Friday, August 30, 2024

08/30 Links Pt1: Correcting the ‘Escalation’ Nonsense; MK's: No Red Cross visits to Nukhba terrorists without hostage checks first; Gaza shop creates fake UNICEF car stickers

From Ian:

Seth Mandel: Correcting the ‘Escalation’ Nonsense
Let’s take as an example the New York Times article on Israel’s antiterror raids in the West Bank this week. “It was a significant escalation after months of raids that have unfolded alongside the war in Gaza,” we’re told. We then learn this: “The operation followed months of escalating Israeli raids in the occupied territory.”

Sounds like a lot of escalations! But what does that mean, exactly? Is it an escalation when Israel sends a numerically greater amount of troops than it did in last week’s or last month’s counterterror operation? Is it an escalation if Israel used a piece of equipment, like an unmanned drone, that it didn’t use last time? What about the number of military vehicles—how many jeeps make an escalation?

Much like its equally annoying cousin “disproportionate,” the term “escalation” appears to be a synonym for “Israeli self-defense.”

“Escalation of war has come to mean an increase in scope or violence of a conflict,” the U.S. Naval Institute offers. Thus what happened in the West Bank this week might truly count as an escalation—but if so, it is not Israel that escalated.

More from the Times: “The raid comes as U.S., Israeli and Iranian officials have said that Tehran is operating a clandestine smuggling route across the Middle East to deliver weapons to Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied territory. The goal, as described by three Iranian officials, has been to foment unrest against Israel by flooding the enclave with as many weapons as it can, The New York Times reported in April.”

Ah, a clue. Let’s head on over to what the Times reported in April:
Iran is operating a clandestine smuggling route across the Middle East, employing intelligence operatives, militants and criminal gangs, to deliver weapons to Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to officials from the United States, Israel and Iran.

The goal, as described by three Iranian officials, is to foment unrest against Israel by flooding the enclave with as many weapons as it can.

The covert operation is now heightening concerns that Tehran is seeking to turn the West Bank into the next flashpoint in the long-simmering shadow war between Israel and Iran.

So what we’ve learned, definitively, is the following: Iran has been escalating the conflict for months, and Israel’s response to this escalation was an attempt to de-escalate—that is, to prevent Iran’s escalation from coming to full fruition. As the Times itself reports, Iran has increased the scope of the conflict, in an attempt to increase the violence of the conflict. If what just happened this week does count as an escalation, it is definitionally Iran’s escalation.

That is also true of Israel’s preemptive strikes on Hezbollah rocket launchers in Lebanon. Using Lebanon as a base of attack on Israel in response to Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza is quite literally increasing the scope of conflict. Israel’s response has been to take actions that, if further escalation takes place, will limit the damage and destructiveness of that escalation. The other goal of Israel’s actions is to prevent that escalation from happening at all.

Words have meanings. Israel is working to de-escalate conflict while being accused of doing the opposite. That’s the reality, and it isn’t likely to change anytime soon.
A step back
Not long ago, I wrote an article titled, “Hostage Talks Won’t Work; Winning the War Will.” A retired American military officer wrote to ask, “What is the definition of winning? What does winning look like?” He wasn’t questioning Israel’s capability; he added, “I am quite sure the IDF can deliver whatever is directed or defined.”

To be clear, an American military officer knows what winning looks like; he was checking on me. That made me nervous, but I also realized that people are projecting different end games on Israel. The Biden-Harris administration, for example, is pushing for a ceasefire and “de-escalation.” (U.S. President Joe Biden told Israel in mid-April to “pocket the win” after Iran fired 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles at Israel and succeeded in killing only one person. Odd definition of a win.)

So, I took a shot.

“Winning” is achieving your war objectives. Israel had three clear objectives announced in October.

Secure the border and the people of Israel. Previous ground and rocket attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah resulted in “ceasefires” that left the timing and scope of the next attack up to Israel’s enemies. There was a ceasefire in place on Oct. 6, and Hamas broke it in the most horrific manner. This time, the Israeli government said, “We don’t want another ceasefire, or a better ceasefire, or a longer ceasefire.”

The goal is to secure the border.

The United States settled for a ceasefire in Korea. And when the minuses outweighed the plusses in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, we went home. We put 6,000 or 10,000 miles between us and them. We ignored the mess, the refugees, the killings we left in our wake. For Israel, there is no going home; Israelis are home. If a secure border means a buffer along the Negev and Israeli forces in the Philadelphi Corridor, so be it.

Take away Hamas’s military and governing capabilities. It doesn’t mean “kill them all” or “get a formal surrender.” It means removing the weapons and tunnels already inside Gaza, along with securing the borders so Hamas can’t import more. The tunnels at Rafah tell you that Egypt was a smuggling partner of Hamas. Israel, perhaps naively, assumed Egypt would live up to the agreements it signed in 1982 when Israel withdrew from Sinai and 2005 when Israel withdrew from Gaza. But no, so now Israel has to be in control.

