Monday, January 20, 2025

01/20 Links Pt1: Destroying the Illusion of Israel-Hamas Equivalence; Trump to Halt Funding to UNRWA; Correcting the Record on the IDF and Lethal Targeting

From Ian:

Seth Mandel: Destroying the Illusion of Israel-Hamas Equivalence
On Sunday, this trend was no longer puzzling. If you were going to support Hamas in the war against the IDF, you had to perform the following mental gymnastics: The worse Hamas behaved, the worse you thought of Israel—or you’d be forced to face your own twisted depravity for instinctively siding with Hamas.

Hamas soldiers changed out of their civilian clothes and into their uniforms and swarmed out around hospitals along with gleeful civilians and “journalists” who’d taken off their media vests to join the celebrations—none of which were taking place among rubble and famine, despite al Jazeera’s claim that Israel destroyed about three out of every four homes in the strip.

The world got to see a very different Gaza on Sunday. “Khaybar, Khaybar, ya Yahood” they chanted, a popular refrain commemorating a famous Muslim massacre of Jews.

So Hamas sent back to their families Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher. Who is Israel releasing in return, as demanded by Hamas? There’s Zakaria Zubeidi, who was involved in a terror attack in which six people were killed. There’s Mohammad Abu Warda, in prison for his role in bombings that killed 45. Mohammed Naifeh was serving consecutive life sentences for attacks that killed five. Three members of a Hamas cell responsible for the deaths of 30 innocents are reportedly on the list. And on it goes.

To be sure, not every Palestinian inmate has this much blood on his hands. But more than enough do to make one cringe at the clash of values between the two armies.

Israelis are going into this deal with eyes open; they are not naïve. They just believe that life is valuable, though their enemy does not. The asymmetry has clearly inspired some in the pro-Hamas camp to manufacture a false equivalence. The cease-fire has made fools of those who believed it.
Richard Kemp: Hamas terrorists have stopped dressing as women. They’ll soon have to start again
Hamas have been trying to replace their dead terrorists with untrained and inexperienced volunteers from the population. Their capabilities will be boosted by the release of over 1,000 terrorist prisoners in the first stage of the deal alone, some of whom will be battle-hardened.

While they remain free from IDF attack, Hamas will be working overtime to regroup and rebuild their lost strength.

Any and all suitable construction materials and humanitarian supplies allowed into the Strip will be immediately re-purposed for military use rather than to alleviate the suffering of civilians whose houses have been destroyed as a result of Hamas’s war.

They will continue to operate the weapons manufacturing factories that have not been taken apart and do all they can to replenish weapons and ammunition from outside. That is why the IDF must retain its stranglehold on the border with Egypt as well as the blockade of the coastline.

Outside Gaza, Hamas and their sponsors and supporters will be aiming to bring international pressure to bear on Israel to prevent a resumption of hostilities, while holding on to as many hostages as they feel they need for longer term leverage.

In these circumstances the sooner Israel can return to the attack the better, reducing time and opportunity Hamas will have to increase the dangers they still present.

The fight will certainly have to be resumed. It is for Jerusalem to calibrate when and how that is done, balancing the maximum number of hostages that can be got out against the growing risks presented by the breathing space Hamas can be allowed.

Into that equation will also have to be factored wider strategic imperatives, not least a potential strike on Iran’s nuclear programme which now becomes a more realistic proposition with Donald Trump back in the White House.
Stephen Pollard: The picture of Hamas surrounding the hostages says everything
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. And in truth, I really don’t need to write this piece at all. All I need to do to make my point is to publish the picture above. Because it says almost everything that needs to be said not just about Hamas, about the hostage release, and about what is happening in Gaza but also about the state of the West and about those useful idiots in the West who march in support of Hamas.

All that in one photograph.

It’s not just that it shows a braying army of armed men and one solitary woman (although there were, of course, two other women in the car who were also being released from 471 days of captivity). Yes, that matters, because when we focus on Hamas’ bestial behaviour we sometimes forget that it is an Islamist group which hates women and uses them as chattels – in this case, as valuable hostages to be traded. And we should never forget that, because not only do we need to understand Hamas in order to defeat it, we need to understand this in order to set about defeating its support in the West.

It’s not just that it’s another example, on its own sick terms, of how professional Hamas is in how it operates. This was not some spontaneous gathering of an out of control mob but a carefully planned piece of propaganda, designed down to the last detail to show the world that Hamas is in control. Take the ‘goody bags’ given to each of the released hostages, with a map of Gaza, pictures from their captivity and a perverse certificate marking their time as hostages. These weren’t assembled ad hoc on the day but will have been plotted long before for the moment of release – as was every other element of the scene when the hostages were handed over to the Red Cross.

But sitting here now, the day after the hostage release and two days after tens of thousands demonstrated their support for Hamas in London (and don’t you dare try and tell me that’s not what they were doing) it’s that picture – and the other image of a Hamas fighter on the roof of a Red Cross van - which tells the real story. The story, that is, of how so many in the West are taken in by tales of resistance and colonialism and have bought into the idea that they are on ‘the right side of history’ as they march with their keffiyehs and chant From the River to the Sea.


