Hostage gives Details of his Captivity

 (Briefing from Israeli Consul Scotland)

Qaid Farhan Alkadi, who was rescued from Hamas captivity on Tuesday in a joint operation by the IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), revealed details from his captivity, including undergoing surgery with almost no anaesthesia and witnessing the murder of a fellow hostage.

 

Alkadi stated that he was shot in the leg by terrorists on October 7 and, while in captivity, underwent surgery to remove the bullet.  "The surgery was done with almost no anaesthesia, and it was extremely painful. Initially, I was held in an apartment with other hostages, and there was very little food."

 

Alkadi said that just a few weeks after he was taken hostage, terrorists filmed other hostages held with him. He recounted that in the video, one could see hostages dying, which was filmed but never released by the terrorists. He shared how he witnessed the murder of the hostage Aryeh Zalmanovich beside him.  Alkadi was allowed to bathe once a month, stating, "Once a month, they let me bathe in a basin. I was kept alone in a tunnel, in complete darkness."

 

Regarding his movement in Gaza, he said, "After about two months, the terrorists moved me to a tunnel. There, I was alone, surrounded only by the terrorists. I couldn't tell the difference between day and night."  "The terrorists were masked and mostly gave me slices of bread to eat.  There was very little food. It was pitch black, and I would place my hands over my eyes to make sure I could still see; it was that dark.

 

Alkadi also recounted the story of his rescue. He said that he heard extensive IDF bombing in Gaza, and in his final days of captivity, terrorists left him a small portion of bread and fled. Only later, he would hear Hebrew and realise that IDF soldiers were operating nearby.

 

Prior to entering the tunnel where Alkadi was held, soldiers carried out operations and actions that led to the escape of the terrorists holding Alkadi. After this, the soldiers began searching the tunnel. Alkadi called out to them in Hebrew, and they engaged in a conversation to ensure it wasn't a trap. They finally extracted him safely.

Palestinian factions mulling coup against Sinwar over ceasefire deal

 (The report below comes from I24 News in Israel which is usually very reliable)

Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip are mulling staging a coup against Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, according to a report on the UK new site The Jewish Chronicle. 

This comes amid deep divides over the terms of a ceasefire deal with Israel to end the fighting, the report said.

Sinwar is also reportedly surrounded with 22 living Israeli hostages, who are handcuffed and used as human shields against assassination attempts. Israel, it is claimed, has had several opportunities to eliminate him, but has restrained itself due to the risk of harming its captives. The report also mentioned that the rest of the hostages are held by smaller Palestinian terrorist factions.

Hamas wants mediators to show plan before truce talks

David Cohen, the deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, said that the fate of the ceasefire and hostage release deal is in the hands of Sinwar, and that Israel has shown serious intent to make concessions to free the captives.

A View from the Northern Border

 (Cross posted from the Alma Research and Education Center , your eyes and ears on the northern border) 

On Sunday morning, just before dawn, Israel's northern communities were shaken awake by the sounds of explosions. A scene that has become far too familiar in recent months. At 4:30 AM, residents of the Western Galilee were jolted from their sleep by what would later be confirmed as an intense wave of Israeli Air Force preemptive strikes. The IAF said it struck thousands of Hezbollah launch barrels and thwarted a major attack, which Hezbollah had hoped would serve as its revenge for the July 30 elimination of Hezbollah military chief of staff Fuad Shukar in Beirut.

These Israeli preemptive attacks, consisting of some 100 fighter jets targeting Hezbollah positions with an unprecedented level of intensity, is unmatched since the start of the ongoing conflict. The strikes were aimed at Hezbollah's UAV, missile, and rocket-launching capabilities. Those in particular, it seems, housed in underground bunkers. Most of the strikes hit Hezbollah targets in open areas.

