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.