Israel update 10.4.25

 

No Israel Update next week as I am taking a break over Pesach (Passover).

Chag sameach.

 

SYRIA

 

More than 100 chemical weapons sites are suspected to remain in Syria, left behind after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, according to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which seeks to enter Syria to assess what remains of Assad’s notorious military programme. The number, far higher than any previous estimate, poses a test for the new government. Experts fear that sarin, chlorine and mustard gas stockpiles could be unsecured. Report here (paywall)Report here

 

 

A HOSTAGE SPEAKS IN VIENNA

 

Released hostage Tal Shoham visited the United Nations offices in Vienna on Friday, where he described the horrific conditions of those held in Gaza alongside a plea for the gathered diplomats to work for the release of the remaining captives. “While we sit here in beautiful Vienna, they remain in Hamas tunnels, 20 metres underground, crying out to us from their dungeon,” he said in an appeal to dozens of diplomats. “I implore you to listen, to act.”

After Shoham spoke, he played the Hamas propaganda video, shot during his own release, in which captors are seen bringing Guy Gilboa-Dalal and  Eyyatar David with whom he was held, to the site of his handover to the Red Cross, forcing the captives to watch him go free while they remained in captivity. Report here

 

 

GAZA WAR

 

Hamas fired 10 rockets at the Israeli cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon from Gaza on Sunday night, half of which were intercepted. One man was wounded from rocket shrapnel. One rocket directly struck a residential neighbourhood, causing significant damage. Vehicles were damaged and windows and balconies were shattered by the blast. Report here

 

 

The Israeli Air Force attacked more than 45 terror targets throughout Gaza in the past 24 hours, the IDF announced Wednesday, striking a weapons production site, a launch site containing rockets ready to fire, military buildings, weapons depots, and terrorist cells.Report here

 

 

The IDF has killed 250 Hamas terrorists since it renewed hostilities in Gaza on March 18, IDF Chief Spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin said last Thursday. He said attacks, mostly from the air force, would pave the way for more ground troops to enter deeper into Gaza adding that the IDF had targeted 12 senior Hamas officials, often with air force support. Report here

 

 

Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, 59, the new IDF Chief of Staff, is leading Israel’s renewed push into Gaza to free hostages and force Hamas to surrender.  He is preparing to deploy tens of thousands of soldiers in a major ground offensive to root out remaining Hamas militants.  Report here (paywall)

 

 

Since the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in Gaza it has captured the Morag Corridor between Rafah and Khan Yunis; vastly expanded its buffer zone along the Gaza border; carried out over 1,000 airstrikes on Hamas targets, eliminating more than 40 senior officials and mid-level commanders; and located several new tunnels. At the same time, Hamas operatives are rarely engaging Israeli troops on the ground. Report here

 

 

GAZA AID

 

Following accusations on Tuesday by UN Secretary General Gutteres of a shortage of humanitarian aid in Gaza, Israel Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein responded: “As always, you don’t let the facts get in the way when spreading slander against Israel. There is no shortage of humanitarian aid in Gaza – over 25,000 aid trucks have entered Gaza in the 42 days of the ceasefire.”
“Hamas used this aid to rebuild its war machine. Yet, not a word in your statement about the imperative for Hamas to leave Gaza. The people of Gaza are braver than you – they’re calling, loud and clear, on Hamas to leave and stop abusing them.”Report here

 

 

Defence Minister Katz said Wednesday that there were no plans to restore humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, given the immense aid they received during the ceasefire. Some observers say the already delivered aid was enough for three months, and some say it was enough for close to half a year. Report here

 