Brendan O'Neill: Her name is Emily Damari
To be clear, Emily was not forgotten. Britain’s Jewish community held vigils for her. Fans of Tottenham Hotspur – the team she supports – campaigned for her release. So did fans of Arsenal. Not for the first time, working-class football fans showed themselves to be the moral backbone of the nation, as our ‘betters’ shamefully looked the other way. It fell mostly to Emily’s heroic mother, Mandy, to keep her daughter’s plight in the headlines. Her dogged campaigning even compelled government officials to break their reprehensible silence and speak on the racist brutalisation of one of their own people.

And yet the unhappy truth, the truth we cannot ignore, is that beyond these pockets of moral clarity there was little concern for Emily’s fate. On the contrary, ‘progressives’ seemed more sympathetic to the Islamist tyrants who so horrifically violated her security and liberty than to Emily herself. They called their barbarism ‘resistance’. Nothing better captured the moral decay of the modern left than the fact that a British leftist from eye-watering privilege referred to the day Emily Damari was seized by racist invaders as a ‘day of celebration’. Meanwhile, the true day of celebration – yesterday, when Emily was released – has merited not one mention from these self-styled anti-fascists.

Britain’s left did cheer someone’s release from captivity yesterday – not Emily Damari’s but Chris Nineham’s. He’s the impeccably upper-class founding member of the Stop the War Coalition who was arrested on Saturday’s ‘pro-Palestine’ demo in London and held overnight. His ridiculous tweet about feeling ‘dishevelled’ but ‘safe and well’ following his release from captivity has been liked thousands of times. I don’t think I have ever felt as despairing of the British left as I do right now, watching them hail Nineham as some kind of posh Mandela on the very day a British Jew was released from whatever dank lair her fascistic oppressors held her in for more than a year.

All people of good conscience will be elated to see the release of Emily, Romi and Doron. And yet even as the surviving hostages stagger back to liberty, and even as this war comes, possibly, to an end, it is essential we do not forget what happened these past 15 months. It is essential we remember the anti-civilisational hysteria of the post-pogrom moment. That many of our young sided with the pogromists over their victims. That when posters of Hamas’s kidnap victims were put up in our cities they were graffitied and smeared with shit. That our educated elites defamed Israel as ‘the pigs of the Earth’ and its citizens as being in the throes of ‘genocidal mania’. That even the kidnap of a British Jew left them blissfully, unforgivably unmoved. Jewish lives, it seems, don’t matter.

We forget all this at our peril. Israel has had its reckoning with the armies of anti-Semites on its borders, and now we need a reckoning with the bigotry and delirium and sympathy for barbarism that swept our societies in the wake of the 7 October pogrom. We should take inspiration from that British badass, Emily Damari – if she can survive 15 months at the hands of Islamist fanatics, surely we can look the fanaticism in our own midst right in the eye.
The hidden dangers of the Gaza hostage deal | Jake Wallis Simons and Brendan O’Neill
Jake Wallis Simons and Brendan O’Neill join Fraser Myers to discuss the return of the Israeli hostages, the barbarism of Hamas and the West’s abandonment of Israel.




Correcting the Record on the IDF and Lethal Targeting
Here, the Times article points out that in the current conflict, the IDF has not used the same level of precautions it has employed previously — such as knock on the roof munitions or phone calls to nearby civilians ahead of a strike. This only points to the extraordinary measures that Israel has used to protect civilians in the past, measures that most other law-abiding nations do not employ.

But just because Israel set such a high bar in protecting civilians previously does not mean that it is now falling short. Nothing about the ground campaign the IDF was compelled to launch against Hamas mirrors prior confrontations with that enemy. As noted in our JINSA report, this was a combined arms maneuver campaign involving up to five maneuver divisions (approximately 100,000 troops) against a determined enemy numbering somewhere between 35-40,000 fighters organized into 24 battalions operating under, on, and above ground.

Unfortunately, the Times article ignores this military operational reality that almost certainly influenced this modification. Anyone reading the critique would assume that nothing changed in the operational situation confronted by the IDF between October 6, 2023, and the commencement of its Gaza campaign. But such an assumption is simply absurd. The campaign the IDF conducted against Hamas and other organized armed groups in Gaza was unprecedented in scale and intensity, certainly the most extensive campaign against an enemy in decades.

The Times inadvertently highlights the nature of this conflict in one of its examples of civilian casualties: an October 2024 Israeli strike in which a secondary explosion of Hamas munitions stored near a hospital caused a fire that resulted in the gruesome death of a teenager. What relation this tragic story has to the article’s focus is unclear. This casualty cannot be the result of either the IDF’s rule loosening—the article acknowledges that the IDF re-tightened its rules and lowered civilian casualty ratios in November 2023—or even the IDF itself. The only thing it is an example of is how Hamas has eroded every distinction between military and civilian targets, turning all of Gaza into a battlefield and intentionally endangering civilians in doing so.

It is a simple reality of war that in these types of operations, attack authority and discretion are delegated down to tactical commanders responsible for time-sensitive and decisive decision-making. In other words, there is nothing remarkable or unusual about the fact that the IDF leadership modified these thresholds to align with the nature of the campaign they were about to conduct (see here for a forthcoming article from one of us addressing the emphasis on lower-level leaders in the LOAC implementation process during such operations). If anything, the fact that limits were retained is an indication of their consistent commitment to the precautions obligation.

