Wednesday, January 01, 2025

01/01 Links Pt1: Happy New Year; The new scramble for the Middle East; 10 Killed, Two Israelis wounded in ISIS-affiliated terror attack in New Orleans

From Ian:

Seth Frantzman: 2025 could see a wave of optimism spread across the Middle East
Last year began in the Middle East under the dark clouds of the Hamas massacre that had occurred in October 2023, and the resulting war in Gaza. New Year’s Day 2024 started with a large barrage of Hamas rockets being fired just after midnight – timed to try to show Israel that it could not win the war.

Hamas is still trying to fire rockets into Israel, a year on. On December 28 it fired two long-range rockets from northern Gaza, setting off alarms across communities between Jerusalem and Gaza.

These few rockets were likely from a stock of that have been sitting around since October 2023, buried and ready to be fired. Hamas has had a hard time rebuilding its rocket arsenal since. However, the terrorist group continues to hold 100 hostages.

The continuing war in Gaza is, of course, not the only thing taking place in the Middle East. The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen continue to attack both Israel and shipping in the Red Sea. Hezbollah is still making trouble in Lebanon.

But there are bright spots. The Assad regime in Syria was overthrown on December 8. It melted away and seemed to fall apart within a few days, almost as if it had never existed.

This was a strange way for the regime to collapse and is a reminder that authoritarian structures rot from the inside and can appear stronger than they really are. The Assad regime survived with backing from Russia and Iran. It was propped up with the help of Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. However, it was a rotting door and all that had to be done to destroy it was to kick it in.

The fall of the Assad regime could bring some hope to the region. Perhaps things can change. Perhaps Hamas might collapse as well, with the right sort of decisive action. Iran is weakened by the decline of Assad and other problems it faces economically.
The new scramble for the Middle East
In the summer of 2023, Syria and the wider Middle East seemed more stable than at any point in recent memory. It was telling that, in May of that year, the Arab League, a regional organisation of Arab states, welcomed Bashar al-Assad’s war-torn Syria back into the fold after over a decade of isolation. Four months later, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan memorably declared that the Middle East ‘is quieter today than it has been in two decades’.

Fast forward to the end of this year, and Sullivan’s judgement looks more than a little hasty. The long-standing shadow war between Israel and Iran has since erupted into open conflict, with Israel carrying out high-profile assassinations in Damascus, Tehran and Beirut, and Iran launching massive missile and drone barrages at Israel on at least two occasions. And right at the end of this year, Assad’s brutal, yet seemingly stable, Syrian regime fell to a militia headed up by an ex-member of al-Qaeda. As we head into 2025, the Middle East has rarely sounded quite as noisy as it does right now.

The conflict between Israel and Iran and the fall of Assad are directly related. On the eve of Hamas’s barbaric attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, Iran was in a position of relative strength. Through political alliances and a network of militias known as the ‘axis of resistance’ (including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and assorted Shia groups in Iraq) it exerted considerable power throughout the region. And nowhere more so than in Syria, where Iranian proxies, with help from Russia, were effectively propping up Assad’s dictatorship.

Hamas’s attack on Israel changed everything. It ignited a conflict that has ultimately destroyed the balance of power in the region. Over the past 15 months, Israel has decimated Iran’s militias. It has crushed Hamas in Gaza, crippled Hezbollah in Lebanon and carried out air strikes and assassinations in Iraq and even Iran itself. The Israeli pounding of Iran’s proxy forces has not only impacted Tehran – it has also undermined those dependent on Iranian support for their very survival, such as Assad’s Syrian regime.

Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, aided and abetted by the Russian military, had shored up Assad’s government from the 2011 popular uprisings onwards. It’s now clear that without the military force of his backers, Assad’s authority rested on very little. Russia’s decision to move some of its forces from Syria to the frontlines of the war in Ukraine undermined Assad and increased his reliance on Iran. So when Hezbollah was forced to redeploy its Syrian forces to Lebanon in October this year, it effectively gave Assad’s opponents in the north-west province of Idlib the green light to launch an offensive. Which, after a two-month delay, they finally did on 26 November.