Without military power, Hamas’s governing power wanes. If you believe, as some people do, that the Palestinians aren’t all Hamas themselves or that they don’t support Hamas, but they know Hamas will kill them if they rebel (Hamas has killed many Palestinian civilians since Israel’s invasion, including people trying to get to the “safe zones”), then you have to want the Hamas boot off their necks. The only way to do that for them is by removing the weapons Hamas uses to enforce its will, i.e., to kill them. Or, if you believe, as some people do, that Palestinian civilians do, in fact, support the genocidal program of Hamas, then Israel has to remove as much of the weaponry as possible from the space.
Ministers to Netanyahu: No Red Cross visits to Nukhba terrorists without hostage checks first
Eleven government ministers joined Minister Orit Strock's call on Thursday not to allow visits by representatives of the Red Cross to the Nukhba terrorists imprisoned in Israel.

The Red Cross would visit the terrorists without having visited the hostages held in Gaza and providing them with medication first.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the political and security cabinet were presented with the call, which they were expected to discuss on Thursday night.

Earlier this week, the High Court of Justice issued a conditional order according to which the state must explain why visits by the Red Cross's representatives to Israeli prisons should be prevented. The ministers demand that this position be the state's answer to the High Court.

Minister Orit Strock led the call and was joined by Amichai Eliyahu, Uriel Busso, Yitzhak Goldknopf, Miki Zohar, Amichai Chikli, Idit Silman, Ya’acov Margi, Ofir Sofer, and May Golan.

Authorized Nukhba visits
Last April, politicians and various organizations strongly criticized the decision of the War Cabinet to authorize visits to Nukhba prisoners.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed approving the visits, which was supported by most cabinet ministers, as opposed to ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who opposed it.


Trump is right about an 'Iron Dome' missile shield for the US homeland
During former President Trump’s freewheeling rallies, he regularly brings up his aim to build an "Iron Dome" missile shield for America. It is one of the few itemized priorities in the Republican National Committee platform, which calls for "a great Iron Dome missile defense shield over our entire country."

Some national defense commentators pounced, deriding the idea as infeasible and calling it "snake oil" and a boondoggle that won’t work. They described the technical characteristics of Israel’s Iron Dome system and waxed tediously about how impractical the literal system would be for a big country like America that is separated from its enemies by vast oceans.

But Trump is right on the policy, and all one must do is note that he has been arguing for a missile shield for 25 years. He is likely using the "Iron Dome" name as shorthand because average Americans are aware of Israel’s system since it’s regularly protecting Israelis from the rockets of Iran and its proxies.

Trump has been persistent about the unacceptability of enemies threatening the United States with nuclear missiles. In a 1999 interview with Charlie Rose, he repeatedly emphasized his view that the proliferation of nuclear weapons was the biggest problem facing the United States. He said it would be wise to preemptively strike the North Korean nuclear weapons and delivery program if diplomacy failed.

The same year, he told Wolf Blitzer that the United States must focus on the threat of nuclear weapons, urging a focus on the North Korean nuclear program. Again, he emphasized the need to try to negotiate, and said negotiation would only be possible if Pyongyang knew the United States was serious about preemptively destroying the illicit program with conventional weapons if it would not negotiate.

When pressed for a historical parallel, Trump praised the Israeli decision to take out the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq in 1981.

And, given the growing complexity of the nuclear threats, the younger Trump said, with certainty – that the United States must have a missile defense shield to defend the American homeland. He credited President Ronald Reagan for being right about that, alluding to Reagan’s famous Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), and rightly noted that modern technology had made it more feasible.

It was a feature of Trump’s bid for the presidency. And on Jan. 17, 2019, President Trump laid out his vision for missile defense in a speech at the Pentagon.

He said, "[W]e will recognize that space is a new warfighting domain, with the Space Force leading the way. My upcoming budget will invest in a space-based missile defense layer. It’s new technology. It’s ultimately going to be a very, very big part of our defense and, obviously, of our offense.

"The system will be monitored, and we will terminate any missile launches from hostile powers, or even from powers that make a mistake. It won’t happen. Regardless of the missile type or the geographic origins of the attack, we will ensure that enemy missiles find no sanctuary on Earth or in the skies above."
Biden admin’s dealings with Iran maybe ‘partly responsible’ for Oct. 7 attack, congressman says
Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), chair of the House Energy Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, suggested in his newsletter on Thursday that the Biden administration may have been “partly responsible” for Hamas’s Oct. 7 terror attack.

“Were the Biden-Harris actions in Afghanistan and their dealings with Iran partly responsible for the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 of last year?” he wrote. “Maybe? But I believe it certainly didn’t help.”

Griffith added that more than two dozen of the 1,200 people killed by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 were U.S. citizens.

“Hundreds were taken hostage, including 12 Americans,” and “11 months later, Israeli forces are still trying to rescue them,” he stated. “As I’m writing, they rescued a Bedouin hostage in Gaza. Some Americans are still held captive by Hamas. As we watch the news, Israel faces missile and drone attacks from Hezbollah.”

“To the delight of our terrorist foes overseas, the freedom-seeking world is paying the price for Biden-Harris naïveté and negligence,” he added.
In first interview, Harris says she would continue US support for Israel
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said in her first interview since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee that she would not change U.S. policy towards Israel.

“I am unequivocal and unwavering in my commitment to Israel’s defense and its ability to defend itself,” Harris said in an interview on Thursday with CNN’s Dana Bash. “That’s not gonna change.”

