Friday, January 03, 2025

01/03 Links Pt1: The Weight Israel Carries; Hamas’s War on Gaza’s Electric Grid; UNRWA preparing to shutter Gaza, WB operations ahead of Israeli ban

From Ian:

Seth Mandel: The Weight Israel Carries
Israelis aren’t blind to the mental-health challenge posed not just by the war but by what started it: scenes of inhumanity reminiscent of the Nazis. In September, Israel’s health minister, Uriel Buso, warned that Israel was facing “the largest mental health event the state has known since its establishment. A crisis that requires us, as a state and a society, to change perceptions and upgrade the public mental health system.”

The following month, Buso introduced legislation designed to decentralize mental-health treatment. Though it went mostly unnoticed at the time (even in the Israeli press), Buso had hit on something important: Just as is the case with physical ailments, you don’t want the last resort to be the first intervention. The goal of primary-care medicine is to keep you out of hospitals and emergency rooms. That prevention can be even more difficult in the chaos of wartime and regarding mental health, the deterioration of which is not always noticeable to others.

Buso also sought to take advantage of Israel’s close-knit society. He got a boost to his department’s budget, and instead of keeping it all under his nose at the national level, he disbursed it throughout local community healthcare providers. Psychiatric institutions would merge with major hospitals to make treatment easier and, the Health Ministry’s director general seemed to suggest, reduce the stigma of seeking help.

All of which is yet another reminder that Oct. 7, 2023, caused a seismic change in Israel and the Jewish world. In the immediate aftermath of the Hamas attacks, Israel’s HMOs “reported record levels of requests by patients for sleeping pills, painkillers, and tranquilizers,” Tablet’s Hillel Kuttler reported. According to the IDF, of the 17 soldier suicides in 2023, seven of them—40 percent—happened in just the final three months of the year after the attacks.

Meanwhile Hamas continues to torment the country over the remaining hostages by refusing to let the parents of these captives even know whether their children are still alive. Missiles from as far away as Yemen continue to fall on Tel Aviv. Homes in the north have spent a year empty, as have communities in the Gaza envelope.

Israel continues to be the only Western country that truly acts like it has a stake in how this now-global conflict ends. A country of barely 10 million has been putting the rest on its shoulders. Yet still, Israelis somehow seem immune to the paralysis that most would inevitably succumb to. The CEO of Israel’s largest mental-health organization told the Times of Israel that she doesn’t want people to merely say “the country is in trauma. That doesn’t help us. It’s vital that we look at what we can do, how we can be proactive.”

Here’s hoping Israelis have less of a burden to carry in 2025, or, at the very least, that they get some help carrying it.
Seth Frantzman: Future of the Middle East: What does 2025 hold for Jordan and Egypt
Jordan and Egypt are both important states in the Middle East, and they have been Israel’s historic peace partners from the 1980s to 1990s.

This means that these two countries share certain qualities that are of great importance to Israel and the wider region.

Egypt, the most populous country in the area, is a historic center of military power and culture.

Jordan, by contrast, is less populated and is a relatively modern country straddling an expanse of desert between Israel, the Gulf, and Syria.

The Kingdom of Jordan enters 2025 with concerns about the outcome of the changes in Syria. Jordan had worked to reconcile with now-toppled president Bashar al-Assad’s regime over the last several years.

The kingdom has hosted hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees. Many Syrians who fled southern Syria have clan or tribal ties in northern Jordan, so their appearance in Jordan did not change Jordan’s demographics.

However, this is a burden for Jordan, which is a relatively poor country compared to others in the Gulf. Jordan is a historic monarchy that grew out of the British Mandate era.

The monarchy has to balance the interests of former Bedouin tribes with the townspeople of northern Jordan and the Palestinians who fled to Jordan in 1948.

Amman views itself as having unique rights in Jerusalem, and even though it gave up its claims to the West Bank, it has a keen interest in the Palestinians. It has been concerned about the outcome of the October 7 massacre and how that might propel Hamas to power in the West Bank.

Jordan is also concerned about being used as a conduit for Iranian weapons smuggling via Iraq. The Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah group in Iraq attacked US forces in Jordan in January 2024, killing three Americans. The kingdom is aware that it is sandwiched between Iran’s interests in Iraq, Israel, the Palestinians, the Gulf, and Syria.