Educating the public on the procedures implemented by professional armed forces to balance the needs of military necessity with the imperative of mitigating civilian risk is both important and valuable. However, it is imperative that such education reflect both the true nature of the law that regulates war and the military operational realities in which it is applied. Ironically, to suggest an indiscriminate campaign, the Times article employed indiscriminate analysis. In the context of an unprecedentedly complex conflict, the IDF’s decision to expand civilian casualty thresholds was both logical and justified, and in no way supports the inference of a military indifferent to the human costs of war.
Elise Stefanik Will Deliver on President Trump’s America First Agenda at the UN
For four years, we have seen the consequences of weak leadership in the White House: a world rife with conflict, a foreign policy that has emboldened adversaries like Communist China and Iran and abandoned allies like Israel further degrading American security.

This past fall, the American people voted to usher in an era of renewed American strength. President Trump campaigned on a promise to restore American leadership on the world stage and is appointing the right team to ensure that promises made are promises kept. Specifically at international institutions like the United Nations, this America First leadership cannot come soon enough. Elise Stefanik is the perfect choice to deliver on President Trump’s agenda as Ambassador to the United Nations.

Her pledge to bring “transparency and reform” to the international body is desperately needed. For too long, American interests have taken a backseat at the UN.

The UN rakes in billions of American taxpayer dollars while actively undermining our interests. It allows the worst human rights abusers to sit on the so-called “Human Rights Council,” pushes a radical climate agenda that would destroy our energy industry, and persecutes our most greatest ally Israel while turning a blind eye to bad actors like China and Iran.

Elise understands that there can be no equivocation in our support for our greatest ally, Israel. As a fellow member of the Armed Services Committee during our shared time in the House, she joined me in pushing legislation after legislation that ensures Israel’s right to defend itself and combat the rampant antisemitism polluting our institutions including the United Nations.

At a time when we face upheaval across the globe, Elise understands that security and peace can only be obtained through strength. Gone are the days of allowing our adversaries unchecked. And under President Trump’s historic national security team filled with my former colleagues and friends, we will restore American standing to the world stage.
Jonathan Tobin: Both friends and foes should lower their expectations for Trump 2.0
Many supporters of Israel, who rightly lauded Trump as the most pro-Israel president America has ever had, were reminded of this even before he took office. Trump’s pressure on the Israeli government to enable a ceasefire/hostage release deal that will likely strengthen and enable Hamas to return to power in Gaza disappointed some of those who spent the last four years hoping for his return to the White House. Though he’s likely to please pro-Israel voters more than anger them, this probably won’t be the last time he will do that. As much as he is far more sympathetic to Israel than a Democratic Party now split between those who hate the Jewish state and those who still support it, his priorities aren’t always going to be perfectly aligned with those that will protect Israel’s security.

Similarly, Democratic voters should put aside the demonization of Trump that has become integral to their party’s rhetoric. They need to be ready to accept that some of his policies on issues like trade and immigration will help struggling Americans—something that a party that used to claim to be their protectors should favor. In particular, Jewish Democrats should be willing to acknowledge that Trump and the GOP may be far more interested in defending them and their children against the rising tide of global antisemitism than a Democratic Party that sought to appease its intersectional left-wing. If he disappoints on this issue, Jewish Republicans will have to reassess their support.

Of course, the radical bifurcation of American democracy—aided by the way that politics now plays the role that religion used to play in many people’s lives—isn’t going away so quickly. The debate about Trump’s actions will almost always be split along party and ideological lines.

Knee-jerk reactions
The point about a new presidency is that we should be willing to try to judge actions on their virtues and not merely engage in knee-jerk support or opposition.

Trump 2.0 might turn out to be all his fans desire and a nightmare for those on the other side. But faith in democracy means for his supporters to be willing to acknowledge the possibility that he might be wrong at times and for his detractors to do the same about him being right. In these hyper-partisan times, few may be willing to leave their political silos and say as much. But win or lose, Americans will have a chance to render their verdict on his administration at the ballot box in two years and then choose a successor two years after that.

We should all wish Trump success but also lower our expectations, both good and bad, about what will unfold during the next four years. Turning down the temperature on our rhetoric about him and what he does will go a long way toward making America a better and saner country.
Seth Frantzman: Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff in spotlight after hostage deal
US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is in the spotlight as the first phase of the hostage deal began this week. The first three hostages were released on January 19, a day before Trump’s inauguration.

Witkoff spoke at a Trump victory rally on Sunday, saying he had received news of the hostage release on his phone soon before he took to the stage. “We had a great team, but it doesn’t happen without Donald Trump… The president was responsible for this release, and we all owe him a debt of gratitude, as do all the families,” he said.

Witkoff was brought back in mid-November by Trump. The New York Post called him a longtime friend of the president and a “fellow real estate developer.” Trump at the time wrote that “Steve is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy, who has made every project and community he has been involved with, stronger and more prosperous. Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud.”

The envoy avoided the spotlight until early January when the outgoing Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration were able to bring together mediators in Doha to try to finalize a deal that had been in the works for a year. In fact, many parts of the deal had not changed, but there was apparently a need to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into accepting the terms.

According to numerous reports, Witkoff made it clear that a deal needed to happen. “Steve Witkoff delivers ‘stark message’ from Trump to Netanyahu, prompting PM to instruct Israeli negotiation team to head to Qatar and strike an agreement; envoy reportedly said Trump ‘has been a great friend of Israel, and now it’s time to be a friend back,” Ynet wrote.

