Thursday, January 30, 2025

01/30 Links Pt1: Hostages Arbel Yehud, Agam Berger and Gadi Mozes free after 482 days; You’re Lucky To Survive Being Freed By Hamas; The wickedness perpetrated by Hamas can never be undone

From Ian:

Bassem Eid: The wickedness perpetrated by Hamas can never be undone
Why would anyone, even terrorist operatives, behave with such abject cruelty toward their fellow human beings? To understand this, one must understand Hamas’s ideology of hate. Its founding charter commits to the annihilation of the State of Israel and for it to be replaced with an Islamic theocracy under Sharia law. These are not just words on a page. Hamas-controlled Gaza has a deeply antisemitic media and education environment, in which even children’s programming and school textbooks are full of misinformation about the alleged perfidy of Jews and calls for their annihilation.

It’s not only the traumatized hostages and the Hamas-ruled Gazans who have been irreversibly damaged by the terrorist group’s reign of terror. The day after Oct. 7, Israel was attacked by the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah as a Hamas ally, inaugurating a brutal war in Israel’s north that displaced tens of thousands in both countries. Attacks on Israel continue from other terrorist factions armed by Hamas’s sponsor, Iran, notably the Houthis, who have led an assault on global shipping through the Red Sea. (The Houthi flag bears the unsubtle slogan “Death to the USA, Death to Israel, Curse the Jews, Victory to Islam.”) The ferocious war on Israel has also launched a global surge in antisemitism, with nearly half of adults worldwide now reporting antisemitic views. These trends have derailed efforts toward peace, including the near-signing of a peace treaty between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

All of this is to say that even if all of the hostages were to return home tomorrow, nothing would go back to the way it was. Rape is often a trauma with lifelong impacts; just consider the effects of nearly a year and a half of captivity and unrelenting abuse. Nor will the Gazan population, which has been under Hamas rule since 2007, quickly unlearn the lessons of control by a brutal genocidal regime that uses hospitals, schools, mosques and churches as military sites. Beginning to undo the damage requires one clear and straightforward prerequisite: Like the Nazis before them, there is no just compromise with Hamas that leaves them in power.

They must be unseated, everywhere they hold sway, for the monstrous scars they left behind even to begin to heal.
Seth Mandel: You’re Lucky To Survive Being Freed By Hamas
Ah, the Red Cross! Willing participants in the psychotic torment of hostages. Although the Red Cross was unbothered by its role in a public torture passion play, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stepped in. The Palestinian murderers and terrorists being released in return for innocent Israeli hostages could sit on their bus a bit longer, Netanyahu decreed, until he could get assurances that the demonic scenes in Gaza would not be repeated.

To be clear: The process of dragging hostages through the crowds is not just morally abominable; it is legitimately dangerous. You are lucky to survive being freed by these psychopaths. And for the Red Cross to stand there and accede to this is beyond disqualifying.

To watch these scenes, in other words, is to watch the full range of human complicity in unspeakable crimes, and experience the full range of emotions that comes with it.

When the relief finally arrives, then, it’s almost overwhelming. The hostages finally cross from the death cult to the land of the living, the land of their forefathers, of God. The homes waiting to host them in Eretz Israel will feed them and protect them rather than abuse them and hold them against their will. They are transferred from the Red Cross into the hands of medical professionals who will treat them and heal them instead of pretending they don’t exist. The guns and uniforms around them are now their own.

And the drones, too. It was announced earlier today that the terrorist who kidnapped Naama Levy, one of the hostages released this past weekend, had been killed in a targeted IDF strike four months ago. This information had been kept under wraps until Levy was free, for her own safety.

Future hostage releases will probably look different from what we saw today. They will seem humane. Let us not forget that such humanity had to be demanded.
Hostages Arbel Yehud, Agam Berger and Gadi Mozes free after 482 days
Three Israelis and five Thais were redeemed from terrorist captivity in the Gaza Strip on Thursday as part of Hamas’s truce with Jerusalem, 482 days after they were taken captive during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

Israeli civilians Arbel Yehud, 29, and Gadi Mozes, 80, were handed over by Hamas to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Thursday afternoon in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis.

Mozes was taken from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz alongside his wife, Margalit, who was one of the first captives released in the 2023 truce.

The five released Thais—all foreign workers who were taken hostage during the Oct. 7 cross-border assault—were named by the Israel Defense Forces as Thaenna Pongsak, Sathian Suwannakhan, Sriaoun Watchara, Saethao Bannawat and Rumnao Surasak.