Thus, it knows it must balance all these nations that surround it. Jordan is likely concerned that the Syrian shift in power to a new government could lead to troubles at home.

What if Jordanians get the idea that they could have similar changes in Amman?
Seth Mandel: Hamas’s War on Gaza’s Electric Grid
The new Syrian administration run by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the leaders of the successful rebellion and overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, is at least making a pretense of constructing a functioning government. What that government does, of course, is a separate conversation entirely. But simply as a case study of Islamist institution-building, one gets the impression that, unlike Hamas, HTS wants to be seen as giving a whit about the people who depend on them.

To take one example, from Aaron Zelin’s daily diary of the Syrian transition yesterday: “Syrian Minister of Electricity Omar al-Shuqruq: Six months of maintenance are required to fully restore the electricity network. Re-establishing electrical linkage with Jordan is one of the key solutions to securing power supply for Syria.”

Electricity has been one of the main challenges in Gaza, because Hamas refuses to do the one thing that would solve the problem almost overnight: stop its forever war against Israel. Now, it’s possible that HTS is planning to launch semiannual wars against Jordan and sabotage its own power supply, but I consider the possibility unlikely. That is, however, what Hamas does daily.

Here’s how the electricity in Gaza works. Israel provides 50 percent of the enclave’s power—and I do mean “provides.” Technically, Israel is selling electricity to Gaza, and the Palestinian Authority is supposed to pick up the tab. But they very often don’t, and certainly Hamas doesn’t pay, and every so often Israel threatens to cut off electricity for lack of payment—the debt is usually somewhere in the neighborhood of half a billion dollars. But Israel always backs down or accepts low partial payments.

How much does Hamas value that electricity? Well, it is not uncommon for their own rockets to hit the power lines and cut off parts of the grid. Usually, Israel just fixes the lines when Hamas destroys them. (Israel is terrible at doing genocide.) But on Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas knocked down more than half of their own power lines and Israel did not fix them; it had, if you remember, a few other priorities.


‘A new era in US-Israel relations is dawning’
In recent years, Pieprz has facilitated crucial connections in Washington and Europe for the Security Movement, led by Brig. Gen. (res.) Amir Avivi. Recently, Avivi visited Mar-a-Lago and met with National Security Advisor-designate Mike Waltz and other senior Trump administration officials.

Another ongoing initiative involves supporting groups and communities from Muslim nations, including delegations from Yemen, Pakistan and Iran.

“These connections often develop through word-of-mouth. Their strategy involves leveraging Israel’s unique relationship with the U.S. to gain Washington’s support.”

Some groups have visited Israel, though Pieprz maintains discretion about these sensitive engagements.

This extensive background has set the stage for a new era beginning in Washington with Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. Throughout his career, Pieprz has worked closely with key figures including Waltz, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary-designate Pete Hegseth (who “survived a precarious situation in Ramallah and requested to visit Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus together,” Pieprz recalled), U.N. Ambassador Elise Stefanik-nominee and Ambassador to Israel-nominee Mike Huckabee.

Pieprz interactions with Trump inform his projections about the future.

“These individuals share our fundamental perspective on Israel. They grasp Judea and Samaria’s vital importance. For some of them, a Palestinian state is an absolute red line.

“Their most significant attribute is exempting Israel from the ‘America First’ doctrine. While they aim to restructure America’s role as the West’s protector and financier, Israel represents a unique case. Trump values self-reliant allies, and Israel exemplifies this principle. That’s the basis of his distinct approach toward Israel,” he said.

Regarding Stefanik’s upcoming U.N. role, Pieprz said, “Elise brings excellence to the position. While she won’t dismantle the U.N., she’ll effectively reduce its influence and likely defund organizations and agencies operating against American interests. Both she and Trump believe America undermines itself by submitting to U.N. authority.”

On Israel’s strategy post-Jan. 20, Pieprz advised that “Israel must project strength and maintain an unapologetic stance. Trump respects strong partners, hence his regard for Putin and Erdoğan. Rather than self-restraint, Israel should think innovatively about its objectives.