'A deal needed to happen'
This approach has now been called the “Witkoff strategy” by Al-Ain media in the UAE. Clearly, the region is watching this development closely. It knows that the Biden administration failed to get a deal and that Trump is more serious; many countries are willing to be flexible when they hear that Trump wants something, as they are conscious that he is willing to back up words with actions. Their flexibility indicates a mixture of respect and perhaps slight fear regarding repercussions.

“People who know Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, were not surprised to hear that an aggressive meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convinced the latter to sign a deal that included a ceasefire and the return of hostages,” a report noted at Al-Ain media. “He’s a smart guy and a talented negotiator,” a person close to Witkoff said, according to the Gulf media.
Israel Advocacy Movement: Is Trump's Middle East Envoy COMPROMISED? | Steve Witkoff

Israeli Expert Sounds Alarm Over Qatar’s Double-Game | The Caroline Glick Show
Yigal Carmon, founder and president of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), joins JNS senior contributing editor Caroline Glick for an exclusive interview that exposes Qatar’s corrosive influence on western society.

Learn about Doha's campaign to weaken Western powers and increase Islamic influence while simultaneously benefiting from economic cooperation.




Yeshiva U president in inaugural benediction: ‘Hear the cry of the hostages’
Wearing a yellow hostage pin, Rabbi Ari Berman, president of Yeshiva University, delivered a benediction today at President Donald Trump’s inauguration, in which he prayed to God to “guide our schools and campuses which have been experiencing such unrest.”

Referring to the implementation of a cease-fire and hostage-release deal agreed to by Israel and Hamas that started on Sunday, Berman said, “We are so thankful for the three young women who yesterday returned home and pray that the next four years bring peace to Israel and throughout the Middle East.”

“Hear the cry of the hostages, both American and Israeli, whose pain our president so acutely feels,” he continued.

Berman became the second Orthodox rabbi to ever give a prayer at a presidential inaugural, following the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Rabbi Marvin Hier at Trump’s first inauguration in 2017.

A Yeshiva University spokesperson told Jewish Insider ahead of the inauguration that “at a time of great disruption on college campuses, Rabbi Berman will be the only university president delivering remarks during the ceremony and will speak to the aspirations of faith-based and values-driven universities across the nation.”

The benediction also featured prayers from Senior Pastor Lorenzo Sewell of the 180 Church in Detroit and Rev. Father Frank Mann of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. It did not include controversial Imam Husham Al-Husainy, who was removed from the schedule.


Imam who praised Hezbollah booted from inauguration benediction
An imam who refused to acknowledge Hezbollah as a terrorist organization was removed as a speaker at President Donald Trump’s inauguration after previously being slated to deliver a benediction.

Imam Husham Al-Husainy, who leads Karbalaa, a prominent Islamic education center in Dearborn, Mich., was asked by Hannity in a 2007 Fox News interview whether Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. “First of all — first of all, Hezbollah is a Lebanese organization,” Al-Husainy replied. “And I’ve got nothing to do with that. But there is a biblical meaning of Hezbollah. It is in Judaism and Christianity and Islam meaning people of God and that means yes.”

The U.S. designated Hezbollah as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997. Al-Husainy appeared on Hannity’s show, alongside liberal journalist Alan Colmes, on the heels of delivering an invocation at the Democratic National Convention winter meeting in January 2007, where he gave “remarks that have raised so many questions,” Hannity said at the time.

In the interview, Hannity asked, “Will you believe, will you admit that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization, sir?”

“That is your explanation,” Al-Husainy answered. “Is it?” Hannity asked. “But Hezbollah — sir, you give me time to explain,” Al-Husainy continued.

“This is a yes or no. Is Hezbollah a terrorist organization? Yes or no? Is Hezbollah…” Hannity asked. “No,” Al-Husainy said.

“No. They’re not?” Hannity asked again. “What are you talking about? What are you talking — which question do you want me to answer?” Al-Husainy said.

Though he was listed on an earlier version of the inauguration program , Al-Husainy did not appear alongside other religious leaders — Rabbi Ari Berman, president of Yeshiva University; Senior Pastor Lorenzo Sewell of the 180 Church in Detroit and Rev. Father Frank Mann of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn — at the benediction in the Capitol rotunda.


BREAKING: Why Israel Agreed to the Hostage Deal and What Comes Next | Jerusalem Minute
Israel on Jan. 19 welcomed three hostages home who had been held by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023.

While this wasn’t Jerusalem's preferred way to get the hostages back, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the deal after weeks of negotiations led by U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.

On this episode of "Jerusalem Minute," Middle East correspondent Josh Hasten and JNS CEO and Jerusalem bureau chief Alex Traiman discuss all the developments that led to the deal and what may come next in the war against Hamas.


Replacing UNRWA Is an Opportunity Trump Should Not Miss
The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is the controversial body tasked with providing aid and services to Palestinian refugees. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is the body established to address the fate of all other refugees around the world. Its core mission includes promoting the resettlement and integration of refugees into countries where they have sought refuge.

However, UNRWA's mission has been the exact opposite - to oppose their resettlement and integration. Providing relief to millions of Palestinian descendants of the original refugees, based on the argument that their legitimate, rightful home lies inside Israel, is deeply counterproductive to the search for peace.

