ISRAEL AT WAR!!!

[ExquisiteGerbil]

Reports: Hamas Kills Palestinian Civilians Trying to Flee; Won’t Let Americans Leave

JOEL B. POLLAK
15 Oct 2023

Reports are emerging that the Hamas terrorist group is preventing civilians from evacuating northern Gaza, killing innocent Palestinians who try to leave, and preventing American citizens from using the Rafah border crossing to escape to Egypt.



Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Jonathan Conricus has been warning for days that Hamas is preventing civilians from leaving Gaza ahead of an anticipated ground war. He cited both Israeli and international sources in an interview on CNN Sunday:

The Times of Israel noted that Conricus expanded on that point during a question-and-answer session on Twitter/X Sunday, accusing Hamas of attacking a column of Palestinian civilians trying to evacuate, killing 70:



IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus says a strike on a convoy of Gazans fleeing to the southern part of the Strip Friday appears to have been a false flag operation carried out by Hamas.



…



At least 70 people, most of them children, were killed in the strike, which occurred on a route that Israel said should be used for fleeing Gazans. Another 200 were injured


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[maybetoday]

Reports: Hamas Kills Palestinian Civilians Trying to Flee; Won’t Let Americans Leave

JOEL B. POLLAK
15 Oct 2023
3:17

Reports are emerging that the Hamas terrorist group is preventing civilians from evacuating northern Gaza, killing innocent Palestinians who try to leave, and preventing American citizens from using the Rafah border crossing to escape to Egypt.



Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Jonathan Conricus has been warning for days that Hamas is preventing civilians from leaving Gaza ahead of an anticipated ground war. He cited both Israeli and international sources in an interview on CNN Sunday:

The Times of Israel noted that Conricus expanded on that point during a question-and-answer session on Twitter/X Sunday, accusing Hamas of attacking a column of Palestinian civilians trying to evacuate, killing 70:



IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus says a strike on a convoy of Gazans fleeing to the southern part of the Strip Friday appears to have been a false flag operation carried out by Hamas.



…



At least 70 people, most of them children, were killed in the strike, which occurred on a route that Israel said should be used for fleeing Gazans. Another 200 were injured.



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[shalom]

TV7 Israel News - Sword of Iron, Israel at War - Day Ten - UPDATE 16.10.23

[ExquisiteGerbil]

Hamas Releases First Purported Video of Israeli Hostage, Mia Shem


JOEL B. POLLAK
16 Oct 2023
2:25


The Palestinian terror organization known as Hamas has released what is being described as a video of one of the 199 known Israeli hostages taken to Gaza during a massive terror attack that killed over 1,400 Israelis and wounded over 4,100 on Oct.7.



The video shows a young woman who is resting in bed and having bandages applied to her right arm. She has tattoos on her left.

In a straight-to-camera shot, she says (translated from Hebrew):



Hi, I am Mia Shem, I am 21 years old, from Shoham, at the moment I am in Gaza, I came back on Saturday towards morning from the area of Sderot, there was a party, I was badly wounded in my hand, from the party they took me to Gaza, they took me to the hospital for three hours, they are worried about me, they are taking care of me, they are giving me medicines, everything is fine. I’m just asking to be returned home as soon as possible, to my family, my parents and my brothers. Please get us out of here as soon as possible. Thank you.



Keren Shem spoke to Katie Couric several days ago about her missing daughter, who appears to be the same young woman in the video.







Hamas evidently hopes to use the video to pressure Israel to negotiate, and to stop attacking its positions in Gaza.


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[ExquisiteGerbil]

Reports: Hamas Kills Palestinian Civilians Trying to Flee; Won’t Let Americans Leave

JOEL B. POLLAK
15 Oct 2023
3:17

Reports are emerging that the Hamas terrorist group is preventing civilians from evacuating northern Gaza, killing innocent Palestinians who try to leave, and preventing American citizens from using the Rafah border crossing to escape to Egypt.



Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Jonathan Conricus has been warning for days that Hamas is preventing civilians from leaving Gaza ahead of an anticipated ground war. He cited both Israeli and international sources in an interview on CNN Sunday:

The Times of Israel noted that Conricus expanded on that point during a question-and-answer session on Twitter/X Sunday, accusing Hamas of attacking a column of Palestinian civilians trying to evacuate, killing 70:



IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus says a strike on a convoy of Gazans fleeing to the southern part of the Strip Friday appears to have been a false flag operation carried out by Hamas.

link



…



At least 70 people, most of them children, were killed in the strike, which occurred on a route that Israel said should be used for fleeing Gazans. Another 200 were injured.