It took this several-thousand-strong militia, headed up by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), just two weeks to take Damascus and topple Assad. In that time, these militants barely encountered any resistance from Assad’s regime as they drove their motorbikes and pick-up trucks through Syria. It’s now clear why. Without Iranian support, Assad had very little resistance to offer. HTS knew this, hence its decision to mount the insurgency after the withdrawal of Hezbollah. Israel’s pummelling of Iranian forces, proxy or otherwise, had unwittingly paved the way for an Islamist takeover of what is left of the Syrian state.


‘Kinocide’ report: Hamas systematically targeted families on Oct. 7
The Civil Commission on October 7th Crimes by Hamas against Women and Children released a groundbreaking report this week. Titled “Kinocide: The Weaponization of Families,” its key findings demonstrate the systematic and widespread targeting of families “aimed at terrorizing and breaking the spirit of kins and entire communities.”

The report, prepared by Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, Dr. Michal Gilad and Dr. Ilya Rudyak from the Civil Commission, introduces the term “Kinocide,” which is defined as “the weaponization of families and the exploitation of familial bonds as a distinct form of violence.”

To compile the report, the commission reviewed a substantial volume of materials and evidence including photographs, video footage, audio recordings, satellite images, text messages exchanged as the attack unfolded, recorded testimonies, media coverage, investigative reports and public databases.

A profoundly harrowing read, it details Hamas atrocities committed against families and communities on Oct. 7, 2023. They included acts such as: killing and severe injury in the presence of other family members; eliminating entire family units; abduction of families, including children; using digital and social media to broadcast abuses directly to the victims’ families and the general public, including by commandeering victims’ social media accounts; intentionally separating family members; and burning and vandalizing family homes.

The “Kinocide” report features contributions from eminent experts such as Irwin Cotler, international chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights and former minister for justice in Canada. The report is endorsed by many leaders, prominent individuals and organizations.

Elkayam-Levy, founder of the Civil Commission, told JNS, “The weaponization of families in war is a crime without a name, inflicted on victims without a voice. It represents a devastating form of atrocity that demands urgent recognition and action from the international community. By identifying and documenting the systematic and targeted abuse and destruction of families—a crime we have named kinocide—we aim to give this suffering a name and provide victims with the language to articulate their unique pain, bringing this hidden cruelty into the forefront of international law and human rights discourse.”

The Oct. 7 attacks were not the first time that the crime of kinocide has been evident. Other examples included in the report come from war and conflict in Iraq, Syria, Rwanda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone, Russia and Ukraine, as well as earlier occurrences by Nazi Germany.

According to the report, identifying and naming kinocide is key to protecting families and bringing attention to this historically unrecognized phenomenon. The report’s authors see such recognition as a powerful tool for ensuring justice and accountability.
After weeks of hope, hostage talks hit impasse with no clear path forward
After weeks of optimism around chances for a deal that would see Hamas release hostages from captivity in the Gaza Strip, talks have ground to a halt, according to multiple Israeli officials.

There are currently no Israeli working groups in either Qatar or Egypt, an Israeli defense official told The Times of Israel, and there are no plans to send one.

One week ago, the mid-level Israeli negotiating team that had been in Qatar for several days returned to Israel. The Prime Minister’s Office said it had been a “meaningful week” of talks, but there has been little sign of progress since then.

With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recovering from surgery earlier this week, the security cabinet meeting scheduled for tomorrow night has been canceled, aides to two of the ministers in the forum told The Times of Israel. A meeting slated to discuss the “day after” Hamas in Gaza will also likely be cancelled, one of the aides said.

Hamas continues to refuse to provide Israel with a list of living hostages held in Gaza, according to several Israeli officials.

The terror group says it cannot produce the list while fighting continues, and has reportedly proposed that Israel agree to a seven-day ceasefire that would allow it to put together the names of hostages that it can release in a potential deal.

During the week-long ceasefire, no hostages would be released, but Israeli troops would be allowed to remain in Gaza and those displaced would remain barred from returning to the northern part of the Strip, the Kan public broadcaster reported, acknowledging that Israel is unlikely to accept the proposal.

Speaking on Wednesday during a visit to the southern city of Netivot, Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened Hamas with “blows with a force not seen in Gaza for a long time” if the terror group does not release the hostages and continues to fire at Israeli communities.

