Saturday, October 11, 2025

10/11 Links: How Israel’s Strength Paved the Way to Peace; Burn towns, slaughter, broadcast: 2022 Sinwar memo said to detail Hamas plan for Oct. 7

From Ian:

How Israel’s Strength Paved the Way to Peace
Many Americans have wished the Zionists well, but those warm feelings did not immediately translate into a strategic partnership. Washington only embraced the diplomatic and strategic possibilities created by Israeli military power after Israel repeatedly defeated its enemies. The Americans do not value Israel because they have been manipulated, emotionally or otherwise. Jewish strength made the alliance strong.

Another biblical story, of King David and his mighty men, better captures why Israel matters so much to Americans. Some of these elite warriors were not Israelites, but they nevertheless worked with the Jews to defeat their common foes. At times they were too eager to do battle, and David refused a gift they brought to him after one especially risky mission. Without them, Israel would have been in much greater danger.

Modern Israel is a sovereign country, and the United States is not its king, but there are some important similarities: Just as Jerusalem and Washington share friends, Israel's enemies are America's too. The Israelis are remarkably effective at defeating those enemies, and many of the terrorist organizations Israel has counterattacked since October 7 have American blood on their hands. Like King David, the Americans sometimes can only accept these victories with reservations. The Biden administration in particular tried to slow or halt Israeli counteroffensives.

This story also contains an important warning: David did not always reward the mighty men for their faithful service, and his kingdom suffered for it. His reign began to decline when he betrayed one of them, Uriah the Hittite, and as the consequences cascaded, he spent the rest of his life fending off revolts and dissension.

After one of the worst moments in its history, Israel rallied to protect itself and many others. The hostages, their families, and their countrymen are the first to benefit from this great victory. The Americans are not far behind.
Israel’s war for survival is only just beginning
Over the past two years, anti-Zionism, coupled with an irrational, emotional attachment to Palestine, has become a prominent feature of youth culture. The keffiyeh has become a must-have for self-styled ‘progressives’. To be for Palestine is a way to affirm one’s virtuous anti-Western identity.

In many cases, anti-Zionism in the West has served as a medium for expressing anti-Jewish sentiments. Too often the explosion of these sentiments has been misleadingly blamed on Israel’s conduct in its war with Hamas. Yet the current wave of anti-Jewish hatred is rooted in trends that predate 7 October. The war has merely given anti-Semites a chance to publicly give vent to their prejudices. Indeed, in the form of anti-Zionism, anti-Semitism has even been endowed with respectability.

The very public surge in anti-Zionism has furthered the demonisation and isolation of Israel. Numerous Western governments have felt the need to show that they too are now on the ‘right side of history’ by distancing themselves from Israel. Various tactics have been deployed to this effect, from sanctions and boycotts to the recognition of a Palestinian state. Israel today is far more isolated diplomatically than at any time in its history.

The hostility directed at Israel by Western activists and their supporters among the cultural and political elites is not simply a response to Israel’s war conduct. With Israel treated as the embodiment of all that is rotten about the West, anti-Zionism expresses a sense of estrangement from Western civilisation itself. That is why some of Israel’s most zealous and ideologically committed enemies are to be found on the streets of the capital cities of Western Europe.

Looking back over the past two years, it becomes clear that Israel was always having to wage a war on two fronts: first, against Hamas, and second, against the Western self-loathing that now prevails in Europe and America. For those under the influence of this anti-Western zeitgeist, Palestine represents the moral antithesis of the West. History shows that this profound cultural self-loathing can easily lead to outbursts of frenzied irrationalism. That is why young people who know next to nothing about the Middle East can so spontaneously come under the spell of anti-Israeli hysteria.

Whatever the outcome of the current peace negotiations, the spirit of this anti-Western, anti-Zionist zeitgeist will continue to haunt the Western world. Its power and influence represent a threat to Israel and the West that is no less dangerous than that posed by Hamas and other Islamist groups. Long after this phase of the war is over, Israel will have to fight an existential, cultural and diplomatic war against its anti-Western detractors.

Israel now has no choice but to prepare for war on two fronts. The cultural battlefield in the West is no less important than the military battlefield of the Middle East.
We must tackle the poisonous lies about Israel to stop the rising tide of anti-Semitism
I welcome the Government’s long-overdue pledge to give the police greater powers to ban repeated anti-Israel protests, but, if we’re to have any chance of preventing more attacks like that which occurred last week, it needs a comprehensive approach which tackles the interrelated challenges of anti-Semitism, extremism and the Iranian threat of domestic radicalisation.

First, the Government should require all public bodies to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism in full and without amendment. This explicitly says that criticism of the Israeli government is not anti-Semitism – but it provides some critical guard rails to prevent grotesque comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany or denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination.

