fall short in the Gaza Strip, as well as ground fire and explosive devices). These are included in the total deaths that are attributed to Israel.
The Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said on April 6 that it had “incomplete data” for 11,371 of the 33,091 Palestinian fatalities it claims to have documented. In a statistical report, the ministry notes that it considers an individual record to be incomplete if it is missing any of the following key data points: identity number, full name, date of birth, or date of death. The health ministry also released a report on April 3 that acknowledged the presence of incomplete data but did not define what it meant by “incomplete.” In that earlier report, the ministry acknowledged the incompleteness of 12,263 records. It is unclear why, after just three more days, the number fell to 11,371 — a decrease of more than 900 records.Hamas is at war with the Jews and Judaism
Prior to its admissions of incomplete data, the health ministry asserted that the information in more than 15,000 fatality records had stemmed from “reliable media sources.” However, the ministry never identified the sources in question and Gaza has no independent media.
There are only two things you need to know to understand what is happening in the Middle East, and they both appear in the 1988 Hamas Charter.Iran and Hezbollah responsible for AMIA and Israel embassy bombings, Argentina says
First, Hamas is fighting for Islam and its war against Israel is a religious war. The charter states: “It is necessary to instill in the minds of the Muslim generations that the Palestinian problem is a religious problem and should be dealt with on this basis.”
Hamas asserts Islam’s claim to the territory of the Land of Israel; not the claim of any political organization, the Palestinians or anything else. “The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Muslim generations until Judgement Day,” the charter states.
“This,” Hamas explains, “is the law governing the land of Palestine in the Islamic Sharia (law) and the same goes for any land the Muslims have conquered by force, because during the times of (Islamic) conquests, the Muslims consecrated these lands to Muslim generations till the Day of Judgement.”
Hamas also clearly states that its war for Islam is a war against Judaism: “Our struggle against the Jews is very great and very serious.”
In the eyes of Hamas, Jews are permitted to live only under Islamic oppression. This is what Hamas means when it says that it “strives to raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine, for under the wing of Islam followers of all religions can coexist in security and safety where their lives, possessions and rights are concerned. In the absence of Islam, strife will be rife, oppression spreads, evil prevails and schisms and wars will break out.”
Under Islamic law, that “coexistence” is a system of religious apartheid in which all minorities are subjugated by the Muslim majority.
Thus, Hamas has an essential problem with Zionism: Zionism is the demand, the insistence, that Jews will not live under anyone. It is the insistence on Jewish independence and the maintenance of Jewish power to defend that independence.
Iran and Hezbollah committed crimes against humanity and are responsible for the 1994 Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) and the 1992 Israeli embassy bombings, the Federal Court of Criminal Cassation said on Thursday in a ruling on an appeal of a 2019 decision on cases of corruption and cover-ups by law enforcement and intelligence officials.
The court said that the AMIA bombing "was organized, planned, financed and executed under the direction of the authorities of the Islamic State of Iran, within the framework of Islamic jihad, and with the main intervention of the political and military organization Hezbollah."
High-level Iranian officials and members of the diplomatic mission in Argentina were involved in the ordering of boths attacks, which according to the court fall under the Rome Statute as crimes against humanity for being widespread or systematic attacks against a civilian population.
The court reminded that Former Iranian Intelligence Minister Ali Fallahian, former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Mohsen Rezaee, former IRGC Quds Force commander Ahmad Vadidi, former cultural affairs officer at the Iranian embassy in Argentina Moshen Rabbani, former diplomatic secretary Ahnmad Reza Ashgari, and alleged Hezbollah operatives Hussein Mounir Mouzannar, Salman Raouf Salman, and Farouk Abdul Hay Omairi have standing Interpol arrest warrants for suspected involvement in the bombing.
The court said that Former Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati former Iranian ambassador Hadi Soleimpenpour were also suspected of involvement but had immunity from the issuance Interpol warrants because they hold public office, and additional suspects fromer Hezbollah foreign intelligence chief Imad Fayez Moughnieh, Former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi, and alleged Hezbollah operative Alí Hussein Abdallah are dead.
The court said that Iran and its proxy Hezbollah were motivated by Islamic jihad against the west and its democratic values, and suggested possible political motivations to punish Argentina for not trading agreed upon materials and technology that could be used in its nuclear program.
As crimes against humanity, double jeopardy did not apply in the petition filed by friends and families of the victims of the attacks, AMIA, the Justice Ministry, and police officers who were wrongly detained by the suspects who were falsely implicated by the officials involved in the cover-up.
Former AMIA investigator Judge Juan Jose Galeano, former State Intelligence Secretariat director (SIDE) Hugo Alfredo Anzorreguy, SIDE deputy director Juan Carlos Anchezar, Department for the Protection of Constitutional Order (DPOC) Police chief Carlos Antonio Castaneda were found to have tampered with evidence and covered up the true culprits of the crime. Galeano was given four years prison, Anzorreguy 4 years and 6 months, and Anchezar and Castaneda three years prison.
Israel expects Iranian attack within upcoming 48 hours - WSJ
Iran is expected to attack Israel between the next 24 to 48 hours, with an exclusive Thursday report by the Wall Street Journal saying that the Jewish state is "preparing for a direct attack" on the north or south of the country.How Iran could attack Israel – and Netanyahu’s options for revenge How Iran could strike
The report cited an individual who was briefed by Iranian regime leadership stated, "no final decision has been made" as attack plans have been discussed.
The attack is in response to the alleged Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, which killed several members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force. Tehran then publicly threatened to respond to the attack.
A previous Wednesday report from Bloomberg, citing US intelligence reports, said that the US and allies predicted that an Iranian attack on Israel "could be imminent." However, the WSJ cited a source saying that the attack could be "within Israel's borders."
Earlier this week, the IRGC contacted the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with options to strike Israeli interests, the Journal reported, citing an adviser to the paramilitary force, with the report also saying that in recent hours, IRGC-associated social media accounts posted videos showing simulated missile attacks on Israel’s Haifa airport in the north of the country, and its nuclear facility in Dimona which is in the south.
The report also notes Khamenei's concern if an attack could backfire, for example, in a scenario where Israel would intercept its projectiles and then retaliate with strikes on Iranian strategic infrastructure, with an advisor saying that "he is still weighing the political risk." Scenarios of Iran attacking include utilizing its proxies in Iraq and Syria, the report noted, or attacking the country's embassies in other countries, notably those located in Arab countries.
Whether it chooses direct action or relies on its proxies, the Bloomberg report suggests Iran is drawing up plans for attacks only on military and government sites in Israel, of which the most obvious would be the Kirya, the Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv.US reiterates ‘ironclad’ support for Israel as IDF preps for Iranian attack
Other potential targets include air bases, such as those in Palmachim in central Israel or Meron in the north, as well as the Knesset [parliament] and prime minister’s office in Jerusalem.
However Jerusalem would be an extraordinarily reckless target for Iran or its proxies to choose, in part due to the mostly Palestinian population in East Jerusalem and above all the city’s obvious religious significance.
If Iran did take the plunge and launch direct action on Israel – a move that would be highly uncharacteristic for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, even in light of the ongoing crisis – it would presumably rely on ballistic missiles and/or its drone swarms.
How will Israel respond to Iran’s threats?
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, would likely consider a response in-kind if Israeli military or government targets were hit by Iran. These would include targets such as the IRGC headquarters in Tehran, or potentially other IRGC bases such as its new installations in the Sistan and Baluchistan provinces.
Facing immense pressure within Israel to focus effort on bringing home hostages from Gaza, the prime minister is unlikely to be keen on pursuing war with Iran unless it is absolutely necessary and in response to an immediate, existential threat.