At midnight on New Year’s Eve, Hamas launched two rockets at Netivot, which caused no damage or injuries.

“The IDF will intensify its activities against the terror nests in Gaza until the release of the hostages and the elimination of Hamas,” Katz continued, imploring the residents of Gaza “to rise up against the murderous Hamas organization, which also uses you as human shields, and to bring about the release of the hostages, to prevent suffering and end the war.”


‘They better let the hostages go soon,’ Trump warns
President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday repeated his call for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, amid reports of an impasse in the efforts to broker a deal toward that end.

An interlocutor asked Trump about the captives on Tuesday night, at his Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida, noting that Trump had warned “there will be hell to pay” unless they are freed by the time he takes office on Jan. 20.

“We’ll see what happens,” Trump replied. “They better let the hostages come back soon.”

Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas are at a stalemate, The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday quoted Arab mediators as saying, making a deal unlikely during President Joe Biden’s term in office.

The negotiations center on the prospect of a 60-day ceasefire and the release of up to 30 hostages, according to what mediators told the Journal. Israel would set free Palestinian prisoners (i.e. terrorists) and allow more humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza in exchange, they said.

But Hamas wants bodies of dead hostages to be included in the 30 freed Israelis, to which Israel objected. And Israel has refused to release some of the terrorists sought by Hamas, which insists the ceasefire include a framework for a long-term truce.


Two Israelis wounded in ISIS-affiliated terror attack in New Orleans
Two Israeli citizens were wounded in the New Year's Day car-ramming in New Orleans, Israeli media reported on Wednesday, citing a Foreign Ministry statement.

A representative of the Israeli General Consulate in Houston is on the way to New Orleans at the request of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, the announcement added.

Between 10 to 15 people were killed when a pickup truck intentionally rammed into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early Wednesday morning. The suspect drove "at a very fast pace" and then fired at local law enforcement, according to CNN.

The FBI named the suspect as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, an American citizen from Harris County, Texas.

Din Jabbar was carrying an ISIS flag with him during the time of the attack, the FBI said in a Wednesday statement. The bureau added that authorities found weapons and a potential improvised explosive device (IED) in the rented vehicle.

Agents believe that he was not acting alone.

“We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible,” FBI Assistant Special Agent Alethea Duncan said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon, as reported by CNN. “We are aggressively running down every lead, including those of his known associates.”

NBC reported that authorities were still working on his background information and travel history.


Palestinian Authority: Hamas Is Using Hospitals for Military Purposes
The Palestinian Authority (PA) itself has revealed that Hamas turns hospitals into military interrogation facilities.

As proof, on Facebook, the PA posted a summons issued by Hamas to a Gazan to report to Nasser Hospital to be interrogated by Hamas’ military intelligence.

The post was made by the former official spokesman of the PA Security Forces, Adnan Al-Damiri. Moreover, Al-Damiri criticized Hamas for continuing to use hospitals for “summonses, interrogations, and extortions”:

Israel has been libeled for committing war crimes at Gazan hospitals, with the World Health Organization saying that it was “appalled” at Israeli operations there. What the WHO should be appalled at is Hamas’ use of hospitals as military centers.

Israel has not just the right but the obligation to pursue the terrorists who turn medical facilities into dungeons. And the international community should be focusing its efforts at dismantling the Hamas forces that do so rather than continuously libeling Israel.


UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese Calls for Medical Professionals to Cut Ties With Israel
The United Nations’ special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Palestinian territories has called on all medical professionals to cut ties with Israel, accusing the Jewish state of committing “genocide” and unfairly detaining Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya.

“I urge medical professionals worldwide to pursue the severance of all ties with Israel as a concrete way to forcefully denounce Israel’s full destruction of the Palestinian healthcare system in Gaza, a critical tool of its ongoing genocide,” Francesca Albanese wrote on X/Twitter on Monday.

The post came after Israel last week arrested Safiya and several other people while conducting a raid on the Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza, where the Israeli military is fighting Hamas terrorists. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it arrested Safiya because he was “suspected of being a Hamas terrorist operative.” The IDF also insisted that the hospital has been used as a “command and control center” for the Palestinian terrorist group.

Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), an allied terrorist group in Gaza, have extensive histories of using hospitals — as well as schools, apartment buildings, and other forms of civilian infrastructure in Gaza — as bases for storing weapons and planning and conducting attacks. A PIJ spokesman in April confessed that terrorists have taken over all of the hospitals in Gaza, using the medical facilities to hide military activities and launch attacks.

Israel has reportedly relocated Safiya to a detention facility for further investigation into his purported ties to the Hamas terrorist group.

Albanese’s comments came amid a surge of antisemitism directed at Jewish health-care professionals in the West. In the year following Hamas’s invasion of southern Israel last Oct. 7, about 75 percent of Jewish health workers and students have been subjected to antisemitism, according to a recent study in the peer-reviewed Journal of Religion and Health.

A separate recent study conducted by the Data & Analytics Department of StandWithUs, a Jewish civil rights group, found that nearly 40 percent of Jewish American health-care professionals have encountered antisemitism in the workplace.

That study followed a similar one published in Canada earlier this month, in which Jewish doctors reported being chased not only out of the field of medicine but also out of the country. Commissioned by the Jewish Medical Association of Ontario (JMAO), the survey found that 80 percent of Jewish medical workers who responded to it “have faced antisemitism at work” since Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre and that 31 percent of Jewish doctors — 98 percent of whom “are worried about the impact of antisemitism on health care” — have weighed emigrating from Canada to another country.

Earlier this month, members of the US Congress raised alarm bells about growing antisemitism in the medical field.


IDF confirms Sept. 8 raid of Iranian facility in northwest Syria
The Israeli army confirmed for the first time on Wednesday that special forces in September raided an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps arms facility used by Hezbollah in the Masyaf area of northwestern Syria.

“This is one of the most dangerous and courageous commando missions the IDF has carried out outside the country’s borders in recent years,” a military source told reporters on Wednesday.

“The Air Force’s careful planning led to the desired result: destruction of critical Iranian strategic capability in Syria, dozens of kilometers from Israel,” the source said.

Syria’s SANA news agency reported on Sept. 8 that Israeli Air Force fighter jets hit military sites near Masyaf, killing at least 14 people and wounding dozens, while unconfirmed Arab media reports claimed that the IDF also had boots on the ground during the raid.

Reuters, citing two regional intelligence sources, reported that the Israeli operation targeted the Scientific Studies and Research Center, a military base that is believed to be responsible for research and development of nuclear, biological, chemical and missile technology and weapons.

The center was thought to have housed a team of IRGC military experts and provided logistical support to Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists.

The IAF reportedly hit the facility’s access road to prevent the approach of Syrian troops before helicopters carrying IDF special forces operators arrived, with support from helicopter gunship and drones.

IDF commandos were said to have entered an arms depot, removed equipment and sensitive documents and then set off explosives to destroy the facility. During the heavy fighting, two to four Iranian operatives were said to have been detained by Israeli soldiers.

The IDF revealed on Wednesday that the operation, which was carried out by the Israeli Air Force’s elite Shaldag unit, destroyed an underground Iranian missile factory that was code-named “Deep Layer.” There were no casualties among Israeli soldiers in the raid.

The military confirmed that the forces seized intelligence documents.

Israel rarely admits to attacks on Syrian territory, although in February it revealed that it had attacked more than 50 targets belonging to Iranian-backed Hezbollah and other terrorist groups in Syria since Oct. 7, 2023.

The same month, Reuters reported that Tehran removed senior IRGC officers from Syria following a series of deadly IAF aerial attacks.
JPost Editorial: 'Stop sharing now': IDF reservists' posts are being twisted into Israeli hate
It seems so innocent: An Israeli reserve soldier lights a candle in his menorah during his service in Gaza, attempting to spread a bit of light in the darkness of a region harboring some of the most brutal killers on the face of the earth.

Little did this soldier imagine that this photo would be twisted into anti-Israel and antisemitic propaganda weaponized against Israel around the world.

On Sunday, a pro-Palestinian X/Twitter account named “Israel Genocide Tracker” posted this: “After raiding the only remaining hospital in northern Gaza, killing and kidnapping dozens of civilians and staff, Israeli Givati Brigade, along with an armored battalion, celebrated by lighting Hanukkah candles outside Kamal Adwan Hospital, before ultimately setting it on fire.”