This should be allied to the establishment of an independent reviewer of anti-Semitism in the public sector, who should be required to publish an annual report.

As recommended by the Board of Deputies’ Commission on Antisemitism, the Government should host a summit of NHS leaders to tackle anti-Semitism in the NHS. When Jews are removing Star of David jewellery before visiting the doctor, something has gone terribly wrong. The current medical regulatory system is, the Health Secretary has rightly argued, completely failing to protect patients and NHS staff.

A similarly robust stance must be taken towards the anti-Jewish racism on our campuses and at the BBC.

Second, the menace of “hateful extremism”, identified by the Commission for Countering Extremism in 2021, must be taken on. As the former counter-extremism commissioner, Sara Khan, has noted, successive governments have failed to address gaps in legislation which allows Islamist extremists (and a host of other repellent individuals and groups, such as neo-Nazis) to operate just beyond the terrorism threshold. “They are carefully steering around existing laws … openly glorifying terrorism, collecting and sharing some of the most violent extremist propaganda, or intentionally stirring up racial or religious hatred against others,” the commissioner of the Met Police, Sir Mark Rowley, who co-authored the 2021 report, argued at the time. This does not simply stoke violence and hatred, it also creates “an ever-bigger pool for terrorists to recruit from”.

Third, Iranian ideological centres in the UK, which operate through a network of community centres, charities and student organisations, are promoting Tehran’s violent and extremist ideology in the UK. They have even hosted talks by virulent anti-Semites in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. After years of inaction by the Tories, the Government has pledged to proscribe non-state threats, such as the IRGC. It needs to put the necessary legislation on the statute books as swiftly as possible.

But this needs to be just the first step. The Government should develop a cross-departmental task force to tackle the Iranian domestic threat, including through countering its support for radicalisation; declining extremists’ entry; and identifying and sanctioning Iranian regime oligarchs, elites and proxies in the UK. It should conduct a thorough review of links between Iran and the charitable and NGO sector akin to previous reviews of espionage and abuse in the sector carried out with regards to China.

Finally, the Government needs to actively and consistently challenge the effort to delegitimise Israel. It should speak out against the bigotry of the BDS movement – including the manner in which Jewish performers are being excluded from the arts – and make clearer that its disagreements are with the Israeli government, not the Israeli people: decisions such as that to suspend free trade agreement talks send the opposite message.

Ministers should also think carefully about some of the rhetoric they deploy given that Israel isn’t just the world’s only Jewish state, but a key western ally and the region’s only democracy. It’s time that – above all the hate and opprobrium – that message is heard loud and clear.
Hollywood hypocrites Why aren’t all the Israel-bashing celebrities celebrating cease-fire?
Last month, more than 2,000 artists signed a petition pledging to not work with Israeli filmmakers or “institutions that are complicit in Israel’s human rights abuses against the Palestinian people.”

Boldface signees included John Cusack, Joaquin Phoenix and director Ava DuVernay. This week, those three have simply shared videos criticizing Trump and the peace plan.

I expected a huge celebration from Stalter’s “Hacks” co-star Hannah Einbinder, who literally wore an “Artists4Ceasefire” pin to the Emmys and used her win to scream: “Free Palestine and f–k ICE.”

After this week’s news, she initially posted a video of her decrying Zionisim as a betrayal of Judaism and a sad meme about the Eagles losing to the Giants. By Friday night, two days after the fact, Einbinder found the right prepared post to share: “We are elated by the Gaza ceasefire news,” it reads in small type.

Larger are the words, “Now the world must hold Israel to account for 2 years of genocide.”

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. When Hamas murdered more than 1,200 innocent Israelis and kidnapped 251 hostages on October 7, 2023, there was relative silence from Hollywood’s hypocrites. And it eventually became much more fashionable to become a shameless Israel-basher.

Perhaps most shameless of all is Spanish actor Javier Bardem. He has posted a few videos of children celebrating in Gaza, but his happiness was tempered by whinging posts that the ceasefire does not address the real issue of a free Palestine.

Maybe he should take that up with boys from Hamas.

In 2014, Bardem and wife Penélope Cruz signed an open letter, published in a Spanish newspaper, accusing Israel of genocide.

When the actor received blowback, he issued a statement saying, “While I was critical of the Israeli military response, I have great respect for the people of Israel and deep compassion for their losses.”

Fast-forward to the Emmys, when he showed up in a keffiyeh and once again accused Israel of genocide.

When protesters in Madrid disrupted the La Vuelta bike race because Israel’s team was competing, Bardem praised the agitators, adding, “we can’t allow” them to compete.

Guess he never really had compassion for the people of Israel after all.