Israel could strike any of Iran’s 10 air bases, as well as naval bases, nuclear sites and missile stores. It may also target airports
While Israel has for many years harboured ambitions to completely dismantle Iran’s nuclear programme, another obvious target in a potential Iran-Israel war, its leadership still considers diplomacy or, if needed, covert military action, as viable alternatives.
If direct military action by Iran is coming, preparations to carry out the strike would most likely be spotted in advance by American and Israeli intelligence agencies – such as large scale troop or missile launcher deployments.
“Whoever harms us, we will harm them. We are prepared to meet all of the security needs of the State of Israel, both defensively and offensively,” Mr Netanyahu said on Thursday.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reiterated on Thursday Washington’s commitment to upholding Israel’s security, as the Israel Defense Forces continued preparations for an expected Iranian attack on the home front.The Iranian threat looms over Israel – but a full-scale war does not suit its agenda
Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant “to reiterate ironclad U.S. support for Israel’s defense in the face of growing threats from Iran and its regional proxies,” according to a Pentagon readout of their call.
“Echoing President Biden’s unequivocal message to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Secretary Austin assured Minister Gallant that Israel could count on full U.S. support to defend Israel against Iranian attacks, which Tehran has publicly threatened,” added the statement.
On Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden said his administration was committed to backing Israel amid reports of an imminent Iranian attack.
“As I told Prime Minister Netanyahu, our commitment to Israel’s security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad,” said Biden.
“Let me say it again, ironclad. We’re going to do all we can to protect Israel’s security,” he added.
Israel’s response has also been fourfold: first, it has taken to responding to attacks, targeting the source of the fire; this has been particularly effective in targeting cells launching ATGMs. Second, it has continued to target Hezbollah infrastructure and weapons storage (similar to the past) but with increased intensity. Third, it has targeted cells of the elite Radwan commandos, who in their own propaganda videos (long before October 7) had threatened to infiltrate and occupy the Galilee. Fourth, Israel has changed the rules of the game and has actively targeted several senior Iranian commanders.Iran's Over $220M Support To Hamas Revealed In Times Report
The most daring and significant attack was the targeted strike against the Iranian general Mohammad Reza Zahedi on 1 April, an audacious attack on the building adjacent to the Iranian embassy in Damascus, killing five other senior Iranian commanders too. Zahedi was Iran’s most senior commander responsible for both Lebanon and Syria, as well as for overseeing relations between all Iran’s regional affiliates and proxies, including Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Syrian authorities and Shiite militias in Syria and Iraq. In terms of regional influence, perhaps only Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was of greater importance than Zahedi.
Iran has threatened revenge, but this is not new. With other Iranian proxies, including from Iraq and Yemen, already launching attacks against Israel, there is broad speculation over what form their revenge will take. Some foresee a direct attack emanating from Iran. This would be new – possibly a swarming attack to overwhelm Israeli air defences. “Soft targets” including Israel’s embassies around the world have been put on high alert.
So far, Iran has given Hezbollah bandwidth to attack across the length of the border but largely kept it from striking deeper, despite a handful of attacks directed towards Tzfat, Haifa and Tiberius. The success and scale of any Iranian revenge strike would most likely precipitate a commensurate Israeli counterstrike.
However, the working assumption is that a full-scale war with Israel does not suit the Iranian agenda right now. Hezbollah’s 130,000 rocket stockpile is held primarily as an Iranian insurance policy in the event of an attack on their ever-advancing nuclear weapons capacity. There is high concern, of course, that this day could come soon too. For Israel, absent a diplomatic solution, sustainable security and the return of northern residents will be secured by force, once its operations in Gaza are sufficiently complete.
Secret letters found during the Gaza war show the Iranian government's significant financial support for the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas totaling at least $222 million between 2014 and 2020, according to an exclusive report by The Times.WSJ: Hamas May Not Have Enough Living Hostages for Cease-Fire Deal
Detailing the flow of money from Tehran to Gaza, the report includes purportedly signed letters by Marwan Issa, the chief of staff of Hamas’ military wing who is believed to have been killed in an Israeli strike on Gaza.
Another letter, reportedly was addressed to Abu Ibrahim – another name used by Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza.
The report suggests that the content of the letters likely means they were intended for internal communication within Hamas's leadership.
While it has been clear for many years that Tehran was financially and militarily supporting Hamas and the Islamic Jihad in Gaza, these latest documents more likely reveal part of the financial contributions by the Islamic Republic.
The funds were allegedly transferred in cash from Iran to Lebanon – then to Gaza, through a network of intermediaries, potentially involving cryptocurrency or credit systems.
Israel, which recovered the documents, suspects that the funds were used to finance Hamas's military operations, including the arsenal of rockets and weapons used in conflicts with Israel.
While there were periods where the payments from Tehran fluctuated, the cash flow to Hamas spiked after the 2021 conflict – with the report suggesting that it indicates the regime’s appreciation for Hamas's actions.
Israeli intelligence believes the financial support continued until at least the October 7 attack, the report said.
Fears are rising over the fate of the remaining hostages held in Gaza after Hamas said it was unsure whether it could bring forth 40 Israeli civilian captives as part of a U.S.-backed cease-fire proposal, according to officials familiar with the negotiations.If Hamas survives this war, it will be a damning indictment on Biden, says ex-Israel spokesman
The 40 hostages, including women, children, elderly men, and those in fragile health, would be released under a U.S.-supported plan for a six-week cease-fire in the war in Gaza. In exchange, Israel would release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Instead, the militant group has been unable to confirm that it has enough civilian hostages to fulfill its end of the deal in the initial phase of the proposed plan, complicating talks toward a possible cease-fire in the six-month-old war that has left much of Gaza in ruins.
A Hamas official said the group wouldn’t commit to releasing 40 living hostages but could commit to 40 hostages total, which could mean dead or alive.
The admission by the militant group, which took more than 240 hostages during its lethal Oct. 7 attack on Israel, has heightened fears among families of the hostages, who are piling pressure on the Israeli government to cut a deal with Hamas that would pause the fighting and free at least some of the remaining captives.
“Every day without a deal endangers them. For half a year, they have been toying with their lives, permitting their blood to be spilled,” said Hadas Kalderon, the mother of two children who were kidnapped by Hamas and later freed, speaking at a protest outside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Tuesday. The children’s father remains in captivity.
The Israeli government has rejected the families’ accusation that it hasn’t made the hostages a priority and says freeing the captives is a top priority of the war. Both Israel and Hamas responded critically to a new U.S. cease-fire proposal this week.
The Israeli military declined to comment on estimates of how many hostages may remain alive. The Israeli prime minister’s office declined to comment on the matter.
Joe Biden is "throwing Israel under the bus", Benjamin Netanyahu's ex-spokesman has blasted.
Eylon Levy said the war had become a "problem they [the US] would like to wish away" as he rebuked the US President's comments.
He said that Biden is "throwing Israel under a bus" as he appeared on The Sun's Never Mind the Ballots, due to air tonight at 7pm on The Sun's YouTube channel and thesun.co.uk.
Political Editor Harry Cole will also grill Labour's shadow health secretary Wes Streeting in tonight's no-holds-barred show.
Mr Levy, who until recently was a spokesman for the Israeli government, said the US is "throwing Israel under a bus".
Biden has called Netanyahu's handling of the war in Gaza a "mistake" and has called on his government to send in more aid.
This held up remarkably well… https://t.co/ppMSU7SjOu pic.twitter.com/if6Npq4cYE
— Robert Greenway (@RC_Greenway) April 12, 2024
URGENT: mis/disinformation. There are several indications that we are in the middle of a psychological warfare.