“Trump likely opposes a Palestinian state. He’s skeptical of Ramallah’s leadership, viewing them as perpetually dependent rather than self-developing. Their anti-American stance particularly troubles him—something Trump won’t tolerate,” said Pieprz.


‘Well-developed’ Biden admin anti-Israel ‘January surprise’ planned at UN, former US official says
The Biden administration is planning a “January surprise” that is “modeled directly on the January surprise of the Obama administration in 2016—that is U.N. Resolution 2334, which basically, to put it a little bit crudely, recognized the Green Line that is the June 5, 1967 ceasefire lines that separated Israel from Jordan as an international boundary,” Michael Doran, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and director of its center for peace and security in the Middle East, said on his podcast on Dec. 31.

Speaking with his co-host Gadi Taub, an Israeli historian and writer, Doran said that the Obama administration’s surprise meant that “any development that Israel has made to the east of the Green Line since the 1967 War is recognized by the U.N. as an illegal settlement.”

“This means including the Western Wall uh is ‘occupied territory,’” the former senior director in the U.S. National Security Council said on the “Israel Update” podcast.

“Lots of neighborhoods that any Israeli today regards as Israel proper are regarded by 2334 as Israeli illegal Israeli settlements,” Doran said. “That’s what Barack Obama did for the Israelis—kicked the Netanyahu government in the groin as it was leaving office in 2016, but it did it in a very devious way.”

The Obama administration had it “both ways” by having others put the resolution forward, and then Washington abstained and said it couldn’t go against what the international community wants.

“The Biden administration is planning something similar right now,” Doran said.

The administration will latch onto section 620(i) of the Foreign Assistance Act, which says, “that any country that is blocking U.S. humanitarian aid will have its military assistance cut off,” Doran said. He noted that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin sent Israel a letter to that effect. “That’s based on 620(i),” Doran said.

“The January surprise is that there will be an official finding by the State Department that Israel is in violation of 620(i). It’s blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza, and then what will happen is that the president will waive the penalties for blocking of the humanitarian aid, but there will have been an official American finding,” Doran said. “There will be an official American finding, but there will be no penalties to Israel, so again the administration gets to have it both ways. Finds Israel guilty but then says, ‘Well we’re not going to do anything about it.”

“But there’s the official finding and then the ball moves to the Security
EXCLUSIVE: BIDEN'S JANUARY SURPRISE FOR ISRAEL
A network of anti-Israel officials inside the Biden administration is encouraging President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken to spring on Israel a nasty January surprise. They are modeling their scheme on the ambush at the United Nations that the outgoing Obama administration sprung on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government in December 2016. Obama, you will be recall, orchestrated the passing of UNSCR 2334, which aims to turn the ceasefire lines that separated Israel from Jordan before the 1967 war into an internationally recognized political boundary between Israel and a Palestinian state. This year’s January surprise aims to find Israel officially guilty of blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza, thereby laying the evidentiary basis for a new UN resolution punishing Israel. Mike and Gadi have the scoop.


Schumer Pick for DNC Chair Is Soft on Anti-Israel Radicals
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday endorsed a longtime liberal activist who has embraced the anti-Israel wing of the Democratic Party to lead the Democratic National Committee.

In his endorsement, Schumer described Ben Wikler, currently the chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, as a "tenacious organizer," a "proven fundraiser," and the best candidate to help the party "learn from the results" of the November election. Wikler’s support for anti-Israel activists would seem to put him at odds with Schumer, who bills himself as a staunch ally of Israel. The Wisconsinite has called on Democratic leaders to give a larger platform to the anti-Israel wing of the party, arguing that the DNC made a strategic error by rejecting speakers from the anti-Israel "Uncommitted" movement at the convention last year, according to Jewish Insider. In June, Wikler presided over the Wisconsin Democratic Party’s biannual convention, where members voted for a resolution to call for an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and to axe any reference to the Hamas terrorist attack on Oct. 7 that sparked the Israel-Hamas war.