On March 27  Israel’s High Court of Justice reaffirmed Israel’s decision to halt aid to Gaza following Hamas’s rejection of the U.S. proposal to continue the hostage-ceasefire negotiations. After reviewing extensive classified materials, multiple hearings, and actual data, the Court ruled that Israel has met and continues to meet its obligations under both international and domestic law.
The Court also addressed allegations that Israel was using starvation as a method of warfare. Citing the entry of 25,000 aid trucks carrying over 57,000 tons of food since January 19, it found no violation of the prohibitions on starvation or collective punishment “not even remotely.”
The Court emphasized that international law only obliges a state to facilitate the passage of humanitarian supplies when there is no reason to believe they are being diverted for hostile use. Given overwhelming evidence that Hamas has been systematically stealing aid and repurposing it for military operations, the Court concluded that Israel acted within the bounds of international law when it halted certain aid flows. “X” post here

 

 

GAZA TUNNELS UPDATE

 

The IDF has only destroyed about a quarter of Hamas’s tunnels in Gaza according to security sources.

Further, a significant number of smuggling tunnels crossing from Egypt to Gaza are still intact.
Concerns over weapons smuggling resulted in Israel’s refusal to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egypt-Gaza border. Report here

 

 

GAZA INCIDENT 23 MARCH

 

 

The IDF reported Saturday on its investigation of an incident in Gaza on March 23 during which troops fired on Palestinian emergency vehicles. The IDF said that at least six of those killed had been posthumously identified as Hamas operatives, denied that any of those killed had been executed, and said its troops had not attempted to hide the incident but rather had informed the UN of the location.Report here

 

And see Comment & Opinion below

 

COUNTER TERRORISM

 

An Israeli Arab and three Palestinians have been arrested for forming a terrorist cell under the direction of Hamas operatives in Turkey. The group purchased M16 rifles and ammunition from the Jenin area in Samaria. The cell planned shooting attacks on security forces in the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel and intended to fire upon Israeli buses. Additionally, the cell planned to place explosive devices on Route 66. Report here

 

 

HOUTHI ATTACKS CONTINUED

 

For the second time, a ballistic missile launched from Yemen by the Houthis towards Israel fell in Saudi Arabia, Army Radio reported last Thursday. Report here

 

 

Israeli air defences on Friday evening downed a drone launched from Yemen by the Houthis.

The drone was shot down over the Arava area in southern Israel. Sirens were not activated in any Israeli towns. Report here

 

 

A drone launched at Israel by the Houthis in Yemen was shot down by the Israeli Air Force on Monday evening before crossing into the country.Report here

 

Sources in Israel report that since the end of the ceasefire 18 ballistic missiles have been launched at Israel from Yemen of which 8 have failed or been intercepted.

 

 

LEBANON

 

 

During Israel’s recent ground offensive against Hizbullah, the IDF confronted the overwhelming presence of Russian-made weaponry inside southern Lebanon. Operating in Hizbullah-controlled territory, the IDF uncovered homes converted into makeshift arsenals, packed with advanced Russian arms. Crates filled with anti-tank missiles, mortars, and rockets – many marked with Russian export codes – provided evidence of a pipeline stretching from Moscow through Damascus, and directly into Hizbullah’s hands.
The most concerning finds were sophisticated Kornet anti-tank guided missiles, capable of penetrating even the most heavily armoured Israeli vehicles.  Recent reports claim that Russian missile experts have been spotted at multiple Iranian sites, working closely with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to enhance Tehran’s ballistic missile capabilities.Report here

 

 

The Lebanese army has reportedly seized a number of weapons depots in south Lebanon belonging to Hizbullah and has removed some of its fortified positions in southern Lebanon, but other reports point to the fact that the Lebanese army has deployed barely 6,000 soldiers in the south and is still short of at least another 4,000 to complete its deployment.
Reports have shown blatant cooperation between Shiite intelligence officers belonging to the Lebanese army’s southern command and Hizbullah elements. Some 50-60% of the deployed soldiers are Shiite and maintain family/tribal bonds with Shiite residents in the south who identify with Hizbullah.
The Lebanese government has not presented to U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus, as requested, a precise schedule of both the deployment of the Lebanese army to the south and the timing of Hizbullah’s dissolution. In addition, the disarmament of the armed Palestinian factions in Lebanon, including Hamas, which was supposed to be taken care of before the dismantling of Hizbullah, has not been addressed by the Lebanese government. Meanwhile Hizbullah continues to reorganize in south Lebanon preparing for a resumption of hostilities with Israel. Report here

 

 

TWO BRITISH MPs DEPORTED

 

Israel acted legally when it refused entry to two Labour MPs, Downing Street has admitted.