— Khaled Hassan (@Khaledhzakariah) April 12, 2024
- A few days ago we heard that the UAE announced it's cutting diplomatic ties with Israel. THIS WAS FAKE NEWS. However, oil prices skyrocketed. Many regional actors,…
h/t @DanielGordis pic.twitter.com/ik3wHeZYgq
— Lahav Harkov 🎗️ (@LahavHarkov) April 12, 2024
Wendy Sherman is a diplomatic pyromaniac. Thanks to her, psychopathic North Korea has nukes, and thanks to her, Iran is on the verge of following suit.
— Caroline Glick (@CarolineGlick) April 11, 2024
Her remarks about Biden's commitment to giving nukes to Iran are accurate. Her remarks about supporting Israel are a lie.
Any… https://t.co/KZRJDhvIvA
The evidence linking UNRWA to Hamas that Ottawa saw before resuming its funding
Biographies of UN employees who took part in the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.Arsen Ostrovsky: U.N. Relief and Works Agency is an inseparable arm of Hamas
Satellite photos of Gaza schools constructed atop buried terrorist bunkers.
Hamas rocket launchers installed within metres of marked United Nations compounds.
This is just a portion of the Israeli intelligence that Canada had access to when the Liberal government decided on March 8 to resume funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Global Affairs Canada announced the decision despite several other countries, including the United States, opting to wait until the conclusion of a UN investigation before making any decisions on resuming funding they had also paused after allegations from Israel of links between UNRWA and the Oct. 7 terror attacks led.
National Post was granted exclusive media access to the intelligence given to the Trudeau government — a dossier spelling out Israel’s case for Canada to permanently stop sending tax dollars to the controversial UN agency.
After allegations in January of UNRWA members taking active roles in the Oct. 7 massacre, the United States announced a temporarily funding halt.
Canada and numerous other nations followed suit, but Ottawa reversed course two months later, in time to deliver this year’s $25-million installment of a $100-million funding pledge to UNRWA made last year by the Trudeau Liberals.
In contrast, the massive appropriations package passed by the U.S. Congress late last month included a statutory ban on funding UNRWA until March 2025.
Japan, Australia, Finland and Sweden have also resumed their funding.
The intelligence briefing shown to National Post included 43 slides laying out a comprehensive dossier of evidence, including information gathered from communications of Hamas operatives, social media, and video of the Oct. 7 attack. Some of it bore the logo of iNet, the Israeli operation that synthesizes open-source intelligence for the state’s defence establishment.
Since last year’s Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas, no U.N. agency has garnered as many headlines as UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.MEMRI: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Praises Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, Who Glorified Hamas' October 7 Massacre: 'His Permanent Engagement To Foster Peace And Solidarity Must Be An Example To All'
The U.N. agency, created in 1949, had one primary purpose — to resettle purported Arab Palestinian refugees and their descendants, created in the wake of the Arab states’ failure to annihilate the nascent state of Israel following its establishment in 1948.
Seventy-five years later, what does UNRWA have to show for it? Not a single refugee resettled. Instead, its raison d’etre and the root problem of its very existence has become to perpetuate the conflict by actively refusing to resettle Arab Palestinians, in contradiction of its very mandate, and offering them nothing but a false hope of a nonexistent “right of return” to flooding Israel en masse and destroying the Jewish state.
In essence, UNRWA has become the drug of choice for Arab Palestinians, especially in the Gaza Strip, to refuse to accept Israel’s right to exist and make the compromises necessary for establishing peace. For years, we have witnessed whistleblowers threatened and pushed out of the organization and the Middle East. At the same time, UNRWA functionaries like former spokesman Chris Gunness cried on camera about the plight of the organization and its indispensable mission. Lies and corruption have been built into UNRWA’s fabric from the start.
Fast-forward to January this year, when explosive allegations were revealed about UNRWA staff, including teachers and social workers, being actively and systematically involved in carrying out the massacre, torture and abductions of Oct. 7.
There are some who would defend UNRWA to the hilt, claiming that such atrocities were committed by a few bad apples. The fact of the matter is it is not merely a few bad apples; the entire organization is rotten to the core and infested with terror and antisemitism.
In the latest intelligence figures released, 2,135 UNRWA employees were revealed as members of Hamas, representing 17% of the agency‘s workforce in Gaza, of whom at least 400 were active fighters.
It is simply unfathomable that the UNRWA commissioner-general, Philippe Lazzarini, did not know that almost 20% of his staff in Gaza were active members of Hamas. He just chose to turn a blind eye.
Today, there are still many who have expressed shock at the revelations about UNRWA’s complicity in the Oct. 7 attacks. One should be about as shocked as you would be to hear the Earth is round.
As part of a Middle East tour on the occasion of Ramadan, on March 24, 2024 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met in Cairo with the Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, the supreme religious authority in the Sunni Muslim world. In a post on his X account after the meeting, Guterres praised Al-Tayyeb, saying that "his permanent engagement to foster peace and solidarity must be an example to all." This is despite the unreserved support expressed by Al-Tayyeb and by the institute he heads for the Hamas terror organization. Immediately after Hamas' October 7 terror attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 240 were taken hostage, Al-Azhar issued a statement declaring that the institution "salutes with utmost pride the resistance efforts of the proud Palestinian people."[1] In another statement several days later, Al-Azhar again saluted the steadfastness of the Palestinians in Gaza in their struggle against Israel and their willingness to be martyred on its soil.[2] Moreover, since October 7 other Al-Azhar officials have frequently incited against Israel and the U.S. while using virulently antisemitic rhetoric, calling the Jews "the descendants of apes and pigs," "killers of the prophets" and "enemies of humanity" and hoping for their demise. The dean of the Islamic and Arabic Studies faculty at Al-Azhar University, Muhammad Omar Al-Qady, blasted the U.S., calling it "the greatest Satan" and a "global mafia."
It should be noted that Ahmad Al-Tayyeb is known for his extremist positions and support for terrorism and terrorist organizations, and refuses to promote moderate religious discourse as part of the fight against extremism. This is despite his frequent participation in interfaith dialogue and although he signed the Document on Human Fraternity along with Pope Francis in 2019. In the past he stated, for example, that martyrdom attacks by Palestinians against Israeli targets are legitimate acts of self-defense, because, as long as Israel, the "barbaric enemy," continues to attack the Palestinians with Western and American backing, the Palestinians are entitled "to blow up whatever they want." He also said that there was no proof that Osama bin Laden was responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks and hinted that Israelis may have been behind them. On another occasion he claimed that fundamentalist terrorist groups are the product of imperialism in the service of global Zionism. Moreover, Al-Azhar under Al-Tayyeb refuses to accuse Muslim terrorists of heresy – which would have deprived them of religious justification for their violent actions – thus undermining the efforts of Egyptian President 'Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi to promote moderate religious discourse.[3]
This report reviews the recent meeting between UN Secretary-General Guterres and Al-Azhar Sheikh Al-Tayyeb and the positions expressed by the latter and by the institution he heads in praise of Hamas and against Israel since October 7.
Guterres About Al-Tayyeb: His Commitment To Peace Is An Example To All
As stated, on March 24, 2024, despite the support expressed by Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmad Al-Tayyeb and by other officials in his institution for Hamas and for its October 7 massacre, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres chose to visit Al-Tayyeb in his Cairo headquarters, along with UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini and UN Resident Coordinator in Egypt Elena Panova. According to Al-Azhar, during the meeting Guterres said to Al-Tayyeb: "I am honored to meet you. We appreciate your persistent effort to foster peace and solidarity; you are an example to all. I wish to convey our appreciation for Al-Azhar, which is as a strong voice defending and supporting the Palestinian people."[4]
Al-Tayyeb, for his part, praised Guterres' position on the war in Gaza and warned that, if the present situation in Gaza persists, " we will witness an unprecedented spread of crime, hatred, destruction, wars and violence across the world, which will impact the West and the U.S." He also warned that the Gaza war threatens "the efforts of rapprochement between East and West."