Harris has reportedly been one of the senior members of the Biden administration who has been most critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza, and has called for insisting more forcefully on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

That reporting prompted some hope from the Democratic Party’s anti-Israel, left flank that Harris might consider cutting off or conditioning U.S. aid to Israel.

Bash asked if she would make changes to “policy in terms of arms and so forth.” Harris said “no,” but insisted on the need for a ceasefire-for-hostages deal that could lead to the creation of a Palestinian state.

“We have to get a deal done,” Harris said. “When you look at the significance of this to the families to the people who are living in that region, a deal is not only the right thing to do to end this war but will unlock so much of what must happen next.”

“I remain committed since I’ve been on Oct. 8 to what we must do to work toward a two-state solution, where Israel is secure and in equal measure, the Palestinians have security and self-determination and dignity,” she said.

Harris added that “this war must end” and that “far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed,” while reiterating that Israel has a right to defend itself after the Oct. 7 attacks.


Muslim voters flock to Kamala Harris after Biden's exit, poll finds
A new survey conducted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) revealed a significant rise in support for Vice President Kamala Harris among American Muslim voters following her replacement of President Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket. According to the poll, 29.4% of American Muslims intended to vote for Harris in the upcoming presidential election, placing her in a near tie with Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who garnered 29.1% support.

This surge in backing for Harris contrasted sharply with the low levels of support previously recorded for Biden before his withdrawal from the race. An earlier, unreleased CAIR poll, conducted with over 2,500 Muslim American voters, showed that only 7.3% of respondents planned to vote for Biden, compared to 36% for Stein and 25.2% for People’s Party candidate Cornel West. In contrast, Trump received less than 5% support among Muslim voters before Biden's exit.

The latest poll, conducted between August 25 and 27, reflected a shifting political landscape within the Muslim American electorate, which showed increased alignment with Harris’s campaign. Notably, the poll also indicated that 16.5% of Muslim voters remained undecided, highlighting the fluidity and potential volatility of this key voting bloc. Significant support for Harris

CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad commented on the findings, emphasizing the high level of engagement among American Muslim voters and their openness to a diverse range of candidates. "Our latest survey revealed that American Muslim voters were highly engaged in the upcoming presidential election and expressed significant support for Vice President Harris, reflecting a broader desire for new leadership," Awad said.

The poll also underscored growing dissatisfaction among Muslim voters with both major parties. While 69.1% of respondents typically voted for the Democratic Party, nearly 60% indicated plans to support third-party candidates in 2024. The survey further revealed that 94% of Muslim voters disapproved of President Biden’s recent performance, particularly regarding his handling of the war in Gaza, a key issue for many in the community.


UKLFI warns ICC Prosecutor that he is breaching professional rules
UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) has written to the Prosecutor, Karim Khan KC, warning him that he is breaching these rules by misleading the Court, failing to update and correct information previously provided, and not providing information and evidence exonerating the accused.

If not satisfied with Mr Khan’s response, UKLFI will report its concerns to the ICC and the Bar Standards Board (BSB).

The Prosecutor filed applications at the Court on 20 May 2024 seeking warrants for the arrest of Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant. Those applications have not been published but the Prosecutor made a public statement on the day he filed them, in which he purported to summarise the grounds on which they were based.

Those grounds centred around a charge that under the leadership of Netanyahu and Gallant, Israel has used and is using starvation of the civilian population as a method of warfare, by allegedly imposing a complete siege on Gaza.

UKLFI analysed Khan’s public statement and found that every phrase of every sentence of his summary of the charges was contradicted by information in the public domain, including important information that came to light after 20 May 2024.

Several dozen NGOs, individuals and States sent observations to the Court as amici curiae after the Court stated that any such observations had to be filed by 6 August 2024.

UKLFI, together with the NGOs International Legal Forum (ILF), Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC), Bnai Brith UK (BBUK) and Jerusalemites’ Initiative (JI), sent joint observations to the Court which contended that if the Prosecutor’s public statement was an accurate summary of the allegations in the applications, these allegations were entirely false. The observations cited documents that fully substantiated this contention.

Several other amici curiae also argued that the applications appeared to be based on false information.

The Prosecutor filed his response to these observations on 23 August 2024. In it he submits that the Court should ignore observations of amici curiae other than those on the effect (if any) of the Oslo Accords on jurisdiction. He asks the Court to proceed urgently to issue the arrest warrants on the basis of the applications he filed on 20 May 2024. He contends that an application for an arrest warrant is an ex parte application in which he is the only party entitled to make submissions to the Court.

UKLFI’s letter reminds the Prosecutor that he is required by professional rules of both the ICC and the BSB to act impartially, to seek truth objectively, not to mislead the Court, to investigate exonerating matters, and to disclose to the Court all evidence that shows or tends to show innocence.

These obligations are particularly important in an ex parte application. As English judges have put it: “a prosecutor seeking an ex parte order must put on his defence hat and ask himself what, if he were representing the defendant or third party with a relevant interest, he would be saying to the judge, and, having answered that question, that is what he must tell the judge”.

Moreover, these are continuing obligations: if material information has come to his attention after making a submission to the Court, he is obliged to bring it to the attention of the Court as soon as practicable.