The goal posts are always moving with this crowd.

In their calls to “free Palestine,” it’s always about Israel — never about Hamas, who turned Gaza into a terror staging ground after Israel withdrew from there in 2005.

The silence today speaks volumes about what sure looks like their real and very sinister aim: wiping Israel off the map.


Burn towns, slaughter, broadcast: 2022 Sinwar memo said to detail Hamas plan for Oct. 7
A six-page memo found in Gaza this year and believed to have been written by Hamas’s now-slain leader in the Strip, Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7, 2023, onslaught, details the Palestinian terror group’s plans to target civilians during the massacre and broadcast the atrocities live, The New York Times reported Saturday.

The document was found in May, after the IDF raided an underground complex used by Sinwar’s brother and successor, Muhammad Sinwar, after he, too, was assassinated.

The army said the latter Sinwar was killed in a tunnel at the European Hospital, where Hamas operated a command center.

The memo, from August 24, 2022, “appears to be a directive from Mr. Sinwar with instructions for the [October 7] assault,” seven Israeli officials were cited by The Times as saying. It ordered terrorists to target soldiers and civilian communities, “as well as to broadcast the violent acts so as to evoke fear in Israelis and destabilize the country,” the report said.

The reported memo ordered fighters to enter communities “with gasoline or diesel from a tanker.”

“Two or three operations, in which an entire neighborhood, kibbutz, or something similar will be burned, must be prepared,” The Times quoted the memo as saying.

Another reportedly intercepted memo from a Hamas battalion commander during the October 7 attack, just before 10 a.m., repeated the orders of the original: “Start setting homes on fire.”

“Burn, burn,” the commander said. “I want the whole kibbutz to be in flames.”

“Set fire to anything,” another Gaza City commander reportedly said.

During the October 7 attacks, Hamas terrorists set fire to homes and buildings, killing residents trapped inside or forcing them out, where many were then shot or taken hostage, with numerous victims burned to death.
NYTs: A Memo in a Bunker, Intercepted Communications and Hamas’s Oct. 7 Plans
The group’s actions, the memo said, should be broadcast to the Arab world to mobilize people outside Gaza to join the fight. The plan envisioned that Palestinians in the West Bank, Arabs in Israel and “our nation” — either a reference to Arabs or Muslims or both — would “respond positively to calls for them to join the revolution.”

“It needs to be affirmed to the unit commanders to undertake these actions intentionally, film them and broadcast images of them as fast as possible,” the memo said.

The minutes of Hamas’s secret meetings in the run-up to the Oct. 7 attack also show how Mr. Sinwar was determined to persuade Hamas’s allies, Iran and Hezbollah, to join in the assault, or commit to a broader fight with Israel.

In the Oct. 7 intercepts, Hamas commanders can be heard urging combatants to film their actions to likewise encourage others to join the fight. “Document the scenes of horror, now, and broadcast them on TV channels to the whole world,” a commander from Gaza City called Abu al-Baraa told operatives in the area of Kibbutz Sa’ad. “Slaughter them. End the children of Israel.”

Abu Muath, the commander, said, “It is essential that you bring the drone in so it films for the entire Islamic world.”

Hamas officials also made public statements on the day of the attack, encouraging people outside Gaza to participate in the battle, though they ultimately failed to incite a popular uprising.

The Israeli military “won’t be able to attend to confrontations on other fronts,” Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy leader of Hamas’s political office said in a recorded message broadcast on Al Jazeera on Oct 7. “After today, no one can hold back his rifle, bullet, pistol, knife, car, or Molotov cocktail.” Israel assassinated Mr. al-Arouri in January 2024. Image


Leaders of France, Spain, Italy to join peace summit in Egypt on Monday; Hamas won’t attend
French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez confirm their attendance at an upcoming Gaza peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on Monday, adding their names to the list of world leaders who will attend.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will also be attending the conference, which will be chaired by US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.

Macron was previously reported to be heading to Egypt; he has attempted to take a leadership role in addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, leading a push in which a string of Western nations have recognized a Palestinian state. Israel and the US have opposed that effort.

Sanchez is an outspoken critic of Israel. Meloni recently criticized a flotilla that aimed unsuccessfully to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver a token amount of humanitarian aid there.

Axios has reported that Israel will not participate in the summit, which will occur on the same day that the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza is expected to start.

Hamas has said it will not take part. Hossam Badran, a Hamas political bureau member, told AFP in an interview that the Palestinian terror group “will not be involved.”

Hamas “acted principally through… Qatari and Egyptian mediators” during previous talks on Gaza, he said.