During the meeting Al-Tayyeb presented Guterres with a shield from the Muslim Council of Elders as a token of appreciation from Al-Azhar for his courageous stance on the conflict in Gaza and efforts to combat Islamophobia. The Council of Elders, headed by Al-Tayyeb himself, comprises Islamic scholars and was founded by the UAE to promote tolerance and dialogue with the West.
Following the meeting, Guterres posted a picture of it on his X account and wrote: " A major moment of my Ramadan solidarity mission was being received by the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar @alimamaltayeb in Cairo. His permanent engagement to foster peace & solidarity must be an example to all - now more than ever."[5]
European Parliament Denounces UNRWA Role in Inciting Violence and Antisemitism
Antisemitic incitement and glorification of terrorism in Palestinian textbooks issued by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) was a cause of Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel, the European Parliament (EP) declared in a series of resolutions passed last week.EU sanctions Hamas, PIJ military wings over sexual violence on October 7
The resolutions mark the latest denouncement of the Palestinian education by the EP and some of the first to address strong evidence that over a dozen UNRWA staff aided Hamas’ raping and slaughtering of Israeli civilians. Together, they rued the possibility that European tax dollars were funneled into Hamas and called for a complete restructuring, as well as increased oversight, of the Palestinian education system to ensure that antisemitic themes are purged from curricula in the Palestinian territories so long as the institutions administering them receive European aid.
“Today the European Parliament condemned the problematic and hateful contents encouraging violence, spreading antisemitism and inciting hatred in Palestinian school textbooks,” German Member of European Parliament (MEP) Niclas Herbst said in a statement praising the action. “The European Parliament reaffirmed in the context of despicable terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas on 7th October 2023 that education to hatred has direct and dramatic consequences on the security of Israelis, as well as the perspectives of a better future for young Palestinians. Therefore, the EP requests the Commission to closely scrutinize that no UNWRA funds are allocated to the use of such hateful materials.”
As The Algemeiner has previously reported, UNRWA textbooks are among the most antisemitic and inciting in the world. No discipline is untouched by the problem. From math to theology, to literature and science, their content promotes blistering hatred for Jews and Israel, indoctrinating students as young as six to commit their lives to “martyrdom” and inter-generational war. Compromise with Israelis is described as betraying Palestinian identity, suicide-bombings as intrinsic to it and a prerequisite for entry into heaven.
“In this bipartisan resolution, the European Parliament has rightly made the inevitable and tragic connection between the horrors of October 7 and the systematic indoctrination which has flourished for too long in Palestinian schools, the majority of which in Gaza are operated by UNRWA,” Marcus Sheff, chief executive officer of Israeli education watchdog Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (Impact-se), said in a press release on Thursday.
EU countries have put the military and special forces wings of Hamas and the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad on the bloc’s human rights sanctions list for their responsibility for widespread sexual and gender-based violence in the October 7 attack on Israel.
The EU countries say the Qassam and Al-Quds Brigades and the Nukhba Force are now subject to an asset freeze and a travel ban to the EU. The provision of funds to them, directly or indirectly, is now also prohibited. Hamas and Islamic Jihad were already designated as terrorist organizations by the EU.
The EU is getting tough on Palestinian terror and the Iranian axis after 10/7.
— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) April 12, 2024
🇪🇺 has just adopted sanctions against:
🚫 Al-Quds Brigades
🚫 Nukhba Force
🚫 Qassam Brigades
They committed widespread atrocities during the brutal October 7 attacks.
https://t.co/Tq1Zavbki3
ABC’s This Week Amplifies Virulently Antisemitic Slur, Rolling Stone Piles On
Andrés didn’t have a bad word to say about the Hamas operative who allegedly boarded one of World Central Kitchen’s vehicles and fired into the air before the tragic April 1 incident in which seven workers from his NGO were killed. When Raddatz asked Andrés about the IDF’s finding that a Hamas operative had fired from an aid truck, Andres replied, “Every time something happens, we cannot just be bringing Hamas into the question.” Nevermind, I guess, that Hamas started this war and uses civilians as human shields. Let’s not bring them into this.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism includes applying a double standard to Israel among its examples. On August 29, 2021, a US drone strike in Kabul killed ten civilians, including seven children, as the US attempted to leave Afghanistan. It was deemed a mistake, and no US troops were punished. On December 12, 2013, a US drone strike hit a wedding party in Yemen, killing twelve people and injuring 24. The US refused to acknowledge these civilian deaths. On April 7, 2011, a NATO “friendly fire” strike in Libya killed five fighters, and a week earlier another NATO strike killed 13 people including ambulance workers.
And on October 3, 2015, the US hit a Doctors Without Borders hospital, killing 42 people. A US aircraft, “fired 211 shells at the hospital compound over 29 minutes before commanders realized the mistake and ordered a halt.” The incident was deemed a mistake, and while 16 members of the military were disciplined, none faced criminal charges or court-martial.
As Brendon O’Neill wrote in the Spectator, “We make mistakes, they [Israelis] commit crimes. We err, they murder. We should be forgiven, they should not.”
But Andrés doesn’t just unconsciously apply a double standard to Israel – he openly embraces doing so: “If somebody knows suffering that’s the people of Israel. If somebody really understands the meaning of suffering, if somebody should be holding the highest standards of humanity, I will say that’s also the people of Israel.” In other words, according to Andrés’s warped logic, because Jews have been persecuted and slaughtered in the past, they should allow themselves to be slaughtered in the present without fighting back. ABC and Raddatz had no problems with this.
Unsurprisingly, Rolling Stone, which, with Noah Shachtman’s departure, is back under the leadership of Sean Woods, saw fit to amplify this Nazi-esq slur with its own headline. When Woods was last at the helm of the music magazine, in 2021, he ran six biased stories about Israel in the eleven days between May 17 and May 27, while Israel was fighting a war in which Hamas indiscriminately launched over 4000 rockets at Israeli civilians. (Woods is also the editor responsible for Rolling Stone’s now-retracted reporting on the University of Virginia rape story.)
The deaths of the workers from World Central Kitchen are tragic and Andrés is entitled to his grief over the incident. But that grief does not give license to the types of comments that he made to Raddatz on Sunday.
as for @WCKitchen who do think you are fooling? Your videos explaining how Hamas are not stealing the food but helping? really you take the entire world for fools? Why don't we see after how many women and children received the food? https://t.co/Eom6cWHpsz pic.twitter.com/eRs0nXzb9y
— Leslie Kajomovitz (@lkajomovitz) December 24, 2023
FDD Morning Brief | feat. Jonathan Conricus and Emily Schrader (Apr. 12)
Former IDF Spokesperson and FDD Senior Fellow Lt. Col. (Res.) Jonathan Conricus delivers timely situational updates and analysis on headlines of the Middle East, followed by a conversation with journalist and content creator Emily Schrader who has been working on the frontlines of the media battle since 10/7 to expose the disinformation campaign waged against Israel and bring accurate reporting to the public.