 As the IAF strikes subsided, Hezbollah responded with a barrage of rocket fire, targeting northern Israel. This counterattack, which began around 5:30 AM and lasted for nearly an hour, demonstrated the resilience of Hezbollah's operational capabilities, despite the recent IAF strikes. From the balconies of their homes, residents could see the confrontation unfold, as rockets flew overhead and explosions echoed across the region. By 6:40 AM, a brief lull occurred, only for the hostilities to resume at 7:30 AM with another round of Israeli strikes, likely targeting the same rocket launchers Hezbollah had used earlier that morning and further degrading Hezbollah's offensive capabilities.

According to reports, the Israeli strikes not only disrupted Hezbollah's immediate plans but also inflicted severe damage on their missile infrastructure, including underground facilities. The intensity of the IAF's bombardment was such that local residents, including those in the Upper Galilee, reported hearing and feeling the impacts from miles away.

However, the broader implications of Sunday's events raise important questions about the conflict. While the Israeli strikes were undoubtedly successful in their immediate objectives — preventing a large-scale Hezbollah attack and significantly damaging its launch capabilities — there are limitations to what these military actions can achieve.

 Notably, Hezbollah's infrastructure within civilian areas in southern Lebanon remained largely untouched. This restraint on Israel's part highlights the delicate balance it must maintain: Effectively degrading Hezbollah's military capabilities while minimizing civilian casualties and avoiding a broader conflict that could spiral out of control.

 The situation is further complicated by Hezbollah's calculated use of civilian areas for military purposes. According to IDF assessments, since the start of the northern war, 90% of Hezbollah’s rocket launches were launched from civilian areas and facilities.

Despite Israel's calls for Lebanese civilians to evacuate potential conflict zones, Hezbollah continues to operate in these areas, complicating Israel's efforts to strike without causing significant collateral damage.

Sunday's escalation also points to a deeper strategic dilemma. While the strikes were a tactical success, they are unlikely to bring about a significant shift in the overall conflict on their own. A single isolated operation, no matter how successful, cannot decisively alter the strategic balance. For a meaningful change to occur, sustained pressure and a broader campaign would be necessary - something that the Israeli cabinet appears to be contemplating, as indicated by the increase in operations targeting Hezbollah's strategic infrastructure over the past week.

 Both Israel and Hezbollah seem reluctant to trigger a full-scale war, each for their own reasons. For Israel, the primary concern is avoiding a conflict that could draw in additional regional actors and further destabilize the already volatile situation. For Hezbollah, the heavy losses sustained in recent strikes have likely tempered its willingness to escalate further, at least for the time being. However, the underlying risk remains: As long as Hezbollah retains a significant terrorist-military capability, the possibility of a broader conflict remains ever present.

 Israel continues to assess the damage inflicted on Hezbollah and weighs its options, knowing that while the immediate threat may have been mitigated, the broader challenge of neutralizing Hezbollah's military power still looms large.

 

 

 

The World Should Remember This

 

Hamas Use Boobytraps And Explosives To Attack Israel

 There is a growing threat of explosive devices and booby traps in both Gaza and in Judea and Samaria. These types of devices are called improvised explosive devices, or IEDs.

Seven soldiers have been killed in the last four days

In one case the IDF said it had conducted the correct procedures in the area where the explosion occurred. “An initial probe revealed that an infantry force was on the hunt for Hamas underground tunnels and infrastructure on a path that was cleared by heavy machines of the Engineering Corps,” it said. “An IED was likely missed and was detonated remotely by terrorists hiding in a tunnel.”

The use of IEDs in Gaza has been growing over the last few months. Hamas has reverted to this method, along with other terrorist groups in Gaza, as a way to fight the IDF without using armed fighters. This is because Hamas lacks the manpower it had last October. It is now using the terrain to its benefit. It knows the area, so it can quietly sneak into homes and areas and leave explosives behind. It has been using this method increasingly.

Terrorist groups are also increasing their use of explosives in the West Bank in areas such as Nur Shams, near Tulkarm, and Jenin and other areas. In addition, they may be seeking to expand the war into other areas of Israel.

The overall trend is not unique in the history of terrorist groups and insurgencies. In Iraq, during the Iraqi insurgency against US forces, the use of IEDs was common. Iran helped Iraqi groups improve their explosive devices as well, working with them to create explosively formed penetrators (EFP), which are used against vehicles.