P.M. Sir Keir Starmer had condemned Israel after Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed were turned away from the country and deported on Saturday.

The Israeli immigration ministry justified its decision by claiming that the pair , who have both previously backed a boycott of some Israeli goods, were planning to spread “anti-Israel hatred”.

Foreign Office advice on travel to Israel states: “Foreign nationals can legally be refused entry if they: have publicly called for a boycott of Israel  or Israeli settlements, [or] belong to an organisation which has called for a boycott.” Report here (paywall)

 

And see Comment & Opinion articles below

 

THE UNHCR

 

Francesca Albanese, a UN investigator into Israel with a history of antisemitism and vitriol against the Jewish state, can remain in office until 2028 despite efforts by US and European lawmakers and Jewish groups to dislodge her, a session of the UN Human Rights Council confirmed on Friday. Her opponents, including the US, Canada, France, Germany and Israel, argue that her conduct should disqualify her from the position, which the UNHRC says requires impartiality, integrity and objectivity but the UNHRC did not address any of the complaints during the meeting in Geneva. Report here

 

 

COMMENT & OPINION

 

Gaza incident March 23

 

 

Jonathan Sacerdoti: Before the facts had even settled, Western media reported that Israel was guilty of deliberately targeting ambulances and murdering humanitarian workers because, in the court of international opinion, Israel’s guilt is the default setting. Israeli forces near Rafah, acting on intelligence that Hamas operatives were exploiting ambulances for military purposes in an area recently active with Hamas convoys, opened fire on a suspicious convoy. Six of those killed were Hamas operatives.
For decades, Palestinian terrorist groups have systematically turned ambulances, hospitals, schools and mosques into instruments of war. This is an entrenched tactic: a strategic manipulation of international law designed to endanger civilians and maximize propaganda victories. Captured Hamas fighters have confessed to using ambulances for ferrying weapons and personnel…
It is not the IDF that violates the sanctity of humanitarian symbols; it is Hamas, systematically destroying that trust, turning every ambulance into a potential weapon and every rescue worker into an unwitting shield. When ambulances become troop carriers, their immunity is forfeited by those who abuse it.
No nation, under existential threat from enemies who have turned humanitarian infrastructure into a battlefield, could operate under a policy of blind trust. Israel’s soldiers must act in a reality where every ambulance could hide explosives…The media’s unwillingness to grapple with this reality – its eagerness to frame Israel as a pariah state while ignoring the profound legal and moral violations of its adversaries – is not an innocent error. It contributes directly to the perverse incentive structure whereby Palestinian armed groups are rewarded – politically and diplomatically – for placing civilians and humanitarian workers in the line of fire. Article here (paywall)

 

 

A Summary by journalist Bruria Efune

 

The IDF is reinvestigating an incident which occurred on March 23, in which 15 aid workers were killed in Rafah. 6 of the workers were found to be registered Hamas terrorists.

The incident occurred in the Tel Sultan neighbourhood, which was under an evacuation warning.

The incident began at 4 a.m., when IDF soldiers set up an ambush on a road in Tel Sultan. Aid workers were warned to coordinate before entering the area. Several ambulances and civilians passed through the road without incident.

At 4:30 a.m., a Hamas vehicle drove through. The IDF soldiers exchanged fire with the terrorists, eliminating one, and capturing two others. The vehicle remained at the side of the road.