“According to information provided by the Red Cross, seven hostages, including an Israeli male and female hostage and five foreign nationals, were handed over to it and are making their way to the IDF and [Israel Security Agency] forces in the Gaza Strip,” the military confirmed.

The army subsequently confirmed that the seven returnees have “now crossed the border into Israeli territory with IDF and ISA forces.”


Netanyahu slams ‘unimaginable cruelty’ of Hamas after hostages mobbed
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday condemned the crowds of Gazans that mobbed three Israeli hostages as they were being released by Hamas.

“I view the shocking scenes during the release of our hostages as very serious,” wrote Netanyahu after the release of Arbel Yehud, Gadi Mozes, Agam Berger and five Thai citizens, all of whom were abducted to Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023.

“This is further proof of the unimaginable cruelty of the Hamas terrorist organization. I demand that the mediators ensure that such horrific scenes do not recur, and guarantee the safety of our hostages. Those who dare harm our hostages do so at their own peril,” Netanyahu wrote.

Footage from the release shows massive crowds, apparently in a state of jubilation, swarming around cars transporting the hostages and around the Hamas terrorists escorting the Israelis from the vehicles.

Otzma Yehudit Party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir, a critic of the ceasefire deal who recently took his party out of the government because of it, called the display a “horror” scene demonstrating that “this is not a total victory but a total failure, in a reckless deal like no other.

The government, he continued, “could have withheld humanitarian aid, fuel, electricity and water from the bloodthirsty mob that is now trying to lynch our hostages and crushed them militarily.”

Israel has agreed to release 110 terrorists in exchange for the latest group of hostages, including Zakaria Zubeidi, Mohammad Abu Warda and Sami Jaradat, according to Channel 12.

Zubeidi led Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the Samaria city of Jenin and briefly escaped from Israel’s high-security Gilboa Prison in September 2021. Since Zubeidi was not convicted of murder but of other terror offenses, he will not be deported and is expected to be released back to Samaria.
‘We didn’t eat bread on Passover, tried to fast on Yom Kippur’: How ex-hostages clung to faith
After 482 days in Hamas captivity, Israeli hostages Arbel Yehud, Gadi Moses, and Agam Berger returned home on Thursday, revealing harrowing details of their ordeal—including how they clung to their faith, refusing to eat leavened bread on Passover and attempting to fast on Yom Kippur, despite their captors’ cruelty.

The IDF observers from Nahal Oz, including Agam Berger, made a conscious effort to observe Jewish traditions even while being held underground and in Hamas-controlled apartments in Gaza, Ynet reported.

Despite the dire conditions, they refused to eat chametz (leavened bread) on Passover and attempted to fast on Yom Kippur, a difficult task given the severe malnutrition they suffered.

Berger, the last IDF observer to be released, said that holding onto faith gave her strength. She had remained in captivity alone for a full week after her comrades Liri, Daniella, Naama, and Karina were freed. She reportedly took comfort in knowing they had been released and held onto hope that she would be next, according to Kan News.

482 days of isolation
For nearly 16 months, Arbel Yehud was held in complete isolation, underground for extended periods. She suffered from severe malnutrition, had minimal food, and endured cruel treatment from her captors.

According to Kan News, Yehud was informed during her captivity that her brother, Dolev Yehud, had been murdered in the October 7 attack on Nir Oz. Still, she remained unaware of the full scale of the massacre. "I was mostly alone," she reportedly said after her release.

"What you saw today—the armed men escorting me—that is just a fraction of the horror,” she said of the thousands of terrorists whom surrounded her in Khan Yunis, while being transferred to the Red Cross on her way back to Israel.


Al Jazeera Journo Produced Hamas Propaganda Videos Documenting Terror Group's Release of Israeli Hostages: Report
A journalist with the Qatar-funded Al Jazeera news network reportedly produced videos for Hamas documenting its recent release of Israeli hostages. The reporter, Tamer Almisshal, is said to have orchestrated elaborate propaganda ceremonies on the terror group’s behalf, according to Israel’s i24 News.

Almisshal is listed on Al Jazeera’s website as a "producer and presenter of investigative programmes." He began working at the Doha-based news network in 2008 and spent time as a correspondent in the Gaza Strip before relocating to Qatar.