Iran backs Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. It is also increasingly behind attempts to smuggle weapons into the West Bank. As the war continues in Gaza, and groups in the West Bank seek to increase their attacks, it is likely they will turn to this type of explosives increasingly as part of their arsenal.

Related TagsHamasIDFPalestinian Islamic JihadGaza warIsrael-Hamas War

The Balloon Peeks Over the Upper Galilee Hills

 From my friend JeanIne Hirschhorn in Haifa this morning

I was woken up at 6AM by faint explosions occurring a few seconds apart that went on for several minutes.  I knew immediately that they were the sound of mortars/rockets being lobbed into Israel by Iran's proxy Hezbollah.  I didn't bother looking out my bedroom window to see what I could see, because the air is so moisture-laden from  days of August high humidity that I can barely see Akko across Haifa Bay.

It's being reported that Hassan Nasrallah claimed that "320 missiles targeting military and other "special targets" were lobbed into Israel. Blatant nonsense as, like Hamas, Hezbollah shoots unguided missiles into the air and where/what they hit, Nasrallah doesn't care. As long as they kill as many Jews (and Muslims, Christtians, Druse, Maronites, Circassians, Achmedi, Baha'i and Beduin) as possible. Like the Druze children killed on a Majdal Shams football field by a Hezbollah missile.  Perhaps they were one of Nasrallah's "special" targets.

There were reports of air raid sirens blaring "in the North" and I thought, gee, I slept through another one.  But in this case, "the North" is right on the Israel/Lebanon border in Kiryat Shmona and Ma'alot/Tarshiha (Tarshiha is Christian/Muslim/Druze).  

Other reports include Ben Gurion Airport diverting flights to "other capital cities", a 48-hour "state of emergency" has been declared", residents "north of Tel Aviv" are advised to "stay near bomb shelters and "protected rooms".  I look out my living room window and see people at the bus stop waiting for the bus, a few cargo ships in Haifa Bay awaiting port clearance.  A normal start to the week. 

Unfortunately, Israel learned nothing from Hezbollah's 2006 34 day bombardment of the North.  Instead of dicking around with mortar/missile sites in southern Lebanon, they should do what they did back then; systematically bomb Hezbollah's missile batteries, command centers, underground tunnels and hidey holes located in/next to/under Beirut schools, apartment buildings, mosques, churches, hospitals (yep, just like Hamas in Gaza). (Ed - in fact the air force did just that soon after writing) It not only hastened the end of the bombardment, but convinced the Hariris, Frangeyehs, Gemayels, Geageas and the other chieftains that they had a far greater enemy than Israel and it was right on the outskirts of Beirut.  But it's early days and events may yet repeat themselves.

Some of you may be wondering why Lebanese lawmakers are largely silent about Hezbollah shenanigans.  Whelp, it's because Lebanon as an independent entity largely ceased to exist in 2008 when the various confession chieftains signed the Doha agreement, which gave Hezbollah veto power over any Lebanese cabinet decision.  Since then, nothing happens in Lebanon without Nasrallah's (and Iran's) nod/instigation. 

At the UN Jews Don't Count

 

As a friend wrote- 

There are no words strong enough to condemn the evil 
that is the United Nations. 

PLEASE DON'T IGNORE THIS VIDEO. SHARE IT, SHARE IT.

An exhibition for victims of terror AT THE UNITED NATIONS 
BUILDING - with NO MENTION of October 7th. 

One thousand two hundred innocent men, women, 
children, babies, old, sick murdered in the most 
bloodthirsty ways and not a mention. 

Thousands more maimed, brutalised, wounded for life, 
and not a mention.

But of course JEWS DON'T COUNT.

 

Son of Hamas Speaks his Mind

 

Many participants of the protest movement need to hear these words.

Fireworks at a Hezbollah Weapons Depot

 When the IDF targets a weapons depot, there is clear evidence. 