IDF wraps up 3-week raid in south Gaza; 250 gunmen killed, 6 km of tunnels destroyed
The Israel Defense Forces on Friday wrapped up a three-week-long operation in the southern Gaza Strip, during which the military said it demolished tunnels, killed over 250 gunmen and recovered the bodies of six hostages.

The raid, in Khan Younis and on the outskirts of Deir al-Balah, was launched by the 98th Division in early August. The division was withdrawn from Gaza early Friday as it prepared for future operations, the IDF said.

It was the third time that the IDF had reentered Khan Younis since its initial ground offensive there earlier this year. The latest operations have focused on recovering the bodies of hostages and demolishing Hamas infrastructure with new intelligence.

According to the military, amid the operation this past month, combat engineers demolished six separate tunnels belonging to terror groups, totaling some six kilometers (3.7 miles) of underground passages.

Inside some of the tunnels, troops killed gunmen, located areas where terror operatives had resided and found weapons, the military said.

Hamas infrastructure above ground was also demolished amid the operation, the IDF said.

The military said troops also located weapons, rocket launchers and intelligence materials at a “central” Hamas outpost in the Deir al-Balah area.

In the Hamad Town residential complex of Khan Younis, the IDF recovered the bodies of six hostages from a Hamas tunnel last week.

The hostages were Alex Dancyg, 75, Yagev Buchshtav, 35, Chaim Peri, 79, Yoram Metzger, 80, Nadav Popplewell, 51, and Avraham Munder, 78.


IAF aims to degrade Hezbollah’s capabilities while preparing for war
The Israeli Air Force is systematically degrading Hezbollah’s capabilities while preparing for a full-scale war, according to a former IAF commander.

On Aug. 25, the IAF launched a significant preemptive strike against Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, following intelligence that indicated an imminent large-scale missile and rocket attack on Israel. The operation, executed shortly before dawn, struck thousands of rocket launchers and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) storage sites, with the aim of disrupting the terror organization’s ability to carry out its planned assault.

Former IAF commander Maj. Gen. (res.) Amikam Norkin said during a webinar organized by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) on Aug. 26 that the preemptive strike was meticulously planned in response to concrete intelligence gathered by Israeli security agencies.

“Israeli intelligence recognized that Hezbollah [planned] to act against strategic targets inside Israel,” he stated.

The strike involved around 100 fighter jets striking multiple Hezbollah positions, focusing on rocket launchers and UAV units concealed in open fields and wooded areas. According to Norkin, the IAF specifically avoided targeting launchers in densely populated areas to minimize the risk of civilian casualties.

Norkin emphasized that the IAF’s actions are carefully calibrated to achieve tactical objectives while avoiding war.

“At the tactical level, I think that we achieved what we planned to achieve,” he said. While he was unsure that Israel is “at the right level” now in terms of its position against Hezbollah, “We’re in a better situation than compared to a month ago.”

Despite the preemptive strike, Hezbollah still managed to launch some 300 rockets and drones toward northern Israel. Most were successfully intercepted, said Norkin, including all of the drones launched toward central Israel.


IDF: Hamas’s Rafah Brigade has collapsed, 80% of border tunnels neutralized
The Hamas terror group’s Rafah Brigade had “collapsed” as a result of the Israel Defense Forces’s ongoing offensive in the city in the southern Gaza Strip, military sources said on Thursday.

The remarks come a week after Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the Rafah Brigade had been defeated.

Hamas’s Rafah Brigade was made up of four battalions: Yabna (South), Shaboura (North), Tel Sultan (West), and East Rafah. It had been considered one of the terror group’s final strongholds in the Strip until the IDF’s 162nd Division launched its offensive there in May.

Amid the fighting in Rafah, the military has seen Hamas operatives increasingly trying to escape from tunnels and flee north to the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone, instead of fighting troops. IDF troops have successfully been ambushing Hamas gunmen in the area who have tried to flee, the military sources added.

The IDF has said it has killed more than 1,000 terror operatives in Rafah amid the ongoing offensive, and that many gunmen fled with the Palestinian population as the operation began.

In addition to fighting in the city itself, the operation in Rafah has also focused on the Philadelphi Corridor — the Egypt-Gaza border area, where IDF combat engineers have discovered dozens of tunnels, some of them cross-border.

Combat engineers have been meticulously sweeping the entire Gaza-Egypt border for tunnels while expanding the corridor by demolishing structures within about 800 meters (875 yards) of the border.

Such tunnels have been used by Hamas for smuggling, although military sources have said that the terror group in recent years has been smuggling weapons via the overground Rafah Crossing, rather than using tunnels. The crossing was captured by the IDF on the first day of the offensive in Rafah.

As of Thursday, the IDF said that around 80 percent of Hamas’s tunnels along the Philadelphi Corridor had been neutralized. More than 150 tunnels have been discovered along the corridor, Gallant said last week.


IDF kills Wassem Hazem, head of Hamas in Jenin
Wassem Hazem, head of the Hamas terror organization in the West Bank area of Jenin, was killed on Friday in a joint IDF, ISA, and Israel Border Police counterterrorism operation in the northern Samaria area, Israel's military announced shortly afterward.

Hazem was killed in his vehicle after an exchange of fire during the joint operation. His role in the terror group involved carrying out and directing shooting and bombing attacks.