Almisshal is said to moonlight as a producer for Hamas’s propaganda arm, i24 said in a Hebrew-language report televised on Wednesday. He is one of several Al Jazeeera journalists alleged to work with the terror group and even serve in its ranks. Israel shuttered Al Jazeera’s offices in May 2024, deeming it a national security threat.

Almisshal was reportedly put in charge of two separate hostage release ceremonies held in the Gaza Strip after Hamas reached a temporary ceasefire deal with Israel. The Al Jazeera reporter was put "in charge of the stage, the banners, the narrative, and the idea of dressing the female soldiers in IDF uniforms," according to an English translation of i24’s report. "He is the one Hamas designated for this task."

Hamas's elaborate ceremonies drew widespread attention in Israel and raised concerns that the terror group remains a competent fighting force, even after more than a year of war. The Israeli report suggests that the ceremonies were part of a propaganda push by Hamas to demonstrate strength and reassert its control over Gaza.

"So while in Israel we’re racking our brains: Is this staged? Is this real? Does this indicate Hamas’s strength? This is a full theatrical performance, orchestrated by one of Al Jazeera’s most skilled reporters, Tamer Almisshal, originally from Gaza," i24 said.


Armed Hamas Terrorists Lead Angry Mob of Gazans in Stage-Managed Hostage Release, Enraging Israeli Officials
Hamas’s stage-managed release of Israeli hostages on Thursday was nearly derailed by an angry mob of thousands of Gazans.

In the third round of hostage releases by Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group released Agam Berger, a 20-year-old Israeli soldier, in a bizarre ceremony. Hours later, Hamas released Israeli civilians Arbel Yehoud, 29, and Gadi Moses, 80, and five Thai nationals into a crowd of Gazans who pushed and screamed at the hostages.

Israeli leaders condemned the chaotic handover, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it "shocking" and "additional proof of the inconceivable brutality of the Hamas terrorist organization." In protest, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz briefly threatened to delay the scheduled release of 110 Palestinian prisoners on Thursday before announcing an agreement had been reached with the ceasefire’s mediators "ensuring the safe return of our hostages" going forward, according to statements by the prime minister’s office.

The behavior of the Gazan mob is the latest reminder of the depth of support for anti-Israel terrorism in Palestinian society.

On Thursday morning, Hamas terrorists brought Berger out of a bombed-out building in northern Gaza’s Jabalia and onto a makeshift stage. In a ritual similar to the one her fellow female Israeli soldiers were subjected to during their release on Saturday, Berger wore a fake Israeli military uniform and carried a Hamas "gift bag" and framed release certificate as she waved to the assembled crowd.

A group of masked Hamas terrorists then led to her waiting Red Cross vehicles.

Prior to Berger’s release, Red Cross representatives were seen on the stage signing documents.

Early on Thursday afternoon, hundreds of masked Hamas terrorists escorted the seven civilian hostages through a riotous crowd in Khan Younis, the hometown of Yahya Sinwar, the group’s now-dead leader and the architect of the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel that started the Gaza war. The mob appeared to delay the hostages’ handover to the Red Cross and then their departure in the aid group’s vehicles.


Menachem Vorchheimer: I was born, raised and educated here but I am no longer safe in my country of birth
Australia has become reminiscent of 1930s Nazi Germany where dehumanising language against Jews was allowed to flourish, paving the way for harassment of Jewish students on university campuses, boycotts of Jewish businesses and academics, and then firebombing and destruction of Synagogues and homes on Kristallnacht, the night of the broken glass.

Many of the Jews who didn’t flee Germany and Europe after Kristallnacht, ended up in Nazi concentration camps, where 6 million Jews, or 66 per cent of Europe’s Jews, were murdered.

This history is etched into the consciousness of Australian Jewry, who have the highest per capita number of holocaust survivors outside of Israel.

Many Australian Jews, like German Jews before the Holocaust, are deeply patriotic. Australian Jews, like German Jews before the war, serve in the Australian Defence Forces, donate to the arts, civic causes and are embedded in day-to-day Australian society.

It is in this context that my family and I, along with many others in the Australian Jewish community have recently applied for and/or renewed our passports and discussed leaving Australia.

We don’t want to make the same mistake members of our family did in Nazi Germany and Europe and stay too long when the clear markers for the murder of Jews exists.

It might sound extreme, but this is reality.

I and many others in the Jewish Community have received death threats, but Police have not apprehended those responsible.