The number of secondary explosions make it clear it wasn't a civilian target.

Why Israel is the Best

 From the Italian Newspaper IL FOGLIO

*Why Israel is the best among the nations of the world, despite all the accusations leveled against this country. It is helpful to know and appreciate the unity of Israelis and their desire to be part of the family of nations.

- I am not aware of any other nation on earth that, since its establishment 75 years ago, has had to sacrifice 25,000 soldiers to ensure its existence.

- I do not know of any other nation on earth without recognized borders.

- I am not aware of any other nation on earth whose population has lived under constant emotional pressure since its establishment.

- I do not know of any other nation on earth that is constantly in danger of being wiped off the map.

- I do not know of any other nation on earth that is threatened with boycotts from north to south of the globe.

- I do not know of any other nation on earth that has won all the wars imposed on it, without achieving a ceasefire that suits it.

- I do not know of any other nation on earth that provides its enemy with water, electricity, food, and medical care.

- I do not know of any other nation on earth where disrespectful and offensive words are said during official visits.

But I also do not know of any other nation on earth that has recorded so many miracles in such a short time.

Imagine, a naked and defenseless Jew in front of the crematoria and a Nazi official who was sure he was about to rid Europe of the "Jewish cancer."

- Could that Jew imagine that 75 years later, other Jews would be flying F-16 planes over Israel and above Auschwitz?

- Could that Jew imagine that the population of Israel today would be ten times larger than it was in 1948, the year the state was established?

- Could that Jew imagine that in Israel we are much happier than in many European countries?

- Could that Jew imagine that Israel has the highest production of scientific publications per capita in the world?

- Could that Jew imagine that Israel has the highest number of chess grandmasters per capita of any city in the world?

- Could that Jew imagine that Israel is the nation whose academy produces more scientific documents per capita than anywhere else in the world?

- Could that Jew imagine that Israel is the nation with the highest rate of degrees and university population in the world?

- Could that Jew imagine that Israel is the country with, relative to its population, the highest number of "start-ups" in the world?

- Could that Jew imagine that Israel is the country with the highest percentage of home computers per capita in the world?

- Could that Jew imagine that Israel is the country that has absorbed the largest number of immigrants in the last fifty years?

Unfortunately, you will not find this news in the media, because it does not fit the stereotype that condemns Israel as a colonialist Zionist occupier. In the world's consciousness, the word "Israel" must be equated with an aggressor.

But the Jewish state, despite the hostile media and politicians who do not lack cynicism towards it, proves that it is capable of offering the best it has for the benefit of humanity. Terrorists and their supporters around the world despise Israel because it is a light to nations that in this part of the world are an ocean of mediocrity.

If/when the Balloon goes up

 Posted by JeanIne Hirschhorn

Yet another war with Iran and its proxies Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, etc. seems to be in the offing.  But we in Israel have been through this so many times, and we continue to pursue life because it does indeed go on.  This morning, I was contacted by my Internet provider about upgrading my subscription.  My kupat cholim (health fund) Maccabi reminded me of upcoming appointments, as well as future workshops and health discussions that may be of interest.

If/when the balloon goes up, I will provide daily From the Frontlines reports from my flat and my building's bomb shelter, just as I did every day during the 34 days of Hezbollah bombardment in August 2006.  Or at least as long as the power and Internet allow me.

For now, I offer two realities for thought:

 1.  That there are 1.5 million non-Jews living in Israel, some of whom are citizens, a few of whom proudly serve in the IDF protecting me and the other 9  million Israelis.  So while governments, media and the legion of Jew haters chortle in glee about "those f**king Jews" being bombarded by Iran's missiles, keep in mind - because neither your government nor the media will make mention of this - that Muslims, Xtians, Druse, Maronites, Circassians, Achmedi, Baha'i and Bedouin living in Israel are also being bombarded by Iran's missiles.  