Schumer’s endorsement comes ahead of a series of candidate forums to be held this month before an election on Feb. 1, as the party reels from one of its worst election defeats in years. Many Democrats have acknowledged that the embrace of left-wing policies on policing, crime, and diversity initiatives has turned off the party’s working-class base, but in Wikler, Schumer is backing a political operative who has been at the forefront of that leftward shift. On Wikler’s watch, the Wisconsin Democratic Party in 2021 updated its platform to call itself the "party of diversity, equity, and inclusion," urged the decriminalization of "dangerous drug use," and called to "reimagine policing and criminal justice."

Wikler served as a political organizer for years at MoveOn, a left-wing grassroots group, before his election to Wisconsin Democratic Party chairman in 2019. In that role, Wikler has embraced the Black Lives Matter movement. In August 2020, Wikler said the Kenosha police officer who shot Jacob Blake during an arrest attempt should be "investigated, tried, and convicted." Wikler called the shooting a "symptom of the deadly disease of white supremacy and racism," though he acknowledged "we don’t yet know the details of this situation." It later emerged that Blake pulled a knife on police when he was shot, and that he had an outstanding warrant for sexual assault.


Wikipedia Declares Hamas the Victor in Nearly Every Battle Against Israel Since 10/7—Then Quietly Deletes Section
Wikipedia editors quietly deleted an entry claiming that Hamas has won nearly every battle against Israel since Oct. 7, setting off a fiery debate about the online database’s bias and inability to accurately portray the war.

In its article listing "military engagements during the Israel–Hamas war," Wikipedia declared Hamas and its terror allies the victors in just about every key battle with Israel over the past year, according to multiple archived versions of the entry.



The page remained active through the end of last year, even as Wikipedia’s editors were unable to provide trustworthy sourcing for these claims. After the entry went viral on social media, Wikipedia removed the section entirely and added a disclaimer stating, "This article has multiple issues."

It is just the latest example of Wikipedia peddling false information about Israel and its military campaign against Hamas and Hezbollah. The site has come under fire for spreading falsehoods about the Jewish state, including a "wildly inaccurate" September 2024 article on Zionism that portrayed Jews as "colonizers."

The latest conflict centers on Wikipedia’s determination—published without evidence—that the Palestinians won at least a dozen battles in Gaza since Oct. 7. Before its alteration, the article declared either a "Palestinian victory," "Hamas victory," or "Israeli withdrawal" in each of these cases.

The current version of the entry no longer includes this category. Instead, it lists the various terror groups that participated in specific battles against Israeli forces.

In open forums on the site, Wikipedia users accused the article’s editors of pushing anti-Israel propaganda, with one commenter calling the entry "a joke."

"Does anyone seriously believe that Hamas has won every battle since the invasion?" one user asked.
FDD: China Arming Houthi Rebels in Yemen in Exchange For Unimpeded Red Sea Passage
Latest Developments
U.S. Intelligence Reveals China-Houthi Network: American intelligence sources reportedly revealed that the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are using Chinese-made weapons for their assaults on shipping in the Red Sea in exchange for refraining from attacks upon Chinese vessels. After Houthi leaders visited China in 2023 and 2024 to establish a supply chain, the group was able to obtain “advanced components and guidance equipment” for their missiles, according to Israel’s i24 News. The report claimed that the Houthis plan to utilize the Chinese weapons components to produce hundreds of cruise missiles capable of striking Persian Gulf states.

China-Linked Vessels Continue to Navigate Red Sea: Maritime data confirms that “China-associated” ships are continuing to navigate Red Sea shipping lanes without being targeted, though a Houthi targeting error reportedly led to an attack on a China-linked oil tanker in March 2024. The Houthis have previously said they would avoid targeting ships linked to China, which purchases 90 percent of Iranian oil exports, helping counter sanctions imposed on the country’s energy sector.

U.S. Previously Sanctioned China-based Companies for Aiding Houthis: On October 2, 2024, the United States sanctioned two China-based companies for providing “dual use components” to the Houthis that would advance their “domestic missile and UAV production efforts.” Shenzhen Rion Technology Co., Ltd. and Shenzhen Jinghon Electronics Limitedwere designated for having materially supported the Houthis, including shipping “hundreds” of advanced missile-guidance system components.