They discuss breaking news from the Middle East, including:
1. The state of recent hostage deal talks.
2. The Iranian regime related to digital and media warfare.
3. Israeli-Iranian civil relations.
"All of our foreign assistance is conditional to all countries."@rich_goldberg joins @_brittanylewis on "Forbes Newsroom" to discuss the status of the current state of the conflict in Gaza and Rafah. pic.twitter.com/uqgOrJ4TB5
— Forbes (@Forbes) April 12, 2024
I have strong faith in Iranian strategic wisdom. If they attack Israel, they get themselves in serious trouble, and Gaza and Lebanon will be small potatoes. Not good for Iran. My recent interview on @BBCWorld pic.twitter.com/kIn8IwzqSq
— Jonathan Conricus (@jconricus) April 12, 2024
After barrage of 40 rockets showers North, Israeli jets strike Hezbollah compounds
After over 40 rocket launches from Lebanon crossed into Israeli territory on Friday, the IDF responded by striking the sources of fire, the military stated.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the launches.
No injuries were reported in Israel as a result of the rocket fire.
This rocket fire comes after nearly 48 hours of quiet on the northern front, raising suspicion at a time when the threat from Iran is at the forefront of people's minds.
IDF spokesperson R-Adm. Daniel Hagari, during a public briefing, said, "I emphasize that at this stage, there is no change in the Home Front Command's instructions. If there is a change, we will update you immediately. It is right to say that the coming days require us to be alert and prepared. I know this situation raises many questions, and therefore, we will keep updating the public regularly. All instructions for conduct during an alert and emergency situation are detailed on the Home Front Command website."
Striking launch sites
Additionally, the IDF reported that Israeli jets had struck Hezbollah military compounds in the southern Lebanon area of Ayta ash Shab in which terrorists were operating. Another Hezbollah compound in the area of Taybeh was also reportedly struck.
Earlier, sirens sounded in the Upper Galilee, indicating possible hostile aircraft intrusions. The IDF later labeled these as false alarms.
Red Alerts sounding in multiple Towns and Cities in Northeastern Israel within the Galilee Panhandle. pic.twitter.com/eDJugQm7li
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 12, 2024
Footage showing Dozens of Interceptions by the Israeli Iron Dome and MIM-104 “Patriot” Air Defense Batteries over Northern Israel within the last few minutes following a Large Barrage of Rockets and Drones launched by Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon; in my opinion this could be an… pic.twitter.com/PgRpUlZsaL
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 12, 2024
Thr IDF says a while ago, IDF fighter jets struck Hezbollah military compounds in which terrorists were operating in the area of Ayta ash Shab in southern Lebanon, as well as an additional Hezbollah military compound in the area of Taybeh in southern Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/OITg0ebNvM
— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) April 12, 2024
Three Palestinians, including Hamas terrorist, killed in West Bank raids
Israeli forces killed two Palestinians, including a member of the armed wing of Hamas, in raids in the occupied West Bank on Friday and the Palestinian Health Ministry reported at least one person was killed in an Israeli settler incident near Ramallah.Israeli special forces aid search for missing teenage shepherd in West Bank
The Israeli military said Mohammad Omar Daraghmeh, whom it described as the head of Hamas infrastructure in the Tubas area of the Jordan valley was killed during an exchange of fire with security forces. It said several weapons and military-style equipment, including automatic rifles, were found in his vehicle.
Hamas confirmed Daraghmeh's death and his membership of its armed Al Qassam Brigades.
The official Palestinian news agency WAFA said another man was killed by Israeli forces conducting a raid on the Al-Far'a refugee camp in Tubas. Hamas mourned the man's death but did not claim him as a member.
The military said forces carrying out the operation opened fire on Palestinians who threw explosive devices and killed one man it said was attempting to attack them.
Escalating tensions at the West Bank
Israel has stepped up military raids in the West Bank since launching an unrelenting assault on Gaza following a Hamas-led October 7 attack on its southern communities and military bases.
On Friday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said one person was shot dead in al-Mughayyer near the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah as residents reported dozens of Jewish settlers rampaging through their village. It was not immediately clear whether he was shot by Israeli forces or settlers.
Israel Police, along with IDF troops and hundreds of volunteers, worked on Friday to locate missing 14-year-old Binyamin Achimair, a resident of Jerusalem, according to Police, IDF, and media reports.
As the day progressed, IDF air and ground units, including special forces units, were activated to help participate in the search.
During the search, there was a reported attempt to attack people searching for Achimair near the village of Al Mughayyir. Israeli media reported that three soldiers were minorly wounded and one Palestinian killed, while Palestinian media reported six Palestinians wounded by Israeli fire.
Palestinian media also reported that Jews had set fire to a Palestinian's car in Al Mughayyir.
Massive search underway
The commander of the Central Command, Yehuda Fox, the commander of the West Bank division, Yaakov Dolf, and the commander of the Binyamin Brigade, Liron Bitton, were all present on the ground, leading search and rescue efforts.
Troops blocked roads and searched cars in the area. The IDF reportedly cordoned off the villages of Al Mughayyir and Duma until further notice; however, later reports disputed this, saying that the village of Duma was still completely open.
The missing teen left Gal farm in the Samaria region of the West Bank in the morning to graze sheep, and after several hours, the herd returned without him.
An incident involving Palestinians and search and rescue forces looking or a missing Israeli boy in the village of al-Mughayir. pic.twitter.com/oq6dnoRivn
— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) April 12, 2024
IDF discovers weapons and explosives in central Gaza school
The IDF announced on Friday that it had discovered a cache of weapons and explosives at a school in central Gaza.IDF eliminates Hamas terrorist who took control of aid trucks in Gaza
Several units were brought together for the targeted raid to eliminate terrorist forces and infrastructure in the center of the Gaza Strip.
The Nahal Brigade carried out targeted raids on several buildings used by Hamas and Islamic Jihad and located terrorist infrastructure as part of the operation.
Weapons and explosives hidden in classrooms
The IDF troops located and removed several large armed explosive charges that were hidden in the classrooms and the schoolyard of the Ibrahim Al-Makhadmeh School, the military noted.
In addition, the soldiers located an observation post used by the Hamas terrorist organization for terrorist activities and threatening IDF soldiers.
In a joint IDF and Shin Bet operation on Thursday, an IAF aircraft eliminated Hamas military operative Ridwan Mohammed Abdallah Ridwan, who was responsible for Hamas' internal security operations in Jabalia, the IDF said on Friday morning.
Ridwan's role in the terrorist organization included giving orders to Hamas operatives, where he would direct armed terrorists to take control of humanitarian aid trucks that were located in the northern Gaza Strip.
According to the IDF, "his elimination degrades Hamas' capabilities to attack and take control of humanitarian aid in the area of Jabalia," located in Northern Gaza.
Another Hamas terrorist, identified as Hamed Muhammad Ali Ahmed, was also eliminated by the IDF.
Ahmed was a Hamas military commander responsible for internal security operations in the same area of Jabalia.
The UN REFUSED to help set up a humanitarian zone in Gaza at the start of the war. Instead it tried to thwart IDF efforts to move civilians out of harm’s way.
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) April 12, 2024
The war would be over already had the UN helped protect civilians instead of helping Hamas.
pic.twitter.com/0ohpqVSeXb
"Hamas has an interest in having Palestinians suffer. The greater number of Palestinians who die in this war, who are starved and displaced...that works in Hamas' favor."
— Embassy of Israel to the USA (@IsraelinUSA) April 12, 2024
-@DrMichaelOren on @CNN. pic.twitter.com/GivIR0BqZj
This isn't about feeding Gazans. This is about inventing a slander that lets the Jew haters accuse Israel ofvcommitting Hamas's crimes to justify supporting genocidal Nazis in their war to annihilate us. https://t.co/OVUCbvtKFk
— Caroline Glick (@CarolineGlick) April 11, 2024
44 private sector food aid trucks were coordinated to northern Gaza today.
— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) April 12, 2024
The UN wants you to believe aid missions it isn’t behind don’t exist. https://t.co/c6xa2ex2p0
A few weeks ago, @aliciakearns questioned Eylon's statement that the UN aid organizations are having trouble keeping up with the pace, in which Israel was inspecting the incoming trucks.
— Mark Zlochin - מארק זלוצ'ין༝ (@MarkZlochin) April 11, 2024
She also basically claimed that he was lying, when he said that Kerem Shalom and Nitsana… https://t.co/LDnW8KwJLR pic.twitter.com/k6LTHm4l9T
The trucks underwent rigorous security checks by the security authorities of the Land Crossings Authority of the @Israel_MOD at the Kerem Shalom crossing, and were accompanied by @IDF soldiers. pic.twitter.com/wSjoIbXAfV
— COGAT (@cogatonline) April 12, 2024
This is the 3rd video I have seen in 48 hours of large amounts of food, tons of food being thrown out, 1000s of meals, trucks of chickens tossed in the fields - The world is surging aid into GAZA to sell a famine narrative. The aid is being stolen by Hamas then tossed out. https://t.co/wSILeNGool
— Ron M. (@Jewtastic) April 11, 2024
JPost Editorial: A prayer for our hostages as we celebrate the holiday of freedom
On Sunday, Israel’s Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau published a Passover prayer for the release of the hostages that he said should be said during the Seder before “Vehi She’amda,” which describes how God saved the Jewish people from those seeking to destroy them.‘Let my people go’: Hostage families stage Passover-themed demonstration near Gaza border
While we are appreciative of Rabbi Lau’s action and the powerful words of his prayer, we pray that the hostages will come home before Passover, so that we can all observe the Festival of Freedom together.
“In a few days we will sit at the Seder table,” Lau wrote in a special letter in Hebrew introducing the prayer. “We will talk about the hardships and slavery in Egypt, and we will give thanks for the salvation that we have received. However, not all family members will be seated at their tables. There are families in which missing loved ones and emptiness scream out.
"The seats of the murdered and those abducted by the people of evil are left empty.”
We are obligated to feel the pain of our people and pray for them
Addressing the Jewish people, he said: “Each one of us has the holy obligation to feel the pain of our neighbor and to recite a special prayer during the momentous event of reading the Passover Haggadah, and to remember and pray for those hostages who are in pain and captivity.”
The chief rabbi’s Yehi Ratzon prayer, also written in Hebrew, can be translated to English as follows:
“May it be the will of our Father in Heaven, who took the people of Israel out of the yoke of Egypt, to bless and save our brothers and sisters, the hostages who are held in iron chains, strengthen their souls and faith, protect them from all harm and sickness, have mercy on His sons and daughters who seek His salvation, and annul all cruel decrees. With His great kindness, may He expedite their redemption and speedily take them from darkness to light, and from the abyss of captivity to eternal freedom, and return them safely to their families and homes.”
Appealing to God, the prayer concludes: “Please plant brotherhood, peace and friendship in everyone’s hearts. Remove jealousy and baseless hatred, and spread over us the shelter of Your peace; and we should soon merit to sing before You a new song.”
Hundreds of people marched on Friday near Kibbutz Urim, in the south near the Gaza border, to demand the release of the 129 men, women and children held hostage by terror groups in the Strip since October 7.
Marching under the banner “Let my people go” ahead of the upcoming Passover holiday, the demonstrators held cards with numbers representing the 189 days the hostages have been held captive, along with photos of the abductees.
In photos shared by activists, the demonstrators can be seen wearing hessian sacks to represent Jewish slavery before the exodus from Egypt, which is celebrated on the Passover holiday, and yellow sashes to represent the hostages.
The march ended at Eshkol Park, about 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) away from Urim.
“The fact that we are standing here, half a year after October 7, and the hostages are not home yet, is a terrible failure on the part of the State of Israel,” Einav Moses, daughter-in-law of hostage Gadi Moses, told those gathered.
“I call on the prime minister, and I say: No more. We are going into the holiday of freedom, and we cannot celebrate when 133 Israeli citizens are being denied basic human rights,” she said.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum also held a Passover-themed event, on Thursday in Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Survivors of the October 7 Hamas attacks on Kibbutz Nir Oz gathered Thursday morning in the kibbutz dining hall, which was set up for a mock Passover seder — now with dozens of kibbutz members gone.
They shared stories of their lost and missing loved ones and called on the state to bring the hostages home.
Terrifying new footage shows the moment screaming Israeli hostage Noa Argamani is seized by Hamas and taken to Gaza on October 7
Sickening new footage shows the moment Israeli hostage Noa Argamani is seized by Hamas and driven to Gaza.
The 26-year-old student was snatched by the terror group during their murderous attack on the Nova desert festival on October 7.
A picture of Noa - her arms outstretched toward her boyfriend as she screams for help - became one of the most recognisable images of the atrocities after it was published by The Mail on Sunday on October 8.
In new footage published yesterday, the young woman can be heard wailing as she is manhandled by a Palestinian fighter, who holds her head down as he places a black bag over her face.
The chilling video shows Noa surrounded by at least ten gun-toting terrorists who can be heard jeering and shouting at her.
The highly-sensitive video is being hidden from Noa's mother Liora, who is dying from terminal brain cancer.
Late last year, the 61-year-old made a last ditch plea to US President Joe Biden begging him for the opportunity to 'hug' her daughter 'one last time' before she dies.
She said: 'I am terminally ill with Stage 4 brain cancer.
'All that's running through my mind before I part ways with my family forever is the chance to hug my daughter, my only child, one last time
'My daughter Noa is a contagiously happy and resilient young woman.
'She loves to dance, loves music, loves being with her friends and family.'
In March, she made another please to the President, saying in a video message: 'My heart really hurts. On one hand it's physical, it's not working the way it should. One the other hand, because my daughter is a hostage.
'Since the kidnapping, when I see her look in this picture, it chokes me up.
'How beautiful she is, how amazing she is. I want to see [my daughter] one more time. Talk to her one more time,' she pleaded.
'I am asking you President Joe Biden, I don't have a lot of time left in this world. It may be my last wish, I am really begging you.'
WATCH
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) April 12, 2024
New footage emerges showcasing men in civilian clothing kidnapping Noa Argmani on October 7th pic.twitter.com/uKwxtnNRcI
1/3 Geolocating October 7 events
— Middle East Buka 🇮🇱🇺🇦 (@MiddleEastBuka) April 11, 2024
The body of a murdered, allegedly women, hostage being transported in the trunk of a car at Jabalia, Northern Gaza.
31.5349936, 34.5026681
Special thanks to @WachtelDan for assistance with arabic
Source: https://t.co/1Y3NmxVj8G@GeoConfirmed pic.twitter.com/XaasGKsbCo
3/3 The location was found with the assistance of @WachtelDan (arabic). After identifying the butchershop name ملحمة البلبيسي
— Middle East Buka 🇮🇱🇺🇦 (@MiddleEastBuka) April 11, 2024
Search on the Facebook lead to Abu Qamer Station area at Jabalia.