 2.  That "peace" is a Western concept, unknown in the 4,000 year history of this region. That in this region, as in much of the world, the pursuit of power and control is unending. That the best one can hope for is the lull between skirmishes.  That's how it is in a culture and mentality where brute power reigns absolutely, where perceived weakness is challenged to obtain power, control and the wealth that goes with it. And there are always plenty around ready to mount that challenge.  Like Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, DAESH, the Muslim Brotherhood, the PLO, Islamic Jihad and the plethora of thugs, terrorists and murderers who wait patiently for their turn to usurp power and reap the benefits.  Given this, it may help to understand why this region is in a constant state of upheaval.  And why "peace" is a ludicrous, laughable concept postulated by the ignorant, the woefully naive, the agendaed, and the disingenuously blind.

 This war just like all the other wars is not about land, occupation, freedom, self-determination, or rights. Or "Palestine", the name given to this area in the 2nd Century CE by Emperor Hadrian to annihilate the history, presence, nationhood and nation of Jews who had the temerity to rebel against Rome. It was about "those f**king Jews" 2,000 years ago and it's about "those f**king Jews" today.  The rest is Jew-hater justification.

British MP Boldly Declares Bombshell Truth About Israel, No One Else Will Say

 by Phil Schneider August 7, 2024 

Selective concern about suffering is often the best method of spotting pure hypocrisy. The media outlets that are ONLY concerned about the suffering of so-called “Palestinians” who fight Israel, but are not concerned about Arabs who fight against Syria or Iraq are not concerned at all with suffering. They only care about Jews. Well-said. They care about bashing Jews in the most stylish fashion. Today’s fashion fad for bashing Jews is to focus on the suffering from war without any context at all. Arabs fighting Israel are suffering. Israel is bombing them. Israel is bad. That is basically the argument. 

The fact of the matter is that Israel is freeing whatever Arabs who are suffering from the hands of Hamas. Either the Arabs want Israel to free them from the shackles of the dictatorship called Hamas. Or they support Hamas and are willing participants in the incessant attacks on Israel.

What is sorely missing in the entire discussion is the obvious – yet ignored – suffering of hundreds of thousands of Israelis who have grown accustomed to missiles raining down on them. It is way overdue for Hamas and the rest of the terrorists in the world to finally understand what should be obvious to anyone without a perverted idea of justice. Terrorist need to be annihilated – nothing less. And then, the leftovers of the terrorists must not be allowed to rebuild again. They must be reeducated, reformed and transformed. Sounds arrogant? It is. Any other option means more and more terror.    

Germany terrorized the entire world. They deserved to pay the price, on a national level and they did. They deserved to be occupied and to not be allowed to rebuild on their own. The American occupation of Germany was one of the most justified occupations and it is the reason that Germany is now part of the free world and no longer threatens the world. 

Israel’s Marshall Plan needs to be to occupy all of Gaza, weed out all of the rotten apples, and divide up Gaza to cantons of Arabs that are not allowed to have any weapons. Most of all, Israel must take over all of the textbooks and eradicate the education of evil once and for all. 

'Palestine': Latest Pretext for Ending Western Civilization

by Robert Williams

 •  The university encampments, it turns out, were planned as early as November 2023, belying any claims that the student protests occurred organically and spontaneously.

• The mainstream media, the authors say, is complicit because it fails to vet the activists and financiers behind the pro-Hamas ecosystem, preferring instead to portray the protests as if they are spontaneous occurrences.
• "The protesters are being generously funded and expertly coached by the same anti-U.S., anti-capitalist, anti-West puppet-masters who sprang Black Lives Matter on us a decade ago... It's all part of a giant web, a revolutionary ecosystem, that spans the globe from Havana to Shanghai and coordinates and sustains these often-violent, always-threatening protests." — Mike Gonzales, Heritage Foundation, June 27, 2024.
• At the May 2024 "People's Conference for Palestine" in Detroit, featuring US Rep. Rashida Tlaib, among many others, the People's Forum's executive director Manolo De Los Santos, to great applause, called for the complete destruction of the United States.
• The People's Forum, it seems, is closely affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party.
• One protester said: "The actual conversation is getting rid of this country, getting rid of America, getting rid of the West. This is what this [the protest] is for. Everyone here understands that at some level we need to get rid of America completely."
• "The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution," a writer in the 1960s radical Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) publication, New Left Notes, wrote.
• The Communist protesters evidently do not want to just "Free Palestine" by "genociding" the Jews; they want to get rid of everyone that stands in the way of their revolution, which is why fighting this "revolutionary ecosystem" is not only about antisemitism and the Jews but an issue for everyone who wants to preserve Western civilization.
• Several of the tax-exempt groups inside this revolutionary ecosystem... apparently have links to terrorist organizations, about which the US Treasury Department, while targeting allegedly "conservative organizations," seems to have done exactly nothing.
• [US Rep. Jim] Banks, in his letter to the IRS, pointed out that tax-exempt organizations that incite civil unrest do not qualify for exemption.