UNRWA long ago shed its identity as an impartial provider of emergency relief to become a Palestinian advocacy agency. UNRWA schools that serve hundreds of thousands of children have often taught curricula suffused with anti-Israel, even antisemitic, messages.

In October 2024, the Israeli parliament passed laws that will come into effect January 30: a ban on UNRWA operations in Israeli sovereign territory and the severing of all Israeli ties with the agency. With this deadline looming, the Biden administration reportedly approached other UN agencies operating in Gaza - including UNHCR, the World Food Program (WFP), the World Health Organization, and others - to gauge their ability to take over UNRWA's tasks. They all said no, insisting that only UNRWA can do the job. In other words, the UN system essentially said it would rather Gazans starve than for it to be complicit in sidelining UNRWA.

Instead of politely asking them if they can assume UNRWA's job in Gaza, the Trump administration should put them on notice that continued U.S. funding of their own global operations is contingent on them taking over those tasks. The U.S. is the largest donor to the WFP, providing 46% of its budget, and to UNHCR, providing 44% of its budget. Faced with losing a large chunk of this aid, these agencies would no doubt discover that they are suddenly quite capable of doing UNRWA's job.


Trump to Halt Funding to UNRWA
Former President Donald Trump is poised to take immediate action on one of his key foreign policy priorities upon assuming office for a second term: halting U.S. financial assistance to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The anticipated executive order, which is expected to be signed within Trump’s first week back in office, aims to cut U.S. funding to the agency, marking a decisive shift in the U.S. approach to foreign aid and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

UNRWA, a UN agency tasked with providing aid to Palestinian refugees, has long been embroiled in controversy due to repeated allegations of links to Hamas, the Gaza-based terrorist group. In fact, the UN recently acknowledged that nine of its staff members may have been involved in the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, further intensifying criticism of the agency.

A White House policy adviser for the incoming Trump administration highlighted the rationale behind this move, stating, “The United States and American citizens have been some of the most generous people in the entire world. But at this point, we have to understand that foreign policy is domestic policy, and if this is not aligned with our interests, then Uncle Sam should not be opening up his pocketbook any longer.”


IDF PodCast: Daily Brief: Emily, Doron, and Romi Are Back Home from Hamas Captivity
A special episode about our three returning hostages; Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, and Doron Steinbrecher, who were released from Hamas captivity after 471 days. After weeks of uncertainty and fear, their return brought tears of relief and joy across Israel as they were reunited with their families.

Emily, Romi, and Doron were taken hostage on October 7, 2023. Since then, bringing home all of the hostages held by Hamas has been a main priority for the IDF.

Join us as we reflect on this pivotal moment, the power of hope, and what their return signifies for the ongoing conflict and future negotiations.


'Terrified, underground,' First details of Emily, Doron and Romi's time in captivity
The three women released from Hamas captivity on Sunday shared their first testimonies from their captivity with N12 exclusively on Monday, cleared for publication by the military censor.

Doron Steinbrecher, Romi Gonen, and Emily Damari relayed that they were initially held together but were later separated. They revealed that they were only informed of their release on Sunday morning: "We couldn’t believe it when we were told we were about to go home."

According to their testimonies, they were at times housed in humanitarian shelters designated for displaced Gazans.

Even though the women did sometimes receive medical help or medications, they spent significant stretches of time without daylight, confined to underground space, N12 added.

One of the women underwent a medical procedure without anesthesia. She told N12 she thought she would die in Gaza.

The women said that they spent 15 months cooking and supporting each other.

They also added that throughout their 471 days in Gaza, they were exposed to television and radio broadcasts and were able to follow their families’ struggles for their release.

"We saw your fight; we heard our families battling for us," they recounted.

This meant they also learned of the October 7 massacre.

One of the women told N12, "We understood that our families survived, but we discovered we had lost many friends."

Final moments in captivity
They also spoke of their terror in the final moments of captivity as they were transferred to the Red Cross. "We were terrified during the transition from the terrorists’ hands to the Red Cross," they told N12, and mentioned being surrounded by the hostile Gazan crowd.

The testimonies given to N12 also revealed new details about Emily Damari’s time in captivity. Emily spent significant amounts of time with Romi Gonen, being transferred together dozens of times between various hiding places, both above and below ground.

Romi, a trained medic, provided critical care to Emily’s injuries, including two lost fingers from being shot during the October 7th massacre and a leg injury.


Gal Gadot, Gwyneth Paltrow and other celebs salute the hostage release
While virtually all of Israel celebrated the release of three hostages – Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, and Doron Steinbrecher – from Hamas captivity on Sunday, only the usual suspects in Hollywood had a kind word to say about it, and other celebrities mostly stayed silent.

Gal Gadot, Israel’s resident Hollywood superstar, posted three photos of each hostage being reunited with her mother, with a line about expressing hope that the remaining 94 hostages will soon come home as well to her Instagram story. She added another story with a video of the three young women setting foot on Israeli soil for the first time. Throughout the war, she has been Israel’s most high-profile supporter in the entertainment community.

Actress and wellness entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow posted individual images of each hostage with her mother, along with captions identifying each one.

Actress Jennifer Jason Leigh, who visited Israel last summer as the guest of honor at the Jerusalem Film Festival, uploaded about a dozen posts celebrating the hostages’ release to her Instagram story.

Sacha Baron Cohen posted two videos, one of the hostages back on Israeli soil, and an earlier one showing harrowing images of these three young women menaced by a crowd of uniformed Hamas terrorists armed to the teeth as they moved from Hamas to Red Cross custody before returning to Israel.