Sun location, shades azimuth and length assisted in geolocating the place. pic.twitter.com/fbeifr7qn8
‘Now You Are in Heaven, and the Only Thing Left Is Pain’
Ron Shemer was a lover of nature and animals, passionate about chasing sunsets at sea. He grew up in Lod, Israel, as the eldest son in his family, and after his military service as a deputy company commander in the Military Police Crossing Fighters Battalion, he dedicated himself to preserving the quality of the environment and planned to begin his studies in biotechnology at the university in October 2024. Not only was Ron meticulous in his work and studies, his family and friends occupied a primary place in his life. Even when Ron was in the deepest corners of the world, he used to talk to his family every day and do a joint kiddush with them on Zoom every Shabbat.PragerU: 100 Days after October 7 | Xaviaer
When terrorists from Gaza entered the Nova music festival—where Ron had gone with a group of friends—on Oct. 7, the first thing he did when he escaped was call his mother to tell her that he was fine, safe, and on his way home. When his group of friends managed to get a car to leave, Ron noticed that two of his best friends, Dan and Omar, were not there. He got out of the car to go back in search of them. Along the way, he helped a girl who had been frozen by a panic attack.
After Ron found his friends, an alarm sounded and together they entered a bus shelter at the Gama Junction. Suddenly, a group of terrorists arrived and threw grenades at them. Ron protected his friends with his body but the grenades wounded them all. Omar survived. Dan was injured, lost blood, and died hours later. Ron, still wounded, went out to confront the terrorists, but didn’t return. Missing, he was assumed to have been taken hostage by Hamas—until a week later, 23-year-old Ron was found dead by the army, 50 meters from the shelter. He was one of 364 people murdered at the Nova festival.
Ron’s mother, Sigalit, used to ask her son to return quickly to her house in Ramat Gan while he was away in South America enjoying the sea, or working with Jewish youth in the U.S. She felt that the safest place he could have was in her home, in the country where he grew up. Sometimes she wonders what would have happened if he didn’t return, but on the other hand, she is grateful because it happened in Israel and not in some remote place and that also it happened when he was not alone.
In March, I followed Sigalit as she visited Ron’s grave, attended a protest at a central Tel Aviv square, and joined meetings with mothers of other partygoers murdered in the attack. These mothers didn’t know one another before, but now they meet regularly to share their pain, and, as some of them hope, find purpose after their children’s deaths. Six months later, many families of those killed or kidnapped on Oct. 7 still feel abandoned and not supported by the government. Sigalit’s story is the story of many other mothers who, in a state of a grieving nation, are trying to make sense of what had led to that day’s disaster.
Is what we hear about Israel and Hamas the full story? On October 7, the world witnessed the devastating impact of terrorism on Israel. PragerU personality Xaviaer DuRousseau traveled to Israel 100 days after the horrific attacks to uncover the truth behind the headlines and explore the real effects of the conflict on its people. His journey reveals a narrative of resilience, sorrow, and the unyielding human spirit in the face of adversity.
Bravo to @RepLoisFrankel “…the suffering in #Gaza is the result of #Hamas brutal attack on #Israel …”. There was no humanitarian crisis on October 6. Why is this so hard for others in Congress to understand??? pic.twitter.com/qnUmafVfFb
— Paul Foldi (@paulfoldi) April 11, 2024
6 months ago, I put up posters of every hostage in my office. Hamas has refused to produce proof of life.
— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) April 11, 2024
Hamas owns this entire grotesque calamity.
I stand with Israel and the posters will remain on my walls until every single person is brought home. https://t.co/3gxjnetJ8c
Today's New York Times covers how officials capitulate to fringe protesters. In the biz, we refer to this as “pandering.”
— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) April 12, 2024
✅ Gaza
➕
✅ OJ’s Bronco
✅ OJ and the Kardashians
But a story on the unaccounted Israeli hostages? Not so much.#BringThemHomeNOW pic.twitter.com/VqwqmBwnZk
Say Their Names:
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) April 11, 2024
Edan Alexander (19)
Omer Neutra (22)
Hersh Goldberg-Polin (23)
Sagui Dekel-Chen (35)
Keith Siegel (64)
133 of our loved ones are still in captivity in Gaza. #BringThemHomeNOW pic.twitter.com/t15UOzJAMG
— Arsen Ostrovsky 🎗️ (@Ostrov_A) April 12, 2024
Six Months of War: A Conversation with Douglas Murray and Josh Szeps
Sam Harris speaks with Douglas Murray and Josh Szeps about the ongoing war in Gaza. They discuss public opinion about the war, the prospect of a widening conflict with Hezbollah and Iran, whether the Iron Dome was a mistake, the sentiments of Israeli Arabs, the global problem of Islamism, the risk of a resurgent right-wing in Europe, the crisis at the southern border in the US, and other topics.
Douglas Murray is the associate editor of The Spectator and writes frequently for a variety of other publications, including The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, and The Sun. He has also given talks at both the British and European Parliaments and at the White House. He is the author of several books including The Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity, Islam, The Madness of Crowds, and most recently, The War on the West.
Call Me Back PodCast: What it’s like to fight for your (captive) family – with Maya Roman
Hosted by Dan Senor
There has been growing tension within Israeli society over where to prioritize a hostage deal – at what cost (in terms of how many and which Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons should be part of the deal and the length of any temporary ceasefire).
At the same time, the sense of urgency behind Israel’s hostage cause in capitals around the world is…drifting. Not disappearing, but drifting. A turning point seemed to be when the UN Security Council passed a resolution – 14-0 (made possible by a US decision not to veto) – that, for the first time, did not call for a ceasefire that was conditioned on the return of the hostages.
It’s a sense we get from families of hostages, who are in regular contact with media, NGOs and governments around the world.
It’s against that backdrop, that we sat down in person with Maya Roman, who was in New York and Washington, DC.
Maya Roman is an Israeli journalist from Tel Aviv. Two of Maya’s cousins – Yarden Roman-Gat and Carmel Gat were visiting Carmel’s mother, Kinneret, in Kibbutz Beeri on October 7th for the Simchat Torah holiday. Carmel and Yarden were taken hostage, Kineret was murdered.
Yarden was released as part of the hostage deal last November. Carmel is still being held.
Since 10/07, Maya has not stopped organizing or advocating for the release of her family. When we hear of the hostage families movement, Maya is the kind of person who has been in the middle of it. In our conversation, Maya talks about what they have learned from Yarden since her return from captivity, and where the hostage movement may go from here, at this crucial and very raw phase.
The libel that Israel intentionally kills civilians (in wars that Israel didn't start) is not something new. Watch this 1970 interview w/ Golda Meir where a journalist levels the same accusation being made against Israel today. Golda's message remains as true now as it was then. pic.twitter.com/rfGUqTYt6f
— Canary Mission (@canarymission) April 11, 2024
Jack Carr: Unraveling the Complex History of Hamas
Dr. Jonathan Schanzer is a terrorism finance expert, a Senior Vice President for Research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and serves on the FDD's Center on Economic and Financial Power leadership team. Along with hundreds of articles on terrorism and the Middle East, he is the author of Gaza Conflict 2021: Hamas. Israel and Eleven Days of War, State of Failure: Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Unmaking of the Palestinian State, Hamas vs. Fatah: The Struggle for Palestine, and Al-Qaeda's Armies: Middle East Affiliate Groups & the Next Generation of Terror. Previously, Dr. Schanzer was a terrorism finance analyst in the U.S. Department of the Treasury. He also held think tank research positions at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the Middle East Forum. You can follow him on X @JSchanzer and on Instagram@jonathan.schanzer
NOTE: This segment has been extracted from the full-length episode, which originally aired on November 10, 2023.
The Israel Guys: Israel ELIMINATES Three Sons of Hamas Leader
Israel just took out three more high ranking Hamas terrorist leaders, this time, however, they were the sons of the top Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh.
Also, Joe Biden did an interview with a Spanish TV network in which he not only strongly criticized Netanyahu, but also condemned Israel for the air strike that killed 7 aid workers last week.