Hazem continuously advanced terrorist activities in the Judea and Samaria area, the IDF added.

Following the elimination of Hazem, two additional terrorists, Maysara Masharqa and Arafat Amer, who were in the vehicle with him, attempted to flee the scene. However, shortly afterward, they were also killed by an IDF aircraft.

Masharqa and Amer operated under the command of Hazem and took part in shooting attacks against Israeli communities, the IDF said.


US says Israel behind aid convoy shooting, must ‘immediately rectify’ its conduct
The United States said Thursday that Israel must “immediately rectify” its conduct, claiming Israel had admitted it was behind Tuesday evening’s shooting toward a United Nations World Food Programme humanitarian aid convoy inside Gaza, which Jerusalem was said to have pinned on a communication error between army units.

“Humanitarian workers are there to help innocent civilians, and Israel must ensure they are protected,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller wrote on X.

US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood said Jerusalem had informed Washington that an initial review found the shots had been fired due to a miscommunication in the IDF.

“We have urged them to immediately rectify the issues within their system,” Wood told a Thursday UN Security Council meeting on Gaza.

The army, or any Israeli official, were yet to comment on the incident Friday afternoon.

On Wednesday, the WFP suspended the movement of its employees across the Gaza Strip, saying at least 10 bullets struck one of its clearly marked vehicles as it approached an Israeli military checkpoint at the Wadi Gaza bridge, in northern Gaza, after completing a mission in the Strip’s south. No one was hurt.
US aid group admits unauthorized individuals took control of Gaza convoy yesterday
A US-based aid group admits that a group of individuals, that the Israeli military claims were armed, took control of an aid convoy in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday, without vetting them or coordinating with the IDF.

Yesterday, the IDF said a convoy of aid trucks from the American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera) organization entered the southern Rafah area with Israeli coordination. During the drive, the military said a group of gunmen took over the vehicle at the front of the convoy, which the IDF described as a hijacking attempt.

The IDF said it was able to determine that it could strike only the car with the gunmen, without harming the rest of the convoy. It then carried out the strike, killing at least four.

Anera in a statement says that after the convoy departed the Kerem Shalom crossing, “four community members with experience in previous missions and engagement in community security” with their transport company, Move One, “stepped forward and took command of the leading vehicle, citing concern that the route was unsafe and at risk of being looted.”

“The four community members were neither vetted nor coordinated in advance,” Anera admits.

Although the organization claims that “the four individuals were not perceived by the convoy as a hostile threat” and that the Israeli strike “was carried out without any prior warning or communication.”

No Anera employees were hurt in the incident, and the convoy made it to its destination.

The IDF said yesterday that “the presence of armed men in a humanitarian convoy without coordination is against the procedures and makes it difficult to secure the convoys and their workers and thus also harms the humanitarian effort in Gaza.”

The United States said Thursday that Israel must “immediately rectify” its conduct, claiming Israel had admitted it was behind Tuesday evening’s shooting toward a United Nations World Food Programme humanitarian aid convoy inside Gaza, which Jerusalem was said to have pinned on a communication error between army units.

“Humanitarian workers are there to help innocent civilians, and Israel must ensure they are protected,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller wrote on X.

US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood said Jerusalem had informed Washington that an initial review found the shots had been fired due to a miscommunication in the IDF.

“We have urged them to immediately rectify the issues within their system,” Wood told a Thursday UN Security Council meeting on Gaza.

The army, or any Israeli official, were yet to comment on the incident Friday afternoon.

On Wednesday, the WFP suspended the movement of its employees across the Gaza Strip, saying at least 10 bullets struck one of its clearly marked vehicles as it approached an Israeli military checkpoint at the Wadi Gaza bridge, in northern Gaza, after completing a mission in the Strip’s south. No one was hurt.
Gaza shop creates fake UNICEF stickers for Palestinian vehicles
A store in northern Gaza is selling fake UNICEF stickers to put on vehicles, according to the store's TikTok on Thursday night.

The shop, "World of Stickers," stated on its social media that it has reopened in a new location on Al-Sahaba St., near Al-Sahaba Medical Complex in Gaza City.

"We welcome your orders," TikTok said, alongside a video appearing to show the store designing the logo. The video depicts an individual downloading the UNICEF logo, enlarging it, making a template, and then printing it out on a large sticker sheet.

The sticker is then shown being stuck to the bonnet, sides, roof, and trunk of a white KIA, with Palestinian plates 3-1801-06.

The store, which calls itself "specialist in all kinds of stickers" also has different video showing them turning a plain white van into a Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance, including the logos and red body work stickers.

In another video, they can be seen using stickers to make it appear as if a car is splashed with blood.


Over 3,500 pallets of Gaza-bound aid unloaded at Ashdod port
Workers began unloading some 3,577 pallets of humanitarian aid bound for civilians in the Gaza Strip at the Port of Ashdod on Friday, Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced.

The aid, which had arrived from Cyprus aboard the American Cape Trinity on Thursday, contains food, water, and medical supplies provided by the World Central Kitchen, the American Near East Refugee Aid, and the United States Agency for International Development.

The aid will be allowed to enter Gaza after it has cleared inspection, COGAT added.

The Israeli agency added that the aid delivery operation was “facilitated by the ongoing maritime aid transfers,” which have seen more than 750 trucks carry over 10,700 such pallets enter Gaza.