FDD Expert Response
“We now have credible reports that China’s communist rulers are supplying arms to the Houthi Islamists in Yemen supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran. By now it should be apparent that the West is literally under fire from an Axis of Aggressors: Beijing, Moscow, Tehran and its proxies, and Pyongyang. They are determined to establish a new international order based on their power and their rules. The United States and its European allies have not responded effectively to this reality. Perhaps the incoming administration will do a better job.” — Clifford D. May, Founder & President

“As international scrutiny intensifies on the Houthis due to more than a year of attacks on Israel and commercial shipping, the group is likely seeking to diversify its supply chain to sustain its expanding missile capabilities. Additionally, the Houthis have learned crucial lessons from more than a decade of valuable battlefield experience. They have learned that exerting pressure on key states in the region, especially the affluent Persian Gulf states with their vast oil and gas reserves, may create significant global economic instability.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“China’s assistance to the Houthis is yet another signal that Beijing is actively contributing to global chaos and instability. From Chinese firms allegedly providing drones to Russia for its war in Ukraine to now providing support to a proxy group conducting strikes against Israel and the United States, China is cementing its status as an arsenal for autocracies.” — Jack Burnham, Research Analyst


Call me Back Podcast - with Dan Senor: How Israel's Spies Penetrated Hezbollah - with Ronen Bergman
The string of Israeli successes against Hezbollah — culminating in the killing of Hassan Nasrallah — last September was partly the work of Israeli military and intelligence agencies infiltrating Hezbollah’s networks, planting booby-trapped communication devices, and tracking the leaders’ movements to dismantle the group's military capabilities. This campaign crippled Hezbollah by also destroying thousands of missiles and disrupting its leadership, delivering a blow to Iran’s regional strategy.

An investigative report recently published by the New York Times delves into how deeply Israeli intelligence had penetrated Hezbollah ranks. Our guest today is one of the report’s authors: Ronen Bergman.

Ronen Bergman is a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine and Senior Correspondent for Military and Intelligence Affairs for Yedioth Ahronoth, an Israeli daily. Ronen has won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the Israel-Hamas war and the pre-war intelligence failures.

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
2:17 Immediate reactions to Gallant's registration
6:57 What surprised Ronen in this story?
13:27 How Israel began gathering intelligence after the 2006 war
15:45 The network of human intelligence sources developed by Israel
19:47 2012 as a turning point
23:38 Were Hezbollah's capabilities overestimated?
26:33 Did Hezbollah's leadership know they had been infiltrated?
27:38 How the pager attack was orchestrated
32:12 The evolution of tools: from walkie-talkies to pagers
35:51 How Israel pushed Hezbollah to use the pagers
39:30 To what extent was the targeted use of pagers a planned part of the operation?
44:10 The moment the operation was almost exposed
46:59 The assassination of Nasrallah
54:53 How long would it take Hezbollah to rebuild itself?


UNRWA’s Refusal to Accept Israeli Sovereignty Will Harm the Palestinians
Israeli authorities found that more than 2,135 UNRWA employees were also terrorists in either Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). One-fifth of UNRWA school administrators were Hamas terrorists, and 10% of the senior positions (school principals and their deputies, directors, and deputy directors of training centers) were members of Hamas or PIJ.

UNRWA’s facilities in Gaza had been turned into terror bases. Hamas had dug extensive tunnels under UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City in which they placed one of their main computer server farms. The electricity for the computers, as well as water, came directly, and in plain sight, from within UNRWA’s headquarters.

Having concluded that UNRWA had lost all credibility and morphed into a vassal of the terrorists, Israel’s Knesset passed laws on Oct. 28, 2024, to end Israel’s June 1967 invitation to UNRWA to operate in Israel, Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. The laws will come into full force on January 30, 2025.

For 76 years, UNRWA has served as the primary vehicle for perpetuating the lie that the “Palestine refugees” will one day demographically and democratically destroy Israel. Under UNRWA, the number of “Palestine refugees” has swelled from 711,000 in 1949 to six million in 2023.

Despite having been given sufficient notice, terror-infested UNRWA is refusing to wrap up its operations and transfer its functions to other actors. It would seem that UNRWA believes it can force itself upon Israel, irrespective of the new legislation.