Conricus says he expects the army will release proof of its claim in the coming hours or days.

[ExquisiteGerbil]

White House Confirms Hamas Is ‘Literally Throwing up Roadblocks’ to Stop Palestinians, Others from Evacuating



IAN HANCHETT
16 Oct 2023
1:24


On Monday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby stated that Hamas isn’t just blocking Americans from leaving northern Gaza, but is “literally throwing up roadblocks” to stop people of other nationalities and Palestinians who want to flee the fighting.



Kirby said the White House wants to get Americans out of Gaza, but “the only way to really do that is through the Rafah gate in the south, which is another reason why Secretary Blinken has been working on this very, very hard. I don’t know that we have a very specific fingertip feel of exactly what the number is, but it’s clearly in the hundreds at least. And again, we’re working at this. And it’s not just the Americans, Katty. It’s also so many other people that live there, of foreign nationality, but also Palestinians, who want to get away from the fighting. And Hamas is literally — and I heard your guest previously — they are literally throwing up roadblocks. It’s — so, it’s, Egypt, certainly, we’ve got to work with Egypt to get that gate open, but Hamas is actually making that travel to the south much, much harder.”

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[shalom]

TV7 Israel News - Sword of Iron, Israel at War - Day 11 - UPDATE 17.10.23

[shalom]

IDF confirms Islamic Jihad rocket misfire struck Gaza hospital

Rockets fired by factions in the Gaza Strip often fall short, with Palestinians killed in a number of past such incidents.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF

OCTOBER 17, 2023 20:26

Updated: OCTOBER 18, 2023 03:12




The IDF confirmed late Tuesday night that a Palestinian Islamic Jihad failed rocket attack damaged a Gaza hospital, leading to a still-unclear number of deaths.



The army spokesperson gave a press conference declaring that "an analysis of IDF operational systems indicates a barrage of rockets was fired by terrorists in Gaza, passing in close proximity, to the hospital at the time it was hit. Intelligence from a few sources that we have in our hands indicates that the Islamic Jihad is responsible."

The office also told Israeli media that Israel is in possession of audio recordings in which Islamic Jihad members say out loud that they are responsible for the explosion.



"They don't only kill our children, they also kill their own"

"At around 19:00 this evening, a failed rocket launch was shown live on air on Al Jazeera. The rocket was launched and fell in Gaza causing an explosion," said Yair Lapid on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.



"They don't only kill our children, they also kill their own" Lapid declared.



The IDF said that it had multiple intelligence sources that had confirmed that Islamic Jihad, and not Israel, were responsible, despite accusations by Hamas and some other countries.



"The entire world should know: It was barbaric terrorists in Gaza that attacked the hospital in Gaza and not the IDF. Those who brutally murdered our children also murder their own children," Netanyahu declared late Tuesday night.

The IDF took two hours to confirm their security assessment before announcing that PIJ was responsible for the explosion.



"An analysis of IDF operational systems indicates that a barrage of rockets was fired by terrorists in Gaza, passing in close proximity to the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza at the time it was hit," the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said.


Officials in Gaza issued contradictory statements about casualty numbers, ranging between dozens to hundreds, with video footage reportedly from the scene showing a number of cars on fire near the hospital.



The explosion was reported at the same time that heavy rocket barrages were fired from Gaza toward central Israel.



Palestinian rockets in civilian areas

Hamas and other Palestinian factions fire rockets from within residential areas in the Gaza Strip, with rocket storehouses often placed inside or near hospitals, schools, and mosques. Rockets launched by the factions often fall short and hit buildings in Gaza, with multiple deaths reported in such incidents in past rounds of conflict. During Operation Breaking Dawn in August 2022, two people were killed after a rocket fired from Gaza fell next to a clinic.



In May, four Palestinians were killed after an Islamic Jihad rocket fell short. The IDF released footage showing the failed launches in that incident.

Hamas accused Israel of being responsible for the deaths, stating "We call on the international community and the Arab and Islamic countries to assume their responsibilities and intervene immediately now to stop the arrogance of the occupation and its fascist army."



IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari stated shortly after the incident that the IDF was looking into what happened, noting that while there are many strikes being conducted throughout Gaza, there are also many failed launches and many false reports from Hamas.



Abbas declares three days of mourning

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning following a deadly air strike on a hospital in Gaza, killing at least 500 Palestinians on Tuesday, state media reported.