The menorah was lit in what appears to be an old electricity box. Arabic writing on a wall in the background suggested it could be near the hospital mentioned in the X post.

This is just one example of many photos and videos – some more innocent than others – that IDF reservists have shared on social media.

“The documentation reportedly included soldiers boasting ‘about their war crimes on social media, sharing photos and videos of their participation in the destruction and occupation of Palestinian homes and properties,’” the Belgium-based Hind Rajab Foundation reported.

Let’s be clear: Lighting a menorah during Hanukkah while serving in Gaza is not wrong; on the contrary, it is a meaningful expression of Jewish resilience and faith. But was it wise to post this image on social media? Far less so.

As one Israeli reservist told The Media Line, “We may have been told not to post things, but our commanding officers were taking pictures right along with us.”

These types of photos may inspire pride among Israelis, but we must ask: Is that pride worth the lies and propaganda it fuels against Israel?

Our message is simple: Don’t be right; be smart.


Hamas rings in 2025 with rocket fire on Israel
Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired two rockets at Israel just as the clock struck midnight on Thursday.

Israeli air defenses intercepted one of the rockets, with the other hitting an open field, the IDF said. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, which caused no injuries or damage.

Hamas welcomed 2024 by firing a wave of rockets towards southern and central Israel. Just after midnight on Jan. 1, 2024, more than 20 rockets were launched at Israeli population centers, sending millions of people racing for shelter.

On Monday evening, Palestinian terrorists in Gaza fired three rockets at southern Israel. One rocket, which triggered sirens in the Israeli border kibbutz of Kissufim, struck an open area, the military said.

Just over two hours later, the Israeli Air Force intercepted two rockets launched from the northern Strip.

There were no reports of injuries or damage in the attacks.

On Sunday, Palestinian terrorists in northern Gaza fired five rockets at Israeli communities in the “Gaza Envelope,” the area near the coastal enclave.

Two rockets were intercepted, according to the Israel Defense Forces, with the others apparently striking open areas.

A day earlier, the IAF downed two rockets launched by Palestinian terrorists in northern Gaza towards Jerusalem. The attacks triggered air-raid sirens in the capital, the Western Negev and the Judean Foothills (the Shfela).

The IDF’s year-plus-long offensive against Hamas has greatly curbed rocket fire from the Strip, although Palestinian terrorists still intermittently target the Jewish state.
Israeli hurt in suspected car-ramming in Samaria
An Israel Defense Forces soldier was lightly injured on Wednesday night in a Palestinian car-ramming attack on Route 446, near the town of Deir Qaddis in western Samaria, the army confirmed in a statement.

“A car-ramming attack was carried out against an IDF force operating in the village of Deir Qaddis in the Ephraim Brigade,” the military stated.

“The terrorist was neutralized by forces as he tried to escape,” added the IDF. The injured female soldier received medical treatment at the scene.

United Hatzalah first responder Meir Yaari said in a statement shared by the medical rescue group that he was in the area when he was notified about a “serious accident.”

“I arrived at the scene and found an unconscious driver who had crashed his vehicle into rocks,” Yaari stated. “While treating the driver, we were told that he had attempted to carry out a ramming attack and was neutralized by gunfire, which caused him to lose control of his vehicle and become seriously injured.”
Help from above: Israeli aircraft struck over 1,400 Gaza targets in December
Providing close air support for IDF troops maneuvering in Gaza, Israeli jets, helicopters, and drones conducted more than 1,400 airstrikes in the Strip over the course of December 2024, the IDF stated on Wednesday.

According to the military, the Israeli aerial assets hit a variety of terror targets in these strikes, including squads of terrorists, weapons storage facilities, sniper positions, and observer positions.

The airstrikes also reportedly targeted tunnel shafts and other subterranean infrastructure.

"The aircraft and air force control units maintain direct communication with the combat forces, accompanying operations across various sectors, guiding forces on the ground, and neutralizing threats with rapid precision, sometimes mere meters away from the troops," the military stated.