Mayim Bialik, the actress/director/neuroscientist, posted several clips about the hostages to her story and several photos on her Instagram account. Actress Debra Messing posted video of the hostages returning home.

The always outspoken Michael Rapaport who, like many of these pro-Israel actors, visited Israel and met with hostage families during the past year, posted about 10 images and videos celebrating the return of the hostages, along with a video of himself on his Instagram story, saying, “How about f*** Gaza. F*** Gaza. F*** Gaza. F*** Gaza, and the 77 years of wasted time. F*** Gaza for letting themselves be overran by terrorists. F*** Gaza for not saying anything or pointing out where the hostages is, f*** Gaza. F*** Gaza and f*** Gaza. How about that?”

Actress Patricia Heaton posted a video of herself speaking about Emily Damari, with a note added after all three hostages were home.


Seth Frantzman: The ceasefire in Gaza will reverberate across the Middle East
The ceasefire in Gaza will have broad implications across the Middle East. How this will take shape will take time to process. This is because the ceasefire has phases, and it is not clear what may come next.

However, we know that those who oppose Israel will try to spin the ceasefire to their advantage. Hamas is portraying it as a victory. Pro-Iran groups will frame it as their victory as well. Qatar and Turkey, who back Hamas, will also regard it as a triumph on their part.

For instance, Al-Akhbar media in Lebanon wrote that the deal was leading to Israeli concerns about Hamas returning to power.

Iran has said it will continue to support the Palestinian cause. The pro-Houthi Masirah TV also said that Hamas has shown its skill in negotiating the deal.

Regarding news outlets that are more critical of Hamas or tend to be in the camp of Arab states that are not backing Hamas, there is likely concern that the truce could fan the flames of extremism in the region.

In other words, Hamas is linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, and that could lead to many affiliated parties feeling that it is on the upswing.

In the UAE, they are closely watching what happens next. Al-Ain media in the UAE reported on the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza and also Israeli concerns about Hamas returning to power.

The media in the Gulf is also watching closely what may happen with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition.
Seth Frantzman: How Hamas survived a year of the Israel-Hamas War
The war against Hamas, which began in the wake of its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, was one of the longest sustained wars that Hamas has had to face in its almost 40-year history. The group was prepared to face this challenge. Now that Hamas appears to be emerging in Gaza, it is worth asking some initial questions about how it survived.

When the war began, Hamas sent several thousand of its fighters to attack Israel. Hamas was estimated after October 7 to have around 24 battalions – around 30,000 fighters. There were other terrorist groups in Gaza, primarily Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which had thousands of fighters as well.

This means that when the war began, the terrorists may have been able to muster up to 40,000 men. The terrorists faced an Israeli army that called up 300,000 reservists and deployed around five divisions to fight in Gaza.

The main divisions that fought in Gaza included the 36th Armored Division, the 162nd Division, the 98th Division of paratroopers and commandos, as well as the Gaza Division, the 99th Division, and the 252nd Division.

After the initial attack on Israel, in which Hamas had lost some fighters, Hamas retreated into tunnels in Gaza. Estimates say thousands of Palestinians were killed in the attack on Israel, but it’s unclear if those estimates are correct.

What matters is that Hamas waited in Gaza for the IDF attack. The IDF also waited from October 7 to 27 to launch the ground campaign. This gave Hamas a lot of time to prepare and recover from the October 7 attack. Of course, it was Israel that truly had to recover, but Hamas also had to deal with an unprecedented number of hostages and face the Israeli airstrikes that followed October 7.

Hamas gains and losses
The initial IDF advance targeted northern Gaza and was designed to cut it off from the south. Most initial advances were not in urban areas. Instead, the 162nd Division moved from Zikim south along the coast, while the 36th crossed south of Gaza in the Netzarim Corridor, seizing the Salah al-Din road and other key areas.

Once the divisions linked up, the IDF launched attacks into northern Gaza. The IDF and the Defense Ministry estimated that these initial attacks defeated the 10 or 12 Hamas battalions in northern Gaza. This later proved to be false. However, Hamas did lose thousands of fighters in the north.

The IDF never entered many neighborhoods around Gaza City, and even when the IDF went into places like Jabalya or Beit Hanun, it didn’t fully clear these areas. Hamas moved away, mixed with civilians, and waited. In many cases, the IDF didn’t check civilians fleeing Gaza City for the south, and it’s clear Hamas was able to leave if it wanted.

In January and February 2024, the IDF’s campaign became less intense. The IDF shifted focus to Khan Yunis, and the 98th Division spent months clearing this key area of Hamas. By April, the 98th was done and left. Then the IDF decided to go into Rafah, after a long pause.

In essence, Hamas was given a kind of de facto ceasefire in Gaza in March and April, which enabled it to regroup. This was the era when the US was pressing to build a floating pier attached to the Netzarim Corridor. The pier failed, but the time all this took mattered.
Lapid: Hezbollah must withdraw north of Litani for permanent truce
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) told JNS on Monday that Hezbollah must withdraw north of Lebanon’s Litani River for the ceasefire with the Iranian-backed terrorist group to become permanent.

“It is supposed to be a permanent ceasefire,” Lapid told JNS, speaking at a party meeting held at the Knesset in Jerusalem on Monday afternoon.