‘Miracles can happen, the hostages are coming home,’ Witkoff tells packed Hostages Square
US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff was received with thunderous applause on Saturday night, when he delivered the opening speech at the weekly rally for the release of the hostages held in Gaza. Subsequent speakers Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and Ivanka Trump were also warmly applauded, at what organizers hoped was the final such protest after more than two years, with all hostages supposed to be returned by Monday under a US-brokered ceasefire deal signed on Thursday.

Taking center stage, Witkoff declared that “miracles can happen,” and, directing his remarks to the hostages in Gaza, assured them, “You are coming home.”

Over 500,000 people attended the event, according to an unconfirmed claim by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which organized the gathering.

Witkoff estimated the number to be over 100,000, saying: “I dreamed of this night for a long time. This is the most powerful sight. Hearts beating as one, gathered here in Tel Aviv for peace, for unity and for hope in this sacred place we call Hostages Square.”

“I only wish the president was here,” he said of President Trump, who had exerted immense pressure on Israel and Hamas to reach the agreement, and who is set to make a brief visit to Israel on Monday.

The square was jam-packed, with far more children in attendance than usual. On the adjacent Shaul HaMelech Street, police moved traffic-blocking trucks farther up the road to clear more space for the crowd overflowing from the square.

Witkoff and Kushner were welcomed for their roles in securing the hostage release deal and ceasefire in Gaza, marking a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, when some 1,200 people were killed and 251 kidnapped.

With the start of the ceasefire on Friday, the remaining 48 hostages, of whom 20 are believed to be alive, were expected to be released within 72 hours — by Monday. Israel is set to release around 2,000 Palestinian security prisoners in exchange, including 250 terror convicts serving life sentences.

Witkoff thanked Trump, Kushner, Arab and Muslim leaders, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — whose name was met with loud boos from the crowd — hostage families, and the hostages themselves for their role in securing the Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal.

“Tonight we celebrate something extraordinary, a moment that many thought was impossible. Yet here we stand, living proof that when courage meets conviction, miracles can happen. A peace born not out of politics, but out of courage, the courage of those who refuse to give up hope,” the envoy said.

Witkoff said he wanted “to honor the people of Israel. Your strength, your resilience, your unwavering spirit through unimaginable pain and loss.”

“You’ve shown the world that peace is not weakness. It is the highest form of strength. Through heartbreak and fear, you never let go of the faith. Your courage and endurance inspired the world, and it was your belief, joined with the bold leadership of my friend and President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, that made this piece possible,” he said.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…,” he continued before being interrupted several times by a loud chorus of boos from the crowd that has been demonstrating against the premier for two years.

He pressed on: “I was in the trenches with the prime minister. Believe me, he was a very important part here. The prime minister and his staff, Ron Dermer, have both sacrificed so much for this country and devoted their lives to the service of Israel.”

He expressed deep gratitude to Trump, whose name the crowd chanted repeatedly, “a man who is a humanitarian through and through, with an indomitable spirit, who once again proved that bold leadership and moral clarity can reshape history and change the world.”

“In the worst of times, he refused to accept the idea that peace in the Middle East was out of reach. He brought together nations once divided by generations of conflict and showed us that shared peace is stronger than shared pain… He showed the world that strength and peace go hand in hand. They are not opposites, they are partners.”


Crowd boos Netanyahu’s name during Witkoff speech at Hostages Square, cheers Trump
Parts of the massive crowd at a rally for the hostages in Tel Aviv on Saturday night broke into a chorus of boos at the mention of Benjamin Netanyahu’s name, repeatedly interrupting US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff’s praise of the prime minister.

Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Kushner’s wife Ivanka Trump all spoke at what organizers said they hoped would be the final such rally, with all hostages said to be freed by Monday. The event came three days after Witkoff and Kushner acted as key brokers of the US-backed hostage-ceasefire deal.

Witkoff and Kushner drew cheers from the attendees. As he prepared to speak, an adoring crowd waving Israeli and American flags chanted: “Thank you, Witkoff.”

“I dreamed of this night for a long time. This is the most powerful sight,” he began, marve

ling at the size of the crowd, which he estimated at more than 100,000. (Organizers claimed half a million.)

But the reaction of the crowd changed when Witkoff started to praise the premier’s role in negotiations.


US envoy Witkoff, Kushner, CENTCOM chief visit IDF base in Gaza to confirm withdrawal
US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and CENTCOM chief Admiral Brad Cooper visited an IDF base in Gaza to confirm the Israeli military withdrawal to the agreed-upon lines, Fox News Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin reported on Saturday.

"US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff accompanied by CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper visited Israeli troops inside base in Gaza to confirm agreed upon withdrawal was complete," Griffin wrote in a post to X/Twitter.

The Fox correspondent published a photo of the visit in the post.

Witkoff and Cooper have since returned to Israel, Griffin added.