Nearly a million tons of aid delivered
According to COGAT, from the start of the war until this past Monday, 964.969.22 tons of humanitarian aid entered the Strip, the vast majority of it crossing over via land crossings.

As of Monday, 5,845 tons of aid, carried by 480 trucks, had entered Gaza through the maritime route, according to the agency's website.

Another 6,959 tons of aid on 9,931 pallets have reportedly entered through the aerial route.

“The IDF, via COGAT, will continue to collaborate closely with international aid organizations to enable and facilitate the transfer of aid by sea, land, and air,” COGAT said.
McCaul says tax dollars spent on Gaza pier ‘wasted in irresponsible way’
A report by the Office of Inspector General into the failed efforts to use a mobile pier to provide humanitarian aid to Palestinians fleeing Gaza’s war zones has inspired condemnation from a House leader.

“USAID OIG’s evaluation of the Biden-Harris administration’s $230 million pier boondoggle for Gaza aid is both shocking and damning,” said Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

He said that “in pursuing this resource-intensive failure, the administration repeatedly disregarded the advice of its own subject matter experts” and that “it is no surprise to see that the project fell far, far short of its goals in delivering aid.”

Announcing his plans to discuss the findings with OIG in the coming days, McCaul said that he sought “to get a better understanding of how American taxpayer money was wasted in such a ridiculous and irresponsible way.”


Kaddish period for Oct. 7 victims ends this week. What does that mean?
According to Jewish tradition, those mourning a close relative recite the Aramaic prayer known as Kaddish (literally, “sanctification”) daily from the funeral until eleven months after the death. Following the Jewish calendar, those whose spouses, siblings, parents, and children were murdered on October 7 concluded saying Kaddish this week. Sivan Rahav Meir reflects:
Kaddish opens with the mourners expressing their desire to glorify and sanctify the magnificent Name of God: “Yitgadal v’yitkadash shmei rabbah!” [May his great name be magnified and hallowed!] The words that follow describe a perfect world that has achieved its tikkun (rectification) and beseeching that God’s presence in the world be further magnified.

Since every human being is created in God’s image, when a person passes away, God’s revelation in the world is diminished somewhat. Something holy is now missing from our world. Therefore, we request that the divine light be increased to fill that void. And this year, that void is almost unfathomable.

But at the same time, Israel marked a very different milestone, with the first wedding in Kibbutz Be’eri since the attacks that destroyed it almost completely and claimed the lives of many of its residents:
The groom, Elad Dubnov, and his bride, Mika, had married in a civil ceremony on October 7, 2022. On their first wedding anniversary, they woke up to a nightmare. Mika was absent, but her family was in their safe room, cut off from communication for hours. Only two days later did she learn that her aunt, Galit Meisner, had been murdered by the Hamas terrorists. On October 8, Elad was called up for reserve duty. Before he left, the couple decided to have a traditional wedding in the Kibbutz Be’eri synagogue. “I always wanted a traditional Jewish wedding, and now Mika had come around,” Elad said.
They were held captive for 246 days; now, they speak
In a testament to human resilience, Shlomi Ziv and Almog Meir Jan, two of the hostages rescued from Gaza during the daring Operation Arnon in June, have spoken out for the first time about their 246-day ordeal in captivity.

Ziv agreed to recount the terrifying details of his captivity at the hands of Hamas terrorists as part of a national documentation project for returned hostages and their families, led by the Government Press Office.

“If it means the world will learn the truth about what they did to us, what we endured in captivity—I’m on board,” Meir Jan affirmed. Operation Arnon also freed fellow survivors Andrey Kozlov and Noa Argamani, who was held separately.

The primary captor overseeing Ziv, Meir Jan and Kozlov employed what they describe as “creative” punishments. “Let’s just say he had an issue with us moving around,” Meir Jan recalled.

“If he caught one of us standing, he’d suddenly declare: ‘Oh, you stood up? Fine. Now I want you sitting for a week. If you need the bathroom—crawl. I don’t want to see you on your feet.'”

Ziv added: “But we’d wear him down after about four days. We did our best to comply. We’d win him over by playing the role of obedient children.”

“We were itching to retaliate, but we suppressed it, detaching ourselves emotionally,” Meir Jan said.

“This is the Yad Vashem of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel,” said Nitzan Chen, director of the Government Press Office. These testimonies will be preserved for posterity, including in the State Archives.

As part of this project, 25 former hostages of various ages have shared their stories since returning, along with 21 family members of those still in captivity.


Parents of October 7 victim call for a permanent memorial to be built in Britain
The British Jewish community is mobilising to commission and construct a permanent commemorative statue to be built in memory of all of the victims of October 7. The challenge now lies in finding a suitable location – which needs to be open to the public, free, and in a safe area – to house the memorial structure.

The initiative is being spearheaded by the parents of Jake Marlowe, the 26-year-old British-Israeli who was murdered by Hamas terrorists while working as a security guard at the Nova music festival, but they are keen to emphasise that the memorial would be in memory of all of the victims of October 7.

Writing in the JC this week, Jake’s parents, Lisa and Michael put the case to Britain’s Jewish community for the establishment of a commemorative structure and asked that suggestions be made for a location, writing: “It is our deep conviction that the establishment of a permanent memorial for ALL those murdered on that heinous day is not only a necessity, but an imperative for our community.