And an update on what is going on with Iran.
Australian Opposition Leader @PeterDutton_MP, responds to ALP and Foreign Minister @SenatorWong's proposal to recognize Palestinian state:
— Arsen Ostrovsky 🎗️ (@Ostrov_A) April 12, 2024
"Let’s be clear about a few things.
Since the Balfour Declaration and the end of the First World War, it has been Arab Palestinian leaders… pic.twitter.com/VKqetQh8t9
For #Gaza, the elimination of #Hamas by Israel is more beneficial than Hamas's existence, which has undermined Palestinian unity and any voice for peace. #Iran's Quds Force opposes humanity, not just #Israel, and targets Arabs before Tel Aviv. Here I explain on Saudi Arabia TV. pic.twitter.com/l1g0yXuILY
— Amjad Taha أمجد طه (@amjadt25) April 11, 2024
Mike Huckabee: Israel-Hamas war: A Conflict Between Good and Evil | Top Story
America is divided on many issues but none more so than on support for Israel with Democrats led by the Biden administration increasingly turning on the Jewish state since Oct. 7 while Republicans are backing it. Where and why is the democratic party turning away from Israel? Is the support among evangelical and conservative Christians rock solid or is it also wavering in the face of an unprecedented assault against the Jewish State?
JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin is joined by former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee to talk about current US/Israel relations and why he will always remain an unapologetic Zionist.
.@TuckerCarlson's interview with Munther Isaac, a Palestinian pastor from Bethlehem, could have shown the complexity of issues facing Palestinians in the West Bank & Gaza.
— The Philos Project (@philosproject) April 11, 2024
Instead, it is full of errors & popular anti-Israel tropes.
Watch @lukemoon1, who has traveled to Israel… pic.twitter.com/6p5g44qAWV
This is the truth about us Christians in Israel, @TuckerCarlson
— Shadi khalloul שאדי ח'לול (@shadikhalloul) April 11, 2024
I invite you to come meet us at our Aramaic Christian Center in the Galilee to learn the facts. pic.twitter.com/NoHQqHS4YD
.@edvaizey Hi Ed, at 12:48, @ByoussefYoussef claimed that the gang rape of Israeli women on Oct. 7 was a lie. Why did you fail to challenge him on that?
— CAMERA UK (@CAMERAorgUK) April 12, 2024
Later he said that hundreds or thousands of Palestinians are being kidnapped and killed on a daily basis. You didn't… https://t.co/7GTY2OMrxx
How is it that he has so many platforms and is never challenged on his outrageous lies and conspiracies?
— Shelley G (@ShelleyGldschmt) April 11, 2024
Here he claims Israelis stole Yemeni babies in a plot to plant "Semitic DNA" into Israeli Jews, who are simply usurping European converts in the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/3EYy0vz9ff
'Revolutionary Suicide': UCLA Psychiatrists Cheer Self-Immolation in Leaked Audio
UCLA medical school’s psychiatry department hosted a talk earlier this month that glorified self-immolation as a form of "revolutionary suicide," raising concerns from prominent doctors and deepening a public relations crisis that has embroiled the elite medical school.
The talk, "Depathologizing Resistance," was delivered on April 2 by two psychiatry residents at UCLA, Drs. Ragda Izar and Afaf Moustafa, under the auspices of the department’s diversity office and UCLA’s Health Ethics Center, according to slides and emails obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
The remarks centered on the suicide of Aaron Bushnell, the U.S. serviceman who set himself on fire in February to protest U.S. support for Israel—or, as Izar put it, "indigenous Palestine."
Bushnell had shown signs of mental distress before he died, according to a police report, and was widely seen as a casualty of mental illness. The presentation argued he could also be considered a "martyr," a man in full control of his mental faculties who had responded rationally to a "genocide" unfolding thousands of miles away.
"Yes, he carried a lot of distress," Izar said, according to audio of the talk reviewed by the Free Beacon. "But does that mean the actions he engaged in are any less valid?"
Isn’t it normal, she continued, "to be distressed when you’re seeing this level of carnage" in Gaza?
NEW: UCLA medical school’s psychiatry department hosted a talk this month that glorified self-immolation as a form of "revolutionary suicide."
— Aaron Sibarium (@aaronsibarium) April 12, 2024
We have obtained audio of the talk, which argued taboos on self-immolation serve "the interests of power."🧵https://t.co/95SxWsnl7z pic.twitter.com/Lud8ymWO8n
I often wonder what a conversation between a Hamas supporter and their child would look like…
— Hillel Fuld (@HilzFuld) February 4, 2024
Daughter: “Dad, where you going?”
Dad: “Going to a rally for an important cause.”
Daughter: “Cool. Can I join?”
Dad: “Probably not a good idea…”
Daughter: “Why not?”
Dad: “People… pic.twitter.com/GLPU7bRatB
Pro-Palestinian activist & alleged kidnapper, Mohammad Sharab, introduces convicted child kidnapper & President of Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, Nasser Mashni, at a rally in Melbourne
— Menachem Vorchheimer (@MenachemV) April 12, 2024
No, I am not making this up#auspol @3AW693 @theheraldsun @australian @theage https://t.co/zFkU056iga pic.twitter.com/SBGy6FlnO5
We hope Heba gets the help she needs. pic.twitter.com/mEHtPyrqX8
— The Mossad: Satirical, Yet Awesome (@TheMossadIL) April 11, 2024
Pro tip: when you are in a hole, the first thing to do is stop 🧹🕳️ https://t.co/VXmnVuLjsl pic.twitter.com/Gw8opnStsf
— GnasherJew®גנאשר (@GnasherJew) April 11, 2024
Canada is doomed. pic.twitter.com/Hvvd4DSk8v
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) April 12, 2024
🎥 WATCH
— Kosher🎗🧡 (@KosherCockney) April 12, 2024
Wow. Old school New Yorker tells it to the Anti-Israel hate crowd.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
via @mish_k_
Credit @JewishLiveMatr
pic.twitter.com/cE7yDiLOXZ
Watch the full video here👇https://t.co/H1eiK56z7w pic.twitter.com/RhjI70aLd9
— Alex Stein #99 (@alexstein99) April 12, 2024
PreOccupiedTerritory: Muslims’ Vows To Vote Against Biden: Same Vibe As ‘Queers For Palestine’ (satire)
A group of activists in the swing state of Michigan whose support may determine which presidential candidate will carry the day in November have threatened to vote for the Republican, Donald Trump, or at least not to vote Democrat, in protest over the Democratic president’s handling of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, a development that analysts see as consistent with the attitude prevalent among American progressives that making a statement in favor of harsh treatment of Israel takes precedence even over one’s personal interests, as demonstrated by an organization of non-heterosexuals who have dedicated themselves to working for the sovereignty of a group who, at every opportunity, subjects non-heterosexuals to harassment, torture, and death.
Experts noted this week the parallels between the Muslim-American voters vowing not to vote for Biden because he has supported Israel’s robust self-defense, and Queers for Palestine, a group that agitates for a murderously homophobic society to be free to realize itself.
“It’s not a perfect analogy,” acknowledged anthropologist Lauri Iti. “But these people are willing to sacrifice a presidential election and bring back to the Oval Office a man whose policies during his first term included immigration restrictions that they decried as a ‘Muslim ban,’ who moved the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, who recognized the legitimacy of Israeli settlement beyond the 1949 armistice lines, and who, accurately or not, is accused of calling white supremacists ‘very fine people.’ That Palestine-first mentality, or, more precisely, hurt-Israel-first mentality, tracks with Queers for Palestine.”
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