The IDF later confirmed that IDF chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir conducted a field tour in Gaza with Witkoff and Cooper, as well as Trump advisor Jared Kushner.


All Gaza hostages to return home by 6 on Monday morning
The 48 hostages still held in the Gaza Strip are expected to return home by 6 a.m. on Oct. 13, two years and one week after they were kidnapped by Hamas-led terrorists in the northwestern Negev on Oct. 7, 2023.

Israel’s Kan Reshet Bet radio reported the revised deadline, as did Al Jazeera and other media outlets. The Qatari station cited a document outlining the implementation stages of the Trump plan for ending the war.

While previous rounds of hostage releases were characterized by humiliating “handover ceremonies” carried out by Gazan terrorist groups, this time, according to the document, the hostages’ return should take place without any such proceedings.

The flow of supplies into the Strip will begin immediately, with at least 600 trucks entering the territory daily.

Humanitarian aid operations will resume under the oversight of the United Nations and other international organizations.

The first hostages could be redeemed at any time on Sunday, with the Red Cross handling their release from Gaza into Israel, according to the Al Jazeera report.

An Egyptian delegation, accompanied by Red Cross representatives, will visit prisons in Israel to ensure the release of Palestinian terrorists as agreed in the ceasefire terms, the report added.

Israel has agreed to release 250 Palestinians serving long terms, and another 1,700 Gazans detained during the war. Their release will take place after all 48 of the Israeli abductees are redeemed.

Twenty hostages are believed to be alive, with 26 presumed dead and the fate of two more unknown, according to Israeli estimates.


Nova survivor dies by suicide, 2 years after girlfriend was killed in front of him
Roei Shalev, whose girlfriend Mapal Adam was murdered in front of him as he tried to shield her at the Nova festival on October 7, 2023, died by suicide on Friday night.

Hours before his body was found, Shalev wrote a post on social media explaining that he “couldn’t take it anymore,” and asking for forgiveness.

“Please don’t be angry with me, please. No one will ever understand me, and that’s okay because you can’t understand. I just want this suffering to end. I’m alive, but inside everything is dead,” he wrote.

The post — just three days after the two-year anniversary of his girlfriend’s murder — prompted concern among his friends and Mapal’s sister, television presenter Maayan Adam, who organized searches.

Emergency services were later called to the scene on Route 2, near Netanya, where a car was found on fire. Shalev’s body was recovered from the vehicle.

Israel Police said it opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the 30-year-old’s death.


Humanitarian aid, blow them up: 10 things Israel could do with Gaza flotilla ships
With US President Donald Trump bringing comprehensive peace to the Middle East, starting with the hostages’ freedom from Hamas, only a few minor details still need to be worked out – like what to do with all the terrorist trawlers. These are the “flotilla” boats left behind by anarchists, antisemites, and other fanatic pro-Hamas activists who have tried to bust Israel’s necessary naval blockade of Gaza.

Remember the Mavi Marmara? The ship was the lead boat of the 2010 Turkish attempt to (supposedly) highlight humanitarian needs in Gaza. In reality, the so-called “freedom flotilla for Gaza,” led by the terrorist-supporting Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH), was nothing more than a violent attack on Israel, meant to bolster Hamas.

Since then, Israel has been assaulted by similar “flotillas” packed with many bad actors and very little humanitarian aid – in 2011, 2015, 2016, 2018, and this year too. One of the latest attempts to sail into Gaza in support of Hamas involved over 50 ships, all intercepted by Israel last week.

The rag-tag collection of terrorist-supporting trawlers came from Algeria, Greece, Italy, Libya, Spain, and Tunisia, with participants from 16 noted “peace-loving” countries like Ireland, Portugal, South Africa, Sweden, and Venezuela.

Deporting the malicious anti-Israel activists was easy, although an argument could have been made for locking them all up on criminal offenses and throwing away the key.

The more difficult question is what to do with all the “humanitarian attack boats.” Israel does not need these bothersome rink-a-dink ships crowding its ports, and there is absolutely no reason to give the boats back to their evil operators and owners.

SO, AFTER getting our hostages home, before major IDF withdrawals from Gaza, and before conjuring up broader peace deals, it is time for a little payback against the nasty actors out there. Here are 10 punishing and purposeful things Israel could usefully do with the terrorist trawlers.


IDF: Gaza war conducted with ‘deep love for the people and the land’
Israel Defense Forces Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin became visibly emotional on Friday during a briefing detailing the military’s partial withdrawal in the Gaza Strip, in line with the first phase of the Trump peace plan and amid preparations to receive the 48 hostages held by Hamas.

“We led the military operation responsibly and systematically, and above all, with determination and with deep love for the people and the land, as demonstrated by our troops,” said Defrin. “This operation produced unprecedented achievements across all sectors and enabled the return of hostages.”