At 6 a.m., a convoy of ambulances turned onto the road, without coordinating in advance. IDF drone operators warned the soldiers that the convoy was behaving suspiciously. When the convoy began to approach, the troops opened fire. The troops were further surprised when members of the convoy jumped out of the ambulances, and ran towards the Hamas vehicle which was at the side of the road.

15 medics were killed, of whom 6 were immediately identified as Hamas terrorists. (Since Hamas recruited many new terrorists recently, not all identities are known with certainty to the IDF.)

Contrary to Hamas reports, the shooting was not close range, and there were no exceptions.

However, two important points are being ignored:
– The ambulance convoy did not coordinate use of the road, which they were instructed to do.
– The convoy was carrying known Hamas terrorists—an act which should remove their immunity.

If the ambulances had been allowed to pass, there is an extremely high likelihood that they would have brought the terrorists behind IDF lines, from where they would be able to attack IDF soldiers. IDF soldiers are obligated to act when they recognize a threat, so as not to endanger the lives of their comrades.

FB posts (*War Summary, Day 547*)

 

 

Hamas fake casualty figures

 

 

Jake Wallis Simons: A year ago, I wrote about “the devastating proof that Hamas is faking its death figures.” Last week, it emerged that Hamas had quietly dropped 3,400 “identified” deaths from its casualty figures, including 1,080 children. These deaths never happened, but they had been verified by the UN and parroted by gullible – or ideologically blinkered – media.
Further analysis of the data showed that among those old enough to be fighting for Hamas, 72% of the dead were male, a testament to the care and precision of the IDF on a battlefield often crowded with human shields.
Moreover, Hamas had unscrupulously included natural deaths in the list of supposed victims of the IDF, including infant mortality rates of around 780 each year. This amounted to 8,300 fatalities that any reporter acting in good faith would remove from the total.
If we take into account Israel’s figures that 20,000 of the dead were combatants, that means about one civilian is killed for every fighter. This is a humanitarian feat that has never been equalled by any other army, in spite of the fact that Hamas herds its own people into the firing line. That is the true story of this war. But 98% of news reports repeat numbers provided by Hamas.
Every human life is sacred and it is macabre to talk about the grim arithmetic of death. But those on my side of the argument have no choice but to respond in such terms to the obsession with casualty numbers that has characterized coverage of this war. Do you have any idea how many civilians were killed when we destroyed Islamic State, or waged war in Afghanistan and Iraq? No? That tells you something. Article here (paywall)

 

 

British Labour MPs deported

 

Honest Reporting: Upon landing at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport and telling border authorities they were on a “parliamentary delegation to visit humanitarian aid projects in the West Bank,” they were found to have misrepresented the nature of their visit, denied entry, and promptly deported — just like anyone else who flouts standard entry procedures.

The two MPs were, in fact, on a trip arranged by Caabu — the Council for Arab-British Understanding — a lobby group that specialises in escorting British parliamentarians on carefully choreographed “fact-finding” tours of the West Bank. According to NGO Monitor, Caabu’s stated aim is to “counter the Israel lobby” in British politics — a mission it advances by promoting inflammatory, evidence-free accusations of “ethnic cleansing” and “apartheid,” under the guise of educational outreach. Article here

 

Melanie Phillips: Wartime Israel deports two shills for the other side.

 

 

Hamas

 

Brendan O’Neill: Johnny Rotten is right: Hamas is a gang of “Jew exterminators”. John Lydon knows the truth about Israel and Hamas.

In an interview with the Irish Independent, John Lydon (Johnny Rotten), the lead singer of the 1970s-era English punk rock band Sex Pistols, recalled that when he played in Tel Aviv in 2010, “there were lots of Muslims in the audience….That was special because no Muslim nation has invited me, not ever.”Article here

 

 

Israeli Healthcare

 

British journalist Isabel Oakeshott praised Israel’s healthcare system following her accident in Tel Aviv.Article hereArticle here (paywall)