Israel's Current Weather Forecast

 

Some Questions Egypt Needs to Answer

(Some relevant thoughts from one of my readers DH)

 I keep wondering what is the role of Egypt in this ongoing war in Gaza.

On the face of it, Israel and Egypt have a peace agreement, Agreement yes, but a cold peace. No direct breach of the peace.

 However, I wonder how could Hamas smuggle all this war material from Egyptian territory, the northern Sinia into Gaza without Egypt’s awareness? 

In contradiction to the original peace agreement Israel allowed Egypt to station much more troops in the Sinai, originally to fight the ISIS presence there. So, none of these troops could supervise the border Gaza? Trucks and Toyota Pickups should be most easily spotted when they disappeared into hidden tunnels, not to speak about materials to build rockets and cannons. 

Wouldn’t Egypt be interested in keeping Gaza quiet? They did manage to keep the border closed for Gazans who wanted to leave the Strip. The Rafah crossing was a one-way street, for goods to go in, but not for common people to go out. No international body ever criticized this.

Where is the diplomatic contact between Israel and Egypt? Are the Israelis afraid to touch a likely delicate problem? Between peoples that live in peace this should not be a delicate problem.

Also, why is Egypt keeping quiet when the Houthis block the traffic in the Red Sea, laying the Suez Canal, Egypt’s main source of income idle? What have they acquired such an arsenal of weaponry for? They should be interested to have their rights maintained for free marine traffic. For whose benefit do they agree to starve themselves or who is compensating them for their enormous losses?

Who would be ready to answer all these questions?

Someone in the US Congress Gets It

 At least Lindsey Graham in the US Congress understands 

what is going on in the Middle East

UK REFUSES TO OPPOSE ICC PROSECUTION OF ISRAELI LEADERS

(LONDON) Britain's new Labour government has announced a reversal on the UK's earlier decision to oppose the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) application for the arrest of  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The ICC's Chief Prosecutor, Karim Khan, alleges that the Israeli leaders are guilty of attempting to starve the civilian population in Gaza and requested permission to issue arrest warrants against them.

In May, the previous British government had announced that it planned to oppose The Hague court's authority to arrest an Israeli official, as Israel is not a member of the ICC. The UK has now changed its mind and informed the ICC that it will not file any brief supporting the Israeli leaders.

If the warrants are granted, Netanyahu and Gallant could face arrest when traveling to the 124 countries that are ICC members – including the UK, Germany and France. The Justices must still assess submissions from other states, including the US before reaching a decision.  

The reversal in policy by the Labour government is a massive betrayal by England and points to the direction the UK's new leadership is headed with in its relations with Israel. In March, PM Netanyahu permitted British officials to meet with captured Hamas terrorists in exchange for England's promise it would support Israel's opposition of the ICC's arrest effort. The British government is also threatening to halt arms sales to Israel over the fighting in Gaza.

As such, the new submissions by more than 60 countries and NGOs will delay the ICC's ruling but will not derail it. Israeli officials are fearful that it is only a matter of time before The Hague formally issues warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant. They are warning that a decision by the ICC to target Israeli officials over Gaza is a precedent which will be used in the future against British and American military officials.