Consequently, we are left to fend for ourselves; make our own security arrangements; change our daily routines; look over our shoulders; remove our details from electoral rolls and the other public records; and talk to our children about security and how to respond when an incident occurs.

This isn’t living, it is coping.

And it is why Australian Jews are openly questioning whether the Labor Federal and State Governments can be trusted to keep us safe, or whether Australian Jews need to heed the lessons of the 1930s and leave Australia for the US, Germany, Israel, or other counties who have prioritised Jewish security over political expediency.

I wish it wasn’t like this, but to ignore reality isn’t an option.
Australia’s Albanese Defends Antisemitism Response as Israel Urges More Action Amid Crime Wave
Israel urged Australia to do more to halt an “epidemic of antisemitism” in the country as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government was doing all it could to combat attacks that he says include domestic terrorism.

A Jewish school and two other properties in Sydney were sprayed with antisemitic slurs, authorities said on Thursday, a day after police said they had foiled an attack involving explosives in a suburb of the nation’s biggest city.

The escalating series of attacks on synagogues, buildings, and cars since the Israel-Gaza war began in October 2023 has sparked fear among Australia’s nearly 115,000 Jewish people.

“The epidemic of antisemitism is spreading in Australia almost unchecked. We expect the Australian government to do more to stop this disease!,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar posted on X.

Police in New South Wales state, which includes Sydney, said on Wednesday they had found explosives in a caravan, or trailer, that could have created a blast wave of 40 meters (130 feet). There was some indication the explosives might be used in an antisemitic attack that could have caused mass casualties, police said.

Albanese called that threat, in which an undisclosed number of arrests were made, an act of terrorism and said his Labor government was “doing everything we can.”

“The fact that people are being detained, arrested, charged, kept in the clink without bail, indicates that that’s the case,” he told ABC Radio.

New South Wales police said they had arrested 10 people over the past 10 days for alleged antisemitic attacks.
‘Hunted down’: Rabbi discusses Australia’s rising antisemitism crisis
The Central Synagogue Rabbi Levi Wolff says Jewish Australians are feeling “hunted down” with the rise of antisemitic violence in the country.

“How would they feel if they would be hunted down,” Mr Wolff said

“We are feeling very vulnerable, we are feeling very targeted and quite frankly we are feeling hunted down.”


Jewish Australians left 'vulnerable' from government's 'pathetic response' to antisemitism
Sky News host Chris Kenny says Jewish Australians have been left “exposed and vulnerable” thanks to a “recklessly pathetic response” against antisemitism from state governments in New South Wales and Victoria.

“Especially from the federal government,” Mr Kenny said.

“Peter Dutton has pushed for action all along, he gets it, and he wasn't holding back today, speaking the unvarnished truth.”


Maroubra attack represents ‘massive escalation’ in antisemitism
Australia Israel and Jewish Affairs Council Dr Colin Rubenstein has slammed the latest “appalling” antisemitic attack on a home in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.

There are reports of another antisemitic attack in Sydney involving offensive graffiti being sprayed on a house in the city’s beachside suburb of Maroubra.

“The news yesterday was extremely concerning – this represents a massive escalation and it’s continuing,” Mr Rubenstein told Sky News Australia.

“There is great apprehension in the community, at the same time, we are not going to be intimidated and there is great resolve to deal with this.”


Revealed: Two targets of suspected antisemitic terror plot
Sky News Australia host Sharri Markson has revealed the two intended targets of a suspected terror plot involving an explosive-laden caravan.

Markson on Thursday identified The Great Synagogue as well as the Sydney Jewish Museum in Darlinghurst as the two targets.

It comes after an caravan packed with explosives was found near a property in Dural in Sydney's north-west between December 7 and January 19.

During her editorial on Thursday night, Markson said the addresses of the two prominent Jewish landmarks had been written down inside the caravan.

NSW Police have not publicly confirmed the targets of the suspected terror plot.

"To think perpetrators would have potentially targeted a museum commemorating the Holocaust - a time when six million Jews were killed - is truly horrifying," Markson said.

"This is a museum to educate the public, to educate future generations and to honour the memories of those lost and to make sure antisemitism never happens again."

Markson revealed she has a personal connection to The Great Synagogue, saying she had her batmitzvah there and her parents were married at the place of worship.

The Great Synagogue on Elizabeth Street in Sydney is more than 140 years old, having opened to the public in 1878.