They are still seeking a location for the memorial, but have a strong vision for how it should be created: “The proposed memorial would be a metal structure, forged from materials with deep connections to the events of that tragic day – metal from The Nova Site, the kibbutzim, the IDF, Magen David Adom, the police, and the Car Graveyard.

“This material would be shaped and designed by an Israeli sculptor, ensuring that the monument is not just a physical structure but a symbol of resilience, unity, and remembrance.

“The significance of using these materials cannot be overstated.

“They embody the very essence of that day from hell and the efforts to respond, rescue, and rebuild.

They say the location should be “a place where people can come to reflect, to remember, and to find solace.
Campaigners project hostages’ faces onto iconic Brighton cliffs
Activists with the Yellow Ribbon Campaign projected images of the hostages and a giant yellow ribbon onto the cliffs of Brighton this week, lighting up the Brighton seafront with the faces of those still missing in Gaza.

The Yellow Ribbon Campaign, an initiative that highlights the plight of the hostages held by Hamas, used its latest demonstration to draw attention to the 107 hostages remaining in Gaza after Israeli Bedouin Farhan Al-Qadi was dramatically rescued and the body of a soldier was recovered this week.

Organiser Heidi Bachram, whose husband Adam Ma’anit has a relative held captive in Gaza, said: “The British government needs to do more to advocate for the hostages and support their families. We need pressure on Qatar particularly as the UK has so much influence there. I don’t see enough of that happening.”

Ma’anit’s cousin Tsachi Idan, 50, was kidnapped after terrorists murdered his daughter Ma’ayan, 18, in their home in Nahal Oz on October 7. Bachram pointed out that Tsachi and other hotstages have now been captive in Gaza for over 10 months.

She added: “With negotiations moving so slowly and conditions worsening, it is urgent that the hostages are brought home immediately. Tsachi cannot wait another second. None of them can.”

Bachram said that she and the other activists with the Yellow Ribbon Campaign had planned the Brighton cliff projections for weeks, and she said that the idea and execution was a team effort, with support from JW3.

“It was nighttime and in an isolated spot, so we were a little nervous, but passers-by were curious and friendly,” Bachram said. “We find that each time we do these hostage actions, the silent majority see the humanity of what we’re doing and respond to it. When the faces of the hostages flashed up, everyone went quiet. It was overwhelming. No one decent can look into all those people’s eyes and not want them home."


Burning Man Features Massive Art Installation, Events Honoring Victims of Oct. 7 Nova Massacre
This year’s week-long Burning Man event in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert includes a large-scale installation and events that pay tribute to victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack at the Nova Music Festival in southern Israel, as the one year anniversary of the deadly massacre approaches.

The installation is called “Nova Heaven” and was co-created by the producers, designers, artists, and participants behind the Supernova Festival as well as longtime Burners, which is the term used to describe members of the Burning Man community, and founders of Tribe of Nova, a community-based organization that supports long-term trauma recovery for Oct. 7 survivors and bereaved families.

The installation features a large arch inscribed with the motto “We Will Dance Again,” replicates the Nova festival’s iconic shade structure, and showcases six wooden spiral staircases that have on each step laser-cut wooden angels engraved with names of the Oct. 7 victims. Also engraved on each step is one of 100 English or Hebrew messages, including “kindness creates miracles” and “music heals hearts.” The short phrases were designed by an Israeli native who was at a party 30 minutes away from the Nova Festival when the Hamas attack took place.

Almost a year ago, Hamas terrorists murdered 405 attendees of the Nova Music Festival and adjacent music events and took 40 others as hostages during their rampage across southern Israel.

Omri Sasi and Sarel Botavia, producers of the Nova Festival, said their vision for “Nova Heaven” is “to create a sanctuary of remembrance and healing” at Burning Man, which runs from Aug. 25-Sept. 2 and is expected to have 70,000 attendees this year.

“This installation is not just a memorial; it is a testament to the enduring spirit of our community and a beacon of hope for the future,” they added in a released statement. “We invite you to join us in the deep playa at Burning Man 2024 to experience ‘Nova Heaven,’ a space where we honor the past, celebrate the present, and look forward to a future filled with love, unity, and dancing once again.” A fundraising campaign for the “Nova Heaven” installation at Burning Man has so far raised more than $31,000.


The fight for #Jewish civil rights is the fight for Jewish identity | EP 07 Abraham Hamra
Welcome to the seventh episode of "Here I Am with Shai Davidai," a podcast that delves into the rising tide of antisemitism through insightful discussions with top Jewish advocates.

In this episode of Here I Am With Shai Davidai, Shai Davidai engages in a deep and insightful conversation with Abraham Hamra, a proud Syrian Jew, about Jewish identity and unity. The discussion covers a range of topics, including the significance of Israel as the indigenous homeland of the Jewish people and the challenges of maintaining Jewish identity in the face of external labels and identities imposed by others.

Abraham emphasizes the importance of unity within the Jewish community, arguing against divisive labels like Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform. He shares his personal experiences of displacement and discrimination as a Jew from an Arab country, highlighting the historical and ongoing struggles faced by Jews in similar situations.