“The first stage of it was just in order to make sure that the forces are organized in the right direction, but now, [we are] going to negotiate the final stage of this agreement,” he added.

“The one condition we have is that Hezbollah will go up to the Litani River,” which is located some 18 miles north of the border, he said, adding that “this is supposed to be happening in the next few days.”

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned earlier this month that the Nov. 26 deal with Beirut would be void if Hezbollah refuses to withdraw from Southern Lebanon in accordance with the terms of the accord.

Under the terms of the deal, which went into effect on Nov. 27, Israel Defense Forces soldiers are to gradually withdraw from Lebanon’s south before Jan. 26, as the Lebanese Armed Forces and U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) troops take over responsibilities for ensuring that Hezbollah remains disarmed south of the Litani River.

However, concerns are growing in Jerusalem about whether the LAF can fulfill its obligation to clamp down on Hezbollah’s presence in the south, and the Israel Defense Forces remains engaged in frequent operations in the border area.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi has ordered the military to prepare plans for continued fighting in Lebanon, as well as in the Gaza Strip, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement on Monday afternoon.
Kinetic Concepts: Israels Elite Soldiers Mission Deep Behind Enemy Lines
Israel Defense Forces Unit 669 and Shaldag conduct a top-secret raid deep in Syrian territory.


IDF soldier killed by roadside bomb in northern Samaria
Israel Defense Forces Sgt. 1st class (res.) Eviatar Ben Yehuda, 31, from Nitzan in the country’s south, was killed during “operational activities” in northern Samaria, the military announced on Monday morning.

An officer in Ben Yehuda’s unit, the 8211 Reserve Battalion of the IDF’s Ephraim Brigade, was seriously wounded in the same incident, according to military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.

Three more Israeli soldiers sustained injuries of various degrees in the incident, which took place in the Palestinian town of Tammun, northeast of the city of Nablus (Shechem), according to Ynet.

The soldiers had been traveling in a vehicle that hit an explosive device, according to the report.


The Free Press: Sen. Ted Cruz on TikTok, China, the Ceasefire Deal, and Much More
A wide-ranging conversation live in Washington, D.C., on the eve of Trump's inauguration.




‘Stark differences’ in celebrations in Israel and Gaza over ceasefire deal
Sky News host Sharri Markson outlines the “stark difference” between the “barbaric terrorism” of Hamas-controlled Gaza and the “peaceful celebration of love” in Israel.

This comes amid the release of three Israeli hostages after 471 days in captivity.

“This disgusting display of terrorism, of brutality. It's everything we should and do reject as a western democracy,” Ms Markson said.

“And this is the place that Penny Wong and Anthony Albanese, and the entire morally corrupt Federal Labor government would reward with statehood.”


‘Finish the job’: Israel warned Hamas ‘will undoubtedly’ breach ceasefire deal
Former British commander Richard Kemp has warned Hamas will breach its ceasefire deal with Israel.

“Hamas will undoubtedly be breaching that ceasefire at some point,” Mr Kemp told Sky News host Sharri Markson.

“And Israel will have to return and really finish off the job.”


Israeli hostages released after ‘horror’ captivity for over a year
Sky News host Peta Credlin discusses the freed Israeli hostages and what “horrors” these individuals could have gone through.

“After being held captive for well over a year … today, finally, three Israeli hostages were returned to their families,” Ms Credlin said.

“I can’t imagine, few of us can, the horrors … during their 471 days of captivity at the hands of Hamas terrorists.”


'Mixed feelings': Ceasefire takes hold between Israel and Hamas
Executive Council of Australian Jewry Co-CEO Peter Wertheim discusses the release of three Israeli hostages after a ceasefire deal was struck between Israel and Hamas.

"We have mixed feelings about it [the ceasefire] as I think Jewish people around the world do and the Israelis themselves," Mr Wertheim told Sky News Australia.

"On the one hand, we are overjoyed to see the hostages who have undergone unspeakable horrors over the last 15 months while they have been held captive by terrorists being returned to the arms of their loved ones.

"On the other hand, we are also conscious of the other hostages who have not yet been agreed to be released and also the price that has had to be paid in terms of the future of the whole conflict in the release of dozens, if not hundreds of people who have been convicted of some release serious crimes including the most heinous terrorist crimes and who have blood on their hands – so it's mixed feelings.


Hamas ‘still the power in Gaza' as Israel pulls out
Sky News host Andrew Bolt has blasted the recent Gaza ceasefire deal saying Hamas is “still the power in Gaza” as Israel pulls out.

Mr Bolt blasted United States President-elect Donald Trump saying he may have just “sown the seeds for more slaughter” as Hamas “lives”.

“Under this ceasefire deal that Trump forced on Israel, Israeli troops must pull back to near the border with Israel,” Mr Bolt said.

“Trump just wanted this deal done in time for his inauguration, make Trump great again, if it doesn’t make Israel safe.”


Central Synagogue SydneyDutton pledges tougher action against antisemitism
At Sydney’s Central Synagogue this morning (January 20), federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Senator James Patterson announced that an elected Coalition government would legislate for a mandatory minimum term of six years imprisonment for all acts of terrorism under Commonwealth law, and do something that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week ruled out – to convene a national cabinet to specifically address antisemitism and extremism.