However, by acting in this manner, UNRWA is doing a disservice to the people to whom it provides services. The international community would be wise to find suitable alternatives.
UNRWA said preparing to shutter Gaza, West Bank operations ahead of Israeli ban
The UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees is reportedly preparing to shut down in Gaza and the West Bank ahead of the implementation of Knesset legislation significantly curbing its operations.

The laws passed on October 28 bar UNRWA from operating in Israeli territory and prevent Israeli authorities from having any contact with the agency. The laws will go into effect at the conclusion of a 90-day grace period, which expires at the end of the month.

Appearing to explain the decision to shutter operations in the Palestinian territories, senior UNRWA Gaza official Louise Wateridge told The New York Times, “If we can’t share that information with Israeli authorities on a daily basis then we have staff lives in danger.”

The UN agency says it is required to coordinate with the Israeli military every time its workers deliver aid or move across Gaza and parts of the West Bank — contact that will be severed going forward.

But UNRWA has also repeatedly warned it is on the brink of collapse, and aid groups speculate that it will continue trying to operate in the West Bank and Gaza as long as it has the funds to do so.

Israel has long had an adversarial relationship with UNRWA, accusing it of perpetuating the Palestinian refugee crisis, as it allows Palestinians to maintain the status for generations both in and outside the Palestinian territories. But Jerusalem’s campaign against UNRWA intensified significantly following Hamas’s October 7 onslaught.

Over a dozen UNRWA staffers were found to have participated in the attack, and there has been a drumbeat of revelations in the year that followed regarding the extent to which Hamas has managed to infiltrate the agency.


John Spencer: The Dogs of (Urban) War: Lessons from Oketz, the Israel Defense Forces’ Specialized Canine Unit
In the middle of the night on a street in one of northern Gaza’s endless urban mazes, an IDF commander faced a dilemma. His unit’s progress was held up by a determined Hamas defense along a single block. The unit had discovered the entrance to a tunnel that appeared to be key to the stubborn delaying defense. Sending his soldiers down the tunnel presented a risk he was unwilling to take. But he had one important advantage—a team from a specialized IDF canine unit was integrated with his soldiers, and he was able to call on a dog and its handler that had been specially trained for underground warfare.

The IDF’s canine unit, the Oketz, has demonstrated how a highly specialized and well-integrated canine force can enhance operational effectiveness, safeguard human lives, and support soldier welfare in high-intensity combat. By examining the way that the IDF has employed this unit in Gaza—from remote canine operations to group deployment to mitigate psychological stress to integration of innovative, dog-specific equipment—the US military can adapt these insights to its own urban warfare capabilities.

Dogs in the IDF
The IDF’s military dog program was heavily shaped by the guiding influence of Professor Rudolphina Menzel, a pioneer in canine psychology. By the 1980s, the program became formally institutionalized as Oketz (“sting,” in Hebrew). Since then, the unit has played pivotal roles in every major conflict involving the IDF, from the 2006 Lebanon War to ongoing operations in Gaza.

Oketz sources nearly all of its military working dogs—99 percent—from breeders in Europe. The dogs are primarily Belgian Malinois, with some German Shepherds and Labradors. Each year, the IDF procures approximately seventy dogs, ensuring they are one year old to strike the right balance between developmental maturity and training flexibility. Their rigorous and multiphase training lasts up to two years and emphasizes bonding between handlers and dogs for operational cohesion.

Each Oketz dog is trained for a specialized role. Some are used tactically as attack dogs to neutralize threats in combat, while others work in explosive ordnance detection. Still others work to locate survivors or find the remains of fallen soldiers or civilians in disaster or combat scenarios. Among the most innovative ways Oketz employs its dogs is training some specifically for underground warfare to operating in tunnels, a frequent feature of combat in Gaza.

Yet it is not only dogs specially trained for subterranean environments that have proven vital during ongoing combat operations in Gaza. Those working in explosive ordnance detection and attack roles have likewise been critical in the urban environment. Dogs have been instrumental in saving IDF soldiers’ lives, finding hidden explosives, and uncovering Hamas fighters concealed within the dense urban fabric of Gaza. Their heightened senses and ability to navigate narrow or debris-filled spaces make them invaluable assets in areas where traditional methods fall short.