IDF troops kill Hamas terrorists, destroy Hamas infrastructure in Rafah
In an earlier announcement on Wednesday, the IDF stated that, during an operation in the area of northern Rafah, IDF troops in the 4th Brigade, under the command of Division 143, killed Hamas terrorists and destroyed Hamas infrastructure.

Among the infrastructure destroyed in Rafah was a weapons manufacturing facility that contained medium-to-long-range rockets, the IDF reported.


Under UNIFIL's nose, Hezbollah turns Lebanon village into terror base
IDF forces on Tuesday continued operations to expose Hezbollah’s terror infrastructure in Naqoura, a picturesque Shiite village on the Israel-Lebanon border. Located adjacent to a large UNIFIL base in southern Lebanon, the village—home to 5,000 residents before the war—was revealed to contain a trove of armaments.

The site served as a staging ground for Hezbollah’s planned invasion of the Galilee by its elite Radwan forces, including the occupation of Nahariya and nearby communities.

Naqoura has become a stark symbol of the failure to enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the Second Lebanon War in 2006 and tasked UN peacekeepers with ensuring Hezbollah’s forces remained north of the Litani River.

For years, Israeli governments and the IDF failed to prevent what had come to light in recent combat, all along the frontier, from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the mountains in the east.

"It is impossible to believe that the UN forces did not prevent Hezbollah from amassing so many arms and munitions," said Col. (res.) Nir Shimri, whose paratroopers have been operating in the village. What the military found was no less than incredible.

Hezbollah set up one of its largest logistical and strategic hubs on the coastal road leading from the border to Tyre and Sidon. The terror group operated alongside the UNIFIL forces that were there to protect the border and maintain stability but did nothing to stop Hezbollah. It is clearly evident that the international force was complicit in its silence, given the scope of Hezbollah's military might, revealed in Naqoura and dozens of other villages.

“Nearly every home contained stockpiles of military equipment and fortified positions. These served as auxiliary supplies for Hezbollah,” Shimri said.

The IDF postponed operations in the village until the later stages of the fighting and after the cease-fire agreement took effect, due to its proximity to UNIFIL headquarters. The site also hosts the international committee tasked with monitoring compliance with the agreement.

In November, eight UNIFIL troops were injured in a Hezbollah rocket attack, prompting the IDF to prioritize caution and prevent a repeat of such an incident.

“We had to ensure that fighting Hezbollah didn’t endanger the UNIFIL camp,” an IDF commander said, explaining that his forces were restricted in firepower and operated with precision under the watchful eyes of international forces. “We observed significant UNIFIL movements along the coastal road, yet they appeared to do nothing to stop Hezbollah’s activities in the village.”

In the village orchards, troops discovered rocket launchers aimed at Israel and notebooks detailing planned targets in northern Israel. “The launchers were hidden under trees and could only be located on foot,” a soldier said.


Israel facilitates medical evacs for over 1,000 Gazans to 13 countries
Over the past few months, 23 groups totaling 1,055 patients and caregivers have left Gaza via the Kerem Shalom Crossing to receive medical treatment in 13 countries abroad, the Israeli Defense Ministry’s COGAT unit said on Wednesday.

These include 127 patients—mostly children—and escorts who were evacuated from Gaza on Tuesday to receive medical care in the United Arab Emirates, in an operation that was coordinated with the UAE and the World Health Organization.

“The State of Israel is thankful for the UAE’s leadership of this important humanitarian project, as it is for all the humanitarian efforts the UAE and other organizations advanced in Gaza since the start of the war,” COGAT said.

COGAT on Wednesday highlighted its multilateral efforts with the international community in Gaza over the past year to facilitate humanitarian response to the population, including a polio vaccination campaign with UNICEF, with 559,000 children in Gaza immunized in two rounds.


UKLFI: Ayaan Hirsi Ali interviews Natasha Hausdorff on her podcast, Courage
Natasha Hausdorff, UKLFI Charitable Trust Legal Director, discusses recent actions of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ) with Ayaan Hirsi Ali in this interview recorded on 11 December 2024.

Pointing out that every phrase of every sentence of the ICC Prosecutor's summary of his applications to arrest Israeli leaders was false, Natasha warns that these Courts are bringing the international legal system into disrepute.