The conversation also delves into the impact of extremist ideologies on Jewish safety and identity, with Abraham discussing the threats posed by both extremist Islamic ideologies and progressive woke ideologies. He underscores the need for the Jewish community to unite and fight against these threats collectively.

Throughout the episode, Abraham and Shai explore the idea that despite differences in religious observance and cultural background, Jews are united by their shared history and identity. They discuss the importance of honest dialogue and mutual understanding in fostering unity and resilience within the Jewish community.


The Western Spirit - With Ariel Whitman: The 'As a Jew' Phenomenon Exposed: Eli Lake on Using Faith to Betray
In this episode of The Western Spirit, we sit down with Eli Lake, columnist for The Free Press and contributor to Commentary Magazine. We dive into the Biden administration's stance on Israel, exploring the challenges and complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Eli explains why the two-state solution is now irrelevant, the importance of containing the conflict, how Iran fuels global terror and why the Biden/Harris Administration is not handling the threat in a smart way.

We also discuss the impact of Tim Walz's selection as Kamala Harris' running mate, why all the wrong people are happy he was picked for the job, and the troubling trend of Jews who use their heritage to criticize Israel.


The Western Spirit - With Ariel Whitman: Is The Democratic Party A Friend or Foe of Israel? Hen Mazzig With The Surprising Answer
In this episode of The Western Spirit, we sat down with Israeli author and activist Hen Mazzig to discuss the alarming rise of antisemitism on social media and college campuses.

We explored the need for innovative strategies to tackle this evolving hatred and stressed the importance of understanding the Mizrahi Jewish experience and the complexities of Jewish identity.

Our conversation delved into the political landscape, including the role of the Democratic Party, and emphasized the necessity of depoliticizing antisemitism.

We also examined the disturbing similarities between radical Islamists and radical progressives in their shared animosity toward Jews and Israel, as well as the puzzling alliances between groups with conflicting ideologies, like LGBTQ activists and Hamas supporters.

Mazzig shared invaluable insights on the power of messaging in the fight against antisemitism, offering practical advice on how to engage in meaningful conversations and dispel misconceptions about Israel and Jews.




The Israel Guys: The SECRET Army in the West Bank You’ve NEVER Heard Of
Everyone knows that Iran is in a race to acquire nuclear weapons, with a publicly stated goal of eradicating first Israel, then America. Many people also know that Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen are simply a proxy of the world’s number one sponsor of terrorism.

Although speculated by various sources, the truth about Iran’s fourth proxy, a place where they have been building a new army for years, has never been exposed….until now.

Today we’re going to look at an article written by an Arab journalist based out of Jerusalem that will expose the fourth and very dangerous army that Iran is building ... .right in the heartland of Israel.




British MP claims Palestinian NHS doctor gave her quicker treatment due to ceasefire vote
Jess Phillips, a member of the Labour Party who represents Birmingham Yardley, claimed that she was seen faster by a doctor at a National Health Service hospital because the medical professional was Palestinian and because Phillips had voted in favor of a Gaza ceasefire, British media reported on Thursday.

Phillips had reportedly made the comments while speaking at an event at the Kiln Theatre in North London.

The 42-year-old told the crowd that she attended an A&E (Emergency Room) in a Birmingham hospital after she found herself struggling to breathe while her lips turned blue.

Phillips described the room as overcrowded and said she had “genuinely seen better facilities, health facilities, in war zones, in developing countries around the world.”

Despite the large number of patients waiting to be seen, Phillips said she made the front of the queue “undoubtedly” for two reasons - firstly, her position in politics and second, her position on the Israel-Hamas war.

“[The doctor] was sort of like, 'I like you. You voted for a ceasefire.' [Because of that] I got through quicker,” Phillips told the attendees.

This is not the first time that such an incident has been reported. In March, a Jewish boy was reportedly ejected from his bed at a Manchester NHS hospital by pro-Palestinian nurses.


Iranian regime funneling money into anti-Israel groups and campus protests through ‘grassroots activist’ groups
The Iranian regime is funneling money and its influence into anti-Israel college campus protests across the US, often through buzzily named organizations — and many who join the protests don’t realize who is really behind them.

For example, Texas-based Rise Against Oppression (RAO) says it is a “collective of Muslim grassroots activists” but downplays its links to the government of Iran.

In April, members of with the group “reclaimed” a student center at Houston University, a school of more than 45,000 students.

“As part of the nation wide call to establish the Popular University [of Palestine], we are reclaiming our spaces to push divestment,” said Houston for Palestine Liberation, part of the RAO collective, in a social media post.

In Houston, the Iranian regime is directly involved in funding religious activities at the university and throughout the city, according to Sam Westrop, director of Middle East Forum’s Islamist Watch project.

“For decades, the Iranian regime has worked closely with far-Left, far-Right and Islamist groups across Europe and North America,” Westrop said.

“Following the October 7th attacks…Tehran has poured money and logistical support into anti-Israel and pro-terror rallies, encampments and civil disorder.”

“We’ve uncovered evidence of this in Houston, where the Iranian regime appears to operate mosques, activist and student groups that are deeply involved in pro-terror demonstrations, alongside Beijing-backed and Hamas-aligned groups,” he said.




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

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