Just as observers have watched the war in Gaza closely for lessons about the modern battlefield, the US military can—and should—learn from the ways the IDF employs its dogs in urban combat. In Gaza, the IDF has pushed the boundaries of traditional canine operations with advancements that could redefine how US forces approach military working dog programs. Four lessons stand out.


IDF downs Houthi missile fired from Yemen
The Israeli military overnight Thursday downed a missile fired by Houthi terrorists in Yemen that triggered air-raid sirens in central Israel, including in Jerusalem, the greater Tel Aviv area and parts of Judea.

The missile was intercepted in Israeli airspace, according to the Israel Defense Forces, which was probing reports of debris falling in the city of Modi’in, located between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

There were no immediate reports of direct injuries or damage.

However, Magen David Adom emergency medics treated numerous people who were hurt while rushing to shelter, as well as others suffering from acute anxiety.

Flights in and out of Ben-Gurion International Airport were halted for about 30 minutes due to the Houthi attack, with two planes diverting to Larnaca in Cyprus.

Hours later, the military said that the Air Force had intercepted a drone launched from Yemen.

The unmanned aerial vehicle was downed before crossing into Israeli territory; thus no alerts were activated in accordance with policy.


‘Generals Plan’ for Gaza Strip picks up steam
Eight members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee have signed a letter demanding that Defense Minister Israel Katz immediately replace the operational plan in the Gaza Strip.

The initiative comes after a situation report presented to committee members revealed that Hamas is swiftly rebuilding and rearming in every area from which the Israel Defense Forces has withdrawn, including in Khan Yunis and Nuseirat.

Likud Knesset member Amit Halevi initiated the letter, which was signed by lawmakers from all coalition factions. It contains harsh criticism of the Iron Swords war’s conduct and refers to the current operational plan as “stagnation.” The signatories demanded the adoption of a new strategy, focused on “victory and decisive action.”

Members of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, who have closely monitored IDF operations in Gaza, said that the ground offensive is failing to “achieve the war’s objectives as defined by the political echelon—dismantling Hamas’s governmental and military capabilities.” They further note that these goals remain unrealized despite the operations taking place in a relatively small area against an enemy lacking the tools and capabilities of a modern army.

The signatories contend that the IDF’s current approach, relying on focused raids, allows Hamas to repeatedly rebuild its capabilities. This strategy, they argue, has resulted in a war of attrition that does not yield a decisive outcome.

In the letter, committee members made an additional stark claim: Soldiers in Gaza are dying in vain.
IDF denies Hamas claims of strike on Indonesian Hospital
Contrary to reports, the IDF did not strike the Indonesian Hospital in Jabaliya over the past day and did not damage any essential equipment, the military announced on Friday.

Following reports regarding the evacuation of the hospital, messages were sent to reiterate to officials in the health authorities that there was no need to evacuate the hospital.

The IDF emphasizes that it is not operating to evacuate the hospital. The IDF remains in ongoing coordination with hospital officials in order to enable and facilitate the supply of humanitarian assistance to the hospital.

The military's statement came after Hamas accused Israel of attacking the hospital.

Hamas's accusations
Hamas claimed the strike destroyed "several vital facilities inside the hospital, which made it unable to provide any medical services" and set "fire to a number of schools and homes around the hospital."

"We also call on free peoples to stand up for our people and take action to continue pressuring the occupying entity to stop its crimes that have been ongoing for more than fifteen months with the support and complicity of the US administration," Hamas concluded.

The war started on October 7, 2023, when Hamas breached the existing ceasefire, invaded southern Israel and murdered some 1200 people. During its campaign, which included acts of sexual violence and other war crimes, Hamas abducted over 250 people - many of whom remain captive in Gaza.

Throughout the current war, and predating it, Hamas has used civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, as bases for its terrorist activities. Earlier this week, the military arrested over 200 terror suspects at the Kamal Adwan hospital in the Gaza Strip.