Defrin said that troops under Southern Command have deployed to the agreed readiness limits, known as the “yellow line,” which provide forward operational defense and control throughout the Gaza Strip. He added that the status is one of heightened alert and that IDF soldiers will act to neutralize any threats to their security while avoiding unnecessary risks.

“We will do whatever is necessary to ensure the safety and security of the southern Negev communities, the south of the country and the State of Israel as a whole,” he said.

Defrin also called on Gaza residents to avoid entering areas under IDF operational control, urging them to honor the agreement and prioritize their own safety.

“On the morning of Simchat Torah two years ago, on October 7, the most important bond between the IDF and the citizens of Israel was shattered. We were not there for Israeli citizens in their hour of need,” said Defrin.

“Since then,” he continued, “we have not ceased fighting for a moment, and so it shall always be. A brave generation of Israel’s heroes stands firm as a buffer between Israeli citizens and any enemy.”
Reservist succumbs to wounds sustained in accidental grenade blast in Gaza this week
A reservist soldier who was seriously wounded in an accidental grenade blast in the southern Gaza Strip earlier in the week succumbed to his wounds over the weekend, the military announced Saturday evening.

He was named as Master Sgt. (res.) Shmuel Gad Rahamim, 31, of the Southern Brigade’s 7015th Battalion, from Givat Ze’ev.

The incident took place at around 8 a.m. on Tuesday at an IDF post in the Khan Younis area.

Inside a room where soldiers were residing and sleeping, a grenade exploded due to unclear circumstances.

In addition to Rahamim, two other reservists were wounded in the incident, including one seriously.

Initially, the army suspected it had been a Hamas attack on the post, but later discovered that it had been an apparent accident.


Israeli forces demolish home of terrorist who killed six in Jerusalem
Israeli forces on Friday morning demolished the home of one of the terrorists responsible for the Sept. 8 shooting attack at Jerusalem’s Ramot Junction that left six people dead.

Operating in the Palestinian village of Qatanna, 7.5 miles northwest of Jerusalem in the Binyamin region of Samaria, troops destroyed the home of Mohammad Taha, who was killed shortly after carrying out the attack.

On Sept. 27, Israeli forces demolished the home of the second terrorist involved in the deadly Jerusalem attack. The house, located in the village of Al-Qubeiba, also in the Binyamin region of Samaria, belonged to Muthanna Amro, who was also killed during the assault.

The slain victims were identified as Yosef David, 43, from Jerusalem; Sarah Mendelson, 60, from Jerusalem; Israel Mentzer, 28, from Jerusalem; Levi Yitzhak Pash, 57, from Tel Zion; Yaakov Pinto, 25, from Jerusalem; and Mordechai Steintzeg, 79, from Jerusalem.

The Hamas terrorist group claimed responsibility for the shooting, praising Amro and Taha for “killing Zionists and wounding others, some of them critically, before ascending to their Lord as martyrs, facing the enemy without turning back.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Sept. 18 with Sgt S., the soldier who, together with an armed civilian, killed the terrorists, at his office in Jerusalem.

“You did a great thing and saved many people,” Netanyahu said. “I want to thank you on behalf of the government of Israel, the State of Israel and the people of Israel. Well done—you prevented a very great disaster.”
IDF troops kill grenade-wielding terrorist in Samaria
A Palestinian terrorist on Friday threw a grenade at Israel Defense Forces troops operating near Jenin in northern Samaria.

The soldiers returned fire, killing the attacker, the military said.

No injuries were reported among Israeli forces.

On Wednesday, the IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) announced that they had thwarted an Iranian weapons-smuggling operation aimed at supplying terrorists in Judea and Samaria.

“This shipment, like its predecessors, is part of an ongoing Iranian effort to destabilize security in the region by arming terror cells, whose goal is to carry out attacks against Israelis and IDF forces,” according to the joint statement.
Hugh Hewitt: President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu: The new power couple in the world.

Winston Marshall: Inside Gaza: The World’s Most Dangerous Battlefield | War Expert Reveals The Shocking Truth
In this episode of The Winston Marshall Show, I sit down with Colonel John Spencer, one of the world’s leading experts on urban warfare, to break down the brutal realities of the Israel–Hamas war.

Spencer explains how the October 7 invasion was more than a terror attack – it was a coordinated military operation, backed by Iran and linked to Hezbollah. He describes in detail how Hamas used tunnel networks, IEDs, and human shields to wage war inside Gaza, deliberately drawing civilians into the battlefield to create global outrage against Israel.