Natasha also discusses the rule of international law rule called uti possidetis juris; the role of UNRWA in promoting terrorism, perpetuating the conflict and indoctrinating Palestinian children; the incentivisation of terrorism by the Palestinian Authority financed by the international community; and other critical issues.


Erin Molan: Eye-Witness to History: My visit to Israel and the Oct. 7th sites
Join Erin Molan on an unforgettable journey as she documents her visit to Israel in the aftermath of the October 7th attacks. This video is not just a travel vlog; it's an eye-witness account of resilience, hope, and the stark reality of historic events that have shaken the world.

On this deeply emotional journey, Erin Molan explores the sites affected by the Oct 7th atrocities, the family of the hostages still in Gaza and a meeting with Israel's President Isaac Herzog.Witness firsthand the devastation and the healing process through Erin's eyes as she walks through the sites and speaks with survivors, offering raw insights into the impact of these events.

Keywords: Erin Molan, Israel visit, October 7th, eye-witness account, historical sites, aftermath, resilience, hope, travel vlog, documentary, Middle East, hostages, peace, healing, survivor stories, firsthand experience, emotional journey, recovery, grief.

Watch as Erin Molan shares her thoughts, experiences, and the profound connections she made, providing a narrative that goes beyond news reports - a narrative of humanity, history, and hope. This video is a must-watch for anyone interested in understanding the real-life implications of conflict, the strength of communities, and the journey towards peace.


TV host calls out Macquarie University academic over anti-Israel posts
Sky News host James Macpherson calls out a Macquarie University academic over anti-Israel posts on social media.

“Did you make a New Year's resolution? Most people resolve to lose weight, maybe get up earlier, read more books,” Mr Macpherson said.

“Others though have different kinds of dreams, like Macquarie University academic Dr Abdel-Fattah. Her New Year's resolution, posted on Twitter, went like this, ‘May 2025 be the end of Israel’.

“Now I'm not sure the 7.2 million Jews living in Israel would share her hopes.”


UK, Irish government Hanukkah greetings fumbles mocked by celebrants
Official Hanukkah greetings issued by branches of the British and Irish governments were mocked online last week due to their backward Hebrew or odd transliterations of Hebrew.

The United Kingdom’s Attorney General’s Office issued a Hanukkah message last Wednesday with a seven-branched menorah wishing celebrants a transliterated “chag Hanukkah sameach” but the corresponding Hebrew script was written from left to right.

“Chamish Hakunach gach!” wrote the Attorney general’s office, before the post was deleted.

The Irish Foreign Ministry wrote in a social media post on Thursday that it wished a “very happy Hanukkah to all members of the Jewish Community in Ireland, and all who celebrate.”

“Cheag Sameach,” said the ministry, in a Hebrew transliteration mocked by X users.

The social media post was poorly received not only because it was seen as late for being published on the second day of Hanukkah, but also because the statement had come from the Foreign Ministry. Commentators questioned if the Irish government saw Irish Jews as foreigners.


Pro-Palestine protesters have allegedly stolen Starbucks merch with one spitting at a barista in Melbourne's CBD
Authorities are investigating ugly scenes that emerged in the Melbourne CBD on New Year's Eve when a Starbucks barista was allegedly spat at by a pro-Palestine protestor as other demonstrators reportedly stole from the café.

The demonstration, which took place on Swanston Street, reportedly took a dire turn when the Starbucks was allegedly targeted.

Victorian Police are investigating reports of an altercation with protesters allegedly stealing Starbucks merchandise and a barista being spat at.

Police received reports that a group of people went inside the Starbucks store about 10pm making chants.

"Officers arrived a short time later and were told by staff that a number of people had attended the store making anti-Israel chants," Victoria Police said in a statement. Police are investigating reports of pro-Palestine workers causing ugly scenes at a Melbourne Starbucks. Picture: Supplied.

"A number of people in the group then stole items from the store and left without paying.

"Further enquires have been made by police and a report of spitting has officially been made."

The store was open late and four staff members working as the altercation unfolded.

Chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission, Dr Dvir Abramovich, said this "brazen assault" was a slap in the face to everyone in Melbourne who were celebrating NYE.




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