Previous operations in the Indonesian Hospital have also proved Hamas's past presence in the civilian structure. In December 2023, the IDF discovered evidence that hostages had been at the hospital and only three days ago the IDF released footage revealing terrorists planted explosives meters from the hospital grounds.
Gazan terrorists fire rocket at Israel, as IDF ground op presses on
Palestinian terrorists in the central Gaza Strip on Friday fired a rocket at the Israeli border community of Kibbutz Be’eri.

The Israel Defense Forces launched an interceptor missile and was investigating the incident. No injuries were associated with the attack.

Air-raid sirens had not sounded in Be’eri, which was devastated during the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, in almost a year.

In response, the IDF issued an evacuation order for Palestinian civilians in Gaza’s Bureij area.

“Terror organizations are once again firing rockets from this area that has received warnings several times in the past,” Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, posted to X. “For your own safety, move immediately to the humanitarian zone,” he said.

On Thursday, after air-raid sirens were activated in Holit at 11:57 a.m., the Israeli Air Force intercepted a projectile fired from the southern Gaza Strip, the military said.

Holit is a kibbutz located in the Hevel Shalom region of southwestern Israel. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Eshkol Regional Council.

Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired two rockets at Israel just as the clock struck midnight on Tuesday night, marking the new year.

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

Meanwhile, the Israeli Air Force struck staging grounds for terrorists along with Hamas command and control centers across the Palestinian enclave over the previous 24 hours, the IDF said.

“Dozens of Hamas terrorists operated from these compounds, planning and executing attacks against IDF forces and citizens of the State of Israel,” added the military.

“Some of the terrorist complexes that were attacked were established in places previously used as schools. This is another example of Hamas’s cynical and systematic use of civilians in the Gaza Strip for terrorist purposes,” the IDF continued.


Syria's new leader urges US to pressure Israeli withdrawal
Syria’s new de-facto leader, Abu Mohammed al-Julani, has urged the United States to exert pressure on Israel to retreat from the buffer zone in Syria, including the Syrian part of Mount Hermon, according to a Friday report by Kan 11.

Despite Julani's reported request, Israeli authorities allegedly stated they had received no formal communication on the matter. A security official informed Kan News that Israel "will not compromise its security."

Earlier on Friday, NPR interviewed Maher Marwan, Damascus' new governor, who emphasized Syria’s desire for peace and its lack of hostility toward Israel or any other nation. Marwan speculated that Israel's actions in the buffer zone might be motivated by "natural caution."

“We harbor no fear of Israel and bear no animosity,” he remarked. “We have no plans to interfere with anything that could undermine Israel’s safety. Our people yearn for coexistence and peace.”

Reports last week suggested that President Joe Biden's administration is moving toward formally recognizing Syria's new government. A source familiar with the negotiations indicated that the announcement could precede President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.

Previously, the US had placed a $10 million bounty on Julani due to his leadership in al-Qaeda's Syrian branch. However, a recent American delegation visited Damascus and met with Julani. During their discussion, Julani pledged to stabilize Syria’s political and economic landscape and assured US officials that Christians would be free to observe Christmas without interference from his forces.

"Operation Heavy Roads"
Meanwhile, Israel insists all actions in Syria, buffer zone or beyond, are for ensuring the country's security. Earlier this week, the IDF took responsibility for "Operation Heavy Roads," in which soldiers from the IDF's Shaldag special forces unit raided and destroyed an Iranian missile facility in Syria.

The operation, which took place on September 8, involved a raid into an underground facility and multiple firefights with Syrian guards.


Caroline Glick Sheds Light on Recent Developments in Israel and the Broader Middle East
Caroline Glick, Senior Contributing Editor of Jewish News Syndicate, discusses the latest developments in Israel, the Middle East, and the recent raid by Israeli forces on an Iranian missile facility.


Caroline Glick: Twin Attacks Rock US on New Year's. Is there a pattern?
A car-ramming in New Orleans kills ten people and a car bomb explodes in front of a Trump hotel - both connected to Islamic terror. Is the US about to face a wave of terror attacks and what can be done about it?

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Recent Attacks and the Muslim Brotherhood
05:51 The Role of Mosques and Organizations
11:59 The Political Landscape and the Muslim Brotherhood
18:01 The Fort Hood Attack and Its Implications
23:53 The Rise of Jihadism in the U.S.






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