We discuss the IDF’s strategy, from their full-scale ground invasion on October 27 to the unprecedented measures taken to warn and evacuate civilians – even at the cost of prolonging the war. Spencer also reveals why Gaza has become the first modern “tunnel war”, why snipers and booby-trapped homes shaped the conflict, and how Israel managed to hold off threats across multiple fronts, from Hezbollah in Lebanon to Iran itself.

This is a rare, insider military analysis of the Gaza war – exposing the tactics, strategies, and propaganda battles that most of the media ignore.

Chapters
0:00 Introduction
4:27 Coordination of the October 7 Invasion
8:17 Hezbollah's Role and Hamas' Strategy
21:08 Hamas' Military Capabilities and Tactics
35:14 IDF's Response and Strategic Decisions
56:56 The Evolution of the Conflict and Hamas' Survival
1:05:01 The Impact of Foreign Military Aid
1:11:52 The Role of Egypt and Humanitarian Considerations
1:15:25 Vaccination Campaigns and Perceptions in Gaza
1:25:19 Humanitarian Aid and Hamas' Control
1:41:56 Jordanian and Egyptian Aid Efforts
1:45:47 Resistance Within Gaza
1:54:20 The Trump Peace Plan
1:59:49 Hamas' Incentives and Challenges
2:10:08 Netanyahu's Leadership During the War
2:13:09 Final Thoughts and Future Outlook




Indonesia bars Israeli gymnasts from World Championships
The Indonesian government has barred the participation of Israeli athletes in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships taking place in Jakarta on Oct. 19-25.

The decision means that 2020 Olympic gold medalist and defending world champion in the floor exercise Artem Dolgopyat will not compete this year.

“The government will not grant visas to Israeli gymnasts who intend to attend the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta,” Yusril Ihza Mahendra, the coordinating minister for legal, human rights, immigration and correction, said on Thursday, according to the Associated Press.

Israel learned of the decision through international media and then received an official notice from the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) on Friday.

The Israeli athletes were scheduled to travel on Monday.

The International Gymnastics Federation’s statement on the matter on Friday effectively supported Indonesia’s decision.

“The FIG takes note of the Indonesian government’s decision not to issue visas to the Israeli delegation registered for the 53rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics … and recognizes the challenges that the host country has faced in organizing this event. The FIG hopes that an environment will be created as soon as possible where athletes around the world can enjoy sports safely and with peace of mind,” it read.

In July, the Israel Gymnastics Federation cited Indonesian officials as saying that Israel’s participation was guaranteed, AP reported.

The Indonesian Gymnastics Federation had previously submitted a sponsorship letter for six Israeli athletes to obtain visas, but Indonesian Minister Mahendra said that the federation has since “withdrawn the sponsorship letter,” the report added.
Norway pummels Israel in World Cup qualifier marred by anti-Israel hostility in stadium, outside
Norway beat Israel 5-0 in a World Cup qualifier soccer match in Oslo on Saturday that was overshadowed by anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian protests inside and outside the stadium held by local fans opposed to Israel’s participation in the tournament due to the war against Hamas in Gaza.

There was a heavy security response, including the use of tear gas, in what The Guardian called the “most high-security sports event in Norway since the Winter Olympics in 1994.”

The report said that “anti-terror measures were in place throughout Oslo,” police imposed a no-fly zone over the stadium, and supporters from both nations were barred from sitting in seats close to the pitch.

Ahead of the game, hundreds of pro-Palestinian supporters gathered to protest outside the Norwegian parliament, with many wearing the jerseys of the Palestinian national team.

“The match should not have been played. If Russia is expelled, then Israel should be expelled as well,” claimed Norway fan Johan, who was dressed in a Palestine jersey.

Marching toward Ullevaal Stadium with Palestinian flags and flares, the protesters gathered outside, continuing until kickoff as nearby buildings displayed pro-Palestinian banners hanging from balconies.

Security was tight around the stadium, with police closing several entrances hours before the match started, conducting bag searches, and reducing the number of spectators allowed in.

Inside the stadium, spectators unfurled a large Palestinian flag in the stands, next to a banner reading “Let Children Live,” in protest of the war in Gaza, where a ceasefire came into effect on Friday.
NHS doctor claims Manchester synagogue attack was 'false flag operation' to boost sympathy for Israel - while another medic says Hamas is 'liberation army'
An NHS doctor has been spreading the conspiracy theory that the Manchester synagogue attack was a 'false flag operation' designed to boost sympathy for Israel amid international pressure over their treatment of Palestinians.

Dr Asad Khan, a respiratory consultant from Manchester, posted on Instagram and in the Facebook group the On-Call Room, where registered doctors engage in 'lively banter and debate' casting doubt on the motive for the terror attack.