Other pledges they announced included introducing mandatory minimum sentences of 12 months in prison – and increasing the maximum prison term to five years – for the public display of prohibited Nazi symbols, giving the Nazi salute, and displaying prohibited terrorist organisation symbols and flags.

A Coalition government would also amend draft laws currently before parliament to make it a hate crime to urge or threaten violence towards a place of worship, punishable by imprisonment for five years, and up to seven years in the case of an aggravated offence.

Dutton promised that, “if elected as prime minister, we [the coalition] will provide the resources, the legislation, and the will, to stamp out antisemitism in our country, and to send a very clear message that that is not going to be tolerated in any form whatsover – and that will happen from day one”.

Describing antisemitism as a national scourge that requires a national response and strong leadership, Dutton said, “It’s only the Prime Minister’s pride at the moment that is standing between him, and a decision that he can make, to convene a national cabinet”.

“We’re seen the firebombing of cars, we’re seeing people doxxed, we’re seeing children going to school protected by armed guards, so if now is not the time for a national cabinet [on antisemitism], when is it?

“For every day that the Prime Minister abrogates his responsibility, and continues this weakness, our country continues to suffer.”

Patterson recalled how Dutton first called upon Albanese to convene a national cabinet on antisemitism in November 2023.
Peter Dutton backs mandatory minimum jail time for antisemitic attacks
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has announced he will introduce mandatory minimum sentences for terror attacks such as firebombing a synagogue if he is elected this year.


Shadow Attorney-General blames rise in antisemitism on Albanese government
The Albanese Labor government is “responsible” for the rise in antisemitism which is plaguing the nation, claims Shadow Attorney-General Michaelia Cash.

“I don’t think even I know anymore where this man (Albanese) stands on antisemitism,” Ms Cash told Sky News host Peta Credlin.

“Other than his government is responsible for the rise in antisemitism in Australia.”




Tucker Carlson remains seated during standing ovation for hostages in Trump’s inaugural address
Right-wing talk show host Tucker Carlson appeared to remain seated as President Donald Trump said that “the hostages in the Middle East are coming back home to their families” during his inauguration speech on Monday, a comment that drew a wide and bipartisan standing ovation from a majority of attendees at the Capitol Rotunda ceremony.

Carlson, who received one of the most sought-after seats in Washington to attend the inauguration in the rotunda — which has a limited capacity of about 600 people — drew unusually fierce criticism from several Republican lawmakers over his decision last September to host Darryl Cooper, a Holocaust distortionist who called Winston Churchill the “chief villain” of World War II, on his show.

Three months later, Carlson held another controversial interview with Jeffrey Sachs, the Columbia University professor who, in a lengthy discussion with Carlson, espoused a litany of conspiracy theories about Israel and the broader Middle East.

Carlson and the newly inaugurated Vice President J.D. Vance have a close professional relationship. The former Fox News host lobbied Trump aggressively to choose Vance as his running mate, and the former senator has appeared on his online streaming program.


Met chief criticises CAA and Muslim group over responses to policing of Gaza demo
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has accused the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) and the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) of “ignoring the reality of the law” with their interventions on pro-Palestine protests in London.

In a well-received speech made at Sunday’s Board of Deputies plenary, Rowley singled out comments made by both organisations following the latest Palestine Solidarity Campaign led demo in the capital, during which the Met made over 77 arrests.

The Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) had criticised the Met’s decision to block the march, calling it “an outrageous assault on democracy, freedom of assembly, and freedom of expression”.

Meanwhile in their statement the CAA said: “It is shameful that the Met has refused to act on that threat all this time and is mustering a show of strength only now that it appears that the war might be ending.

“The least that it can do is see this tokenistic gesture through and finally limit these marches to static protests, as we have been urging for over a year.”

Responding to each statement, Rowley told Deputies that the MAB were assuming “protest has no bounds and regardless of the effect on people you can protest in any way you want.”

In regards to the CAA’s claim he added: “There is no power in law to ban these protests, is the first point. Secondly, we don’t authorise any protest. The law doesn’t give us that power.”
Corbyn and McDonnell interviewed by police after Palestine march
Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell have been interviewed under caution by police following a pro-Palestinian rally in central London on Saturday.

The former Labour leader, 75, and former shadow chancellor, 73, voluntarily attended Charing Cross police station on Sunday as the Met investigated what it said was a coordinated effort by organisers to breach conditions imposed on the event.

Nine other people – including Corbyn’s brother Piers and the Stop The War Coalition’s Chris Nineham – have been charged with public order offences following arrests at the protest organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC).

In a statement, the force said the nine people charged – who include Chris Nineham, a chief steward on the march, and Corbyn’s brother Piers Corbyn -are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in the coming days.

Police added on Sunday:” A 75-year-old, 73-year-old and 61-year-old will be interviewed by officers this afternoon.”

Corbyn and McDonnell were photographed leaving the central London police station on Sunday afternoon.

The Independent MP for Islington North challenged the Met’s claims posting on X;” I was part of a delegation of speakers, who wished to peacefully carry and lay flowers in memory of children in Gaza who had been killed.

“This was facilitated by the police. We did not force our way through.

“When we reached Trafalgar Square, we informed police that we would go no further, lay down flowers and disperse.

“At that point, the Chief Steward, Chris Nineham was arrested. We then turned back and dispersed. “I urge the police to release all bodycam footage and retract its misleading account of events.”




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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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