The synagogue is considered to be one of the "most visible and visited Jewish buildings in Australia", according to its website.
Targets of caravan filled with explosives revealed
Sky News host Sharri Markson says the targets of the caravan filled with explosives have been revealed.

“The address written down inside the caravan were of the Great Synagogue and the Sydney Holocaust Museum,” Ms Markson said.

“The more information we know, the more the Jewish community can protect ourselves.”


Australians ‘paying’ for Anthony Albanese’s ‘catastrophic lack of leadership’
Sky News host Andrew Bolt says Jew-hatred in Australia has now turned into “more than a crisis” for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

“It is an indictment of the Prime Minister, as we slide into something getting dangerously close to a Middle Eastern civil war of our own," Mr Bolt said.

“Israel blasted him again today, and Australians are paying for his catastrophic lack of leadership.”


Sydney explosive caravan owner in custody for separate antisemitic crimes
The owner of the Sydney area caravan filled with explosives intended for an alleged antisemitic terrorist attack has been in Australian police custody for separate antisemitic criminal offenses, New South Wales Police Force Deputy Police Commissioner David Hudson revealed in a Thursday press briefing with NSW Police Force Commissioner Karen Webb and NSW Premier Chris Minns, in which the officials defended decisions to conceal information to facilitate covert investigations and criticized the media for compromising their operations.

According to Hudson the registered owner of the explosive-filled caravan found last Sunday on a rural, residential Dural property during a search of the area had been arrested early January for offenses under Strike Force Pearl, a NSW Police task force established in December to address antisemitic crimes in the greater Sydney area. The NSW police are continuing their investigation before charging the individual, according to Webb taking their time because the immediate threat had been averted.

"The owner is out of play and in custody," said Webb.

It is unclear how many arrests have been made related to the plot, in which a note was reportedly found listing Australian Jewish targets. Hudson said in a Wednesday briefing that arrests had been made on the "periphery" of the case.

Hudson expanded on his Wednesday statements suggesting that the planned attack was connected to a spate of antisemitic arson and vandalism incidents that had afflicted the greater Sydney area in recent weeks. Arrested perpetrators in such incidents did not have identifiable ideological motivation, which lended to the investigator's theory that the attacks were being orchestrated by some other actors.

"We believe some of them are being orchestrated by others, not the individuals," said Hudson. He noted that there were "links between certain jobs" of the perpetrators, but declined to elaborate further to protect the integrity of the investigations.


Premier, Police Commissioner defend keeping caravan investigation under wraps
NSW Premier Chris Minns has hit back at criticism over police keeping an investigation into a caravan found with explosives and a hit list of Jewish targets secret.

The caravan was found abandoned in the northwestern Sydney suburb of Dural on January 19, the Daily Telegraph said. Alongside the explosives and the list – which included a synagogue – was a message that read “F**k the Jews”.

Addressing reporters at Sydney Police Centre on Thursday morning, Minns said “if the police believe covert means are the best way of locking up people who are responsible for these actions, that’s what needs to happen.

“They’ve foiled terrorist attempt after terrorist attempt over and over again, often completely unheralded, and their tactics and methods have worked,” he said.

The Premier said a “comprehensive police investigation” was being undertaken. “The public should have every confidence that the largest police force in the country, with the most experienced commanders when it comes to counter terrorism, are focused on precisely this issue, and they won’t stop until the people who are responsible for it are caught,” he said.

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the investigation was being conducted covertly to avoid it being compromised. “The fact that this information is now in the public domain has compromised our investigation, and it’s been detrimental to some of the strategies we may have used,” she said.

It comes after Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Peter Wertheim told reporters on Thursday evening that the roof body had heard about the caravan “when we read about it in the media”.

“My organisation is an umbrella body for 200 major Jewish organisations across Australia. These are all of the bodies that have regular engagement with government and police on matters of relevance to us, for our community,” he said. “I’ve checked. None of us were aware of this beforehand.”

Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton called the finding of the caravan “a grave and sinister escalation in this insidious rise of unchecked antisemitism in our country”.

“It is incumbent on the Federal Government and its national security ministers to say when they knew about this sickening incident, who is behind it, and what steps they took to protect Australia’s Jewish community,” he said.