Islamic extremist Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, was shot dead by armed police outside the Heaton Park Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, after driving a car into members of the Jewish community before stabbing them. He was also wearing a fake suicide belt at the time.

Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, were killed and four people were injured in the attack.

It later emerged that Mr Daulby's fatal injuries, and serious injuries to a second victim who survived, were the result of a police bullet.

On the day of the attack Dr Khan, who was forced to give up working after contracting Covid in November 2020, was already posting online suggesting the terror attack was a 'false flag'.

It comes amid a string of NHS staff who have been accused of making anti-Semitic posts online in the wake of the attack.

Posting in the On-Call Room, the Times reports Dr Khan said he was 'raising the possibility of this being a false flag'.


Senior Hamas official storms out of interview after pressed on merits of Oct. 7 attack
Senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk stormed out of an interview Saturday with the pan-Arab al-Ghad channel after being questioned about the impact on the people of Gaza of the October 7, 2023, invasion and massacre.

The interviewer noted that Hamas “said October 7 would liberate Palestine,” to which Abu Marzouk retorted that it was “illogical that 1,500 fighters would liberate Palestine.”

“Ask respectful questions,” he demanded, to which the interviewer responded that he was “asking the question of the Palestinian street, the question of the Gaza Strip.”

Refusing to answer the question, Abu Marzouk instead demanded to end the broadcast and cut the interview short.

After the Hamas official stormed off, the host remarked that the display “unfortunately reflects Hamas’s way of thinking and its evasion of answers and questions regarding the nature of the current phase, in light of the destruction of the Palestinian people.”

Despite his statements, the senior Hamas politburo member told The New York Times in February that he would not have backed the October 7 assault had he known what the consequences would be for the Gaza Strip.

“If it was expected that what happened would happen, there wouldn’t have been October 7,” Abu Marzouk said. He claimed not to have been privy to the exact details of the planned assault, and said he could not have brought himself to approve it, knowing what he knows now.

His remarks at the time, a departure from previous statements by Hamas officials, were not well received by the group, which issued several statements criticizing Abu Marzouk’s comments.


Hamas shoots at Palestinian rioters after abducting prominent Gaza clan members
Hamas appears to be preparing to exact vengeance on those opposed to its rule in Gaza. This will come in the form of mafia-like murders of those Hamas claims are “collaborators.” It will target clans and groups that have shown opposition to Hamas. It will also target those that have worked with Israel, or who it accuses of working with Israel.

A Telegram channel linked to Hamas said the group would target “collaborators.”

The BBC reported that Hamas has called up some 7,000 fighters to assert its control. Hamas recruited during the war even as it took losses. It may have lost many of its commanders, but it has appointed new commanders to various cells, platoons, companies, battalions and brigades.

The BBC reported that “Hamas recalls 7,000 fighters to reassert control over Gaza as fears of renewed internal violence emerge following the withdrawal of Israeli forces. The mobilisation has been widely anticipated as uncertainty grows about who will govern Gaza once the war ends - this is a key sticking point for later phases of Trump's plan.”

Hamas has long used mafia-like gangland tactics to keep people in check in Gaza. This goes back to how the group emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Hamas leaders such as Yahya Sinwar were known for brutally murdering “collaborators” back then. Sinwar is dead but his tactics live on. Hamas has lost a lot of its larger weapons but it retains AK-47s and can use them to murder people. Videos have already emerged of Hamas allegedly murdering people.

The brutality of the organization has also been revealed in a New York Times article that shows how Sinwar and Hamas planned to murder Israelis and burn communities on October 7.

Khaled Abu Toameh, an expert and journalist who has covered Palestinian affairs for decades, wrote on social media that “Hamas security forces have arrested dozens of suspected collaborators and anti-Hamas clan members since the ceasefire went into effect. Many are expected to be executed, according to Palestinian sources.”

As Hamas threatens to eliminate any opposition in Gaza, the groups that emerged during the war to challenge Hamas are eying the future. The Telegraph reported this weekend that “In an exclusive interview, Hossam al-Astal describes how he and others who hate the terror group await moment to liberate Gaza.”

Astal leads a group opposed to Hamas. In the interview he said he would work with Tony Blair, whose name has circulated as one of those who may play a role in the Trump-backed Board of Peace for Gaza.

Hamas likely also has its sights on the Doghmush clan whose members it has killed in the past. The clan is large and has weapons, and Hamas will try to keep it in check via violence but also likely via talks. BBC reported on October 11 thagt “tensions rose sharply and quickly after two members of Hamas's elite forces were shot dead by gunmen from the powerful Dughmush clan in Gaza City's Sabra neighbourhood. One of them was the son of a senior commander in Hamas's armed wing, Imad Aqel, who now heads the group's military intelligence.”




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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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