“The Government must commit additional resources – including heightened security at Jewish synagogues and schools – for reassurance and deterrence.”
‘Another extraordinarily challenging week’: Suspected terror plot foiled in NSW
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies Vice President David Ossip claims it’s been another “extraordinarily challenging” week for the Jewish community following the latest incident.

This comes after police confirmed late on Wednesday afternoon a potential terror plot had been foiled more than a week ago in the town of Dural when a local noticed the van on the side of a road.

“Just when you think you’ve seen it all, we are surprised on the downside,” Mr Ossip told Sky News host Sharri Markson.

“This incident in Dural is understandably giving deep concern to the community.”


Calls for additional security measures to protect Jewish community following latest incident
Australian Jewish Association President David Adler has called for additional security measures to prevent further attacks following the latest incident threatening the Sydney Jewish community.

Mr Adler during an interview with Sky News host Chris Kenny called for additional protection at Jewish buildings, however emphasised that the root causes of these incidents must be addressed.

“We do need more protection, but what we would very much prefer is that the causes be addressed,” Mr Adler said.

“Rather than hide behind a shield, we need to address the perpetrators.”


Treasurer apologises for ‘tone-deaf’ remark about Jews’ anti-Semitism fears

Labor treats antisemitism ‘like vandalism’ over domestic terrorism: Tony Abbott
Former prime minister Tony Abbott discusses how the Albanese Labor government has treated Australia’s rise in antisemitism “almost like vandalism” rather than domestic terrorism.

“This government for the first time is consistently voting against Israel at the United Nations,” Mr Abbott said.

“I just wish more Labor people would remember Bob Hawke’s immortal statement: ‘If the bell tolls for Israel it doesn’t just toll for Israel, it tolls for all mankind’.”




IDF: Hizbullah Has Been Defeated
Maj.-Gen. Ori Gordin, head of the IDF Northern Command, told Israel Hayom that "the reality in the north has changed" and that "we fulfilled the mission. The situation is safe, and it is completely different now.... Today, it is safe to live here. The north will return to what it was, and much more. This begins with the security changes we implemented."

"We have set Hizbullah back decades. Its leadership has been almost entirely eliminated, from [Hizbullah leader] Nasrallah to the last of its commanders in various sectors and strongholds. Thousands of terrorists have been neutralized, killed in battle or taken out in targeted strikes. More than 70% of Hizbullah's firepower has been destroyed, and it can no longer mount an effective strike."

"We have dismantled the Radwan Unit's defense, weapons stockpiles, and infrastructure. The Radwan forces and Hizbullah are incapable of invading the Galilee. Many terrorists have been eliminated or wounded, significantly reducing the threat of a northern incursion. The mission is not yet over, we must ensure that our achievements are preserved, that Hizbullah does not approach the frontline area."

"Our readiness to resume fighting is extremely high. Hizbullah has been defeated, certainly on the operational and tactical military levels....We are establishing a military outpost in every community along the confrontation line."
Israeli soldier KIA, four wounded in Samaria
An Israeli soldier was killed in combat and four others were wounded on Thursday during a firefight with terrorists in Jenin in Samaria, the Israel Defense Forces said.

Staff Sgt. Liam Hazi, 20, of the Kfir Brigade’s Haruv reconnaissance unit is the first Israeli casualty in “Operation Iron Wall,” which the IDF initiated on Jan. 21 in Samaria and Judea against terrorist networks. Of the four wounded, one was severely hurt, and the three others sustained light wounds, according to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.

Hazi’s unit was conducting house searches when it encountered a group of armed terrorists who opened fire on the troops at close range, the report said. The terrorists escaped.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the IDF Spokesperson, said in a statement: “We mourn with the family and accompany them in these difficult hours. We continue to act resolutely against terrorism everywhere, including in Judea and Samaria. Tonight, too, we remember those who fell in the battles on Oct. 7, 2023, and the heavy price paid by IDF regular and reserve fighters throughout the war.”


IAF strike kills 10 in Tammun area of West Bank
The Israeli air force struck a gathering of armed terrorists in the Tammun area during an overnight counterterrorism operation in the West Bank, the IDF announced on Thursday.

The IDF said that around 10 terrorists were killed in the strike, including Omar Basharat and Muntzair Bani Oda. The two terrorists were involved in the improvised explosive device (IED) explosion in Tammun last Monday (January 20) that killed Sgt. First Class (res.) Eviatar Ben Yehuda, and injured three other soldiers.

The two named terrorists were also involved in additional shootings and IED attacks.

Terrorist attacks
On January 20, the IDF was operating in Tammun when a David vehicle ran over an IED, killing Ben Yehuda. The wounded officer who was in the David with Ben Yehuda was the commander of Battalion 8211 from the Efraim Brigade in the northern West Bank and was immediately evacuated to a hospital for medical care.

IEDs have been a more frequent problem in the West Bank since the Israel-Hamas war took off, with Iran providing more powerful weapons and Palestinian terror groups learning new tactics for ambushing some IDF armored vehicles.

In August 2024, the military announced that four soldiers were wounded in Tubas in the northern West Bank after their partially armored David was hit by an improvised explosive.


Author: Hostage Deal Continues Mistakes of October 7th | Think Twice
After nearly 16 months of war, a critical and comprehensive look at what went wrong on October 7th is yet to be done. What really were the crucial mistakes made on October 7th? Is Israel poised to repeat the same mistakes in the future? Is the hostage deal pushing Israel in the wrong direction strategically and morally?

To discuss all this, Jonathan Tobin is joined by Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Seth Frantzman, author of the new book, The October 7th War, Israel's Battle for Security in Gaza.


General Jack Keane: Hamas a force that could re-attack
Former US Army vice chief of staff General Jack Keane has weighed in on the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal and the future of the conflict as the third round of hostage release begins.

However, according to General Keane, the situation is far from resolved.

In an interview with Sky News host Andrew Bolt, General Keane shared his insights on the future of Gaza and the challenges that lie ahead.

Despite the progress made in the hostage deal, General Keane emphasised that there are still thousands of Gaza fighters alive, and they pose a significant threat to regional stability.

“There are still thousands of Gaza fighters that are alive, certainly less than half of what they started out with, but nonetheless, still a force that could rearm and at some point re-attack,” he said.


LAST EPISODE! What's Next for Israel and the Jewish people | Caroline Glick In-Focus
In this last episode of Caroline Glick’s In-Focus, Caroline takes stock of the last year and a half of Israel’s war for survival. We’ll discuss where the war stands, where Israel stands and what awaits us on the eve of PM Netanyahu’s critical visit to Washington on Feb 4. Join us for this final podcast…until next time!


The Israel Guys: The Untold Truth About Relocating Gaza's People to Other Countries
Three Israeli hostages and five Thai workers are set to be released from Gaza. Additionally, three more Israeli hostages are expected to be freed this Saturday. In his first week as president, Trump took swift action, halting $50 million in unaccounted aid to Gaza, signing an order to deport pro-Hamas activists, and inviting Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to the White House. He’s also pushing a plan to relocate Gazan refugees and has sent his Middle East envoy into Gaza to address the crisis.

In Israel, the Knesset is advancing legislation to allow Israeli citizens to purchase land in Judea and Samaria, potentially reshaping the way Israel governs the biblical heartland. Stay tuned for more updates on these critical developments.


Comedy Cellar USA: Live from the Table: The State of Antisemitism with CEO of the ADL Jonathan Greenblatt
Noam Dworman, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by CEO of ADL, Jonathan Greenblatt and comedian, Modi.

Jonathan Greenblatt is the CEO of ADL (the Anti-Defamation League), the world's leading anti-hate organization with a distinguished record of fighting antisemitism and advocating for just and fair treatment to all. Greenblatt joined ADL in 2015 after serving in the White House as special assistant to President Obama and director of the Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation. He is author of the book, It Could Happen Here: Why America is Tipping from Hate to the Unthinkable—And How We Can Stop.

Voted one of the top 10 comedians in New York City by The Hollywood Reporter, Modi is one of the comedy circuit’s most sought after performers. Featured on HBO, CBS, NBC, ABC, Comedy Central, Howard Stern, and E! Entertainment, Modi has received rave reviews in The New York Times, Time Out NY and The New York Post.


Grooming Gangs, Immigration And Coverups w/Jonathan Sacerdoti | The Quad
Join Israeli innovation envoy Fleur Hassan-Nahoum for this exclusive interview with Jonathan Sacerdoti, a journalist and TV producer based in the United Kingdom.

Sacerdoti is here to discuss the latest U.K. grooming gang scandal and how it’s connected to the internal upheaval happening within British society.






Buy EoZ's books  on Amazon!

"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024)

PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)

    
 

 



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Elder of Ziyon - حـكـيـم صـهـيـون



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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