"What is taking place is genocide. We call on the international community to intervene immediately to stop this massacre. Silence is no longer acceptable," a statement issued by the Palestinian Liberation Organization said in response to the attack.



Reuters and Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.

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[shalom]

TV7 Israel News - Sword of Iron, Israel at War - Day 12 - UPDATE 18.10.23

[shalom]

TV7 Israel News - Sword of Iron, Israel at War - Day 13 - UPDATE 19.10.23

[shalom]

IDF working on rescue ops for over 200 Israeli hostages in Gaza

The number of estimated kidnapped persons is currently around 200 and the number of children in that group is slightly under 30.

By YONAH JEREMY BOB

OCTOBER 19, 2023 19:41

Updated: OCTOBER 19, 2023 20:52


The IDF's apparatus for addressing the captivity of some 200 Israeli hostages in Gaza is strongly operational, despite much of the public coverage revolving around updating numbers and talking to families.



That means that critical intelligence which the apparatus, run by IDF Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon and Maj. Gen. (res.) Lior Carmi, collects gets passed on to IDF combat operations teams, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Service), and the Mossad for potential future rescue operations.



In that vein, there have been serious questions about whether the IDF would exercise greater restraint for some of its operations against Gazan terror groups to avoid killing the hostages.



This was especially true after a senior Israeli diplomatic source on October 9 said that the IDF would strike Gaza without holding back too much to avoid hitting Israeli hostages whom Hamas took.



In general, the source did not put much emphasis on negotiating for a return of the hostages now, with the clear focus being on prosecuting the war against Hamas.

Despite those statements, top IDF commanders in the field are absolutely not giving up on trying to rescue Israeli hostages, even as they hit Hamas hard.



The IDF is not revealing its classified procedures for how soldiers will deal with situations when they suddenly encounter an Israeli hostage situation up close in the field during the impending invasion.



Fully committed to the invasion

Alon said on Thursday, "All of my soul and brain are committed to this, with hundreds of people. We will not stop for a moment until we find any way possible to return our dear ones to us.”



“Our efforts are complex, difficult and challenging. It includes intelligence and operational challenges, during which we analyze and extrapolate every piece of information,” said Alon.



The IDF hostage recovery apparatus chief said, “We work with the families, the villages, and the communities. Along with me, there are hundreds of top personnel from the special forces and the entire intelligence and defense community. We are all working diligently day and night, and within our power, we have the most advanced intelligence and technological means.”



The IDF also noted that there are top civilian minds from the hi-tech community, some reservists and some not, along with the police, and other civilian teams that are working with them on the issue, including building special algorithms and facial recognition platforms.



While the number of estimated kidnapped persons is currently around 200, the number of children in that group is slightly under 30 and the number of elderly is between 10-20, depending on different definitions.



Of those 200, the vast majority have been identified with a high level of intelligence certainty, but there is a group about which there is less clarity.



Some of the uncertainty revolves around bodies that still have not been identified and are undergoing DNA testing.



There are still some unrecovered bodies on both the Israeli and Gazan sides of the border, and since both Hamas terrorists and Israeli civilians were dressed like civilians, identification can be complex and take time.



The IDF said that it has gotten much better at speeding up both the identification process and the process for notifying families regarding what it knows about.



There are also unusual cases where someone was videoed kidnapped, but later evidence showed they might have been killed on the way to Gaza, or might have succeeded in fleeing Hamas, but may not yet have reported to the IDF or their families.



Status of foreign nationals

The status of some foreign workers and of foreign citizens from around nine countries is also sometimes more complex to clarify without as much close-by help from families to identify people or look over the information.



Occasionally, some information is also being used to confuse Hamas about what the IDF knows, though generally, the main focus is to tell families privately whatever the IDF knows at any given point, including flagging points of uncertainty.



There is an immense amount of data to go through, from huge amounts of open-source cell phone videos, to police cameras, to more classified surveillance systems which sometimes picked up useful information indirectly.



The IDF would admit that they started slow in some areas, but noted that the challenge of identifying and recovering kidnapped persons is harder than it was even during the Yom Kippur War. Egypt was a government that could be worked with normally in terms of prisoner exchanges of soldiers, but Hamas, which also took civilians, is not.



The military is also working with former IDF Brig.-Gen. Gal Hirsch, who was appointed by the government to handle diplomatic negotiations regarding the hostages.


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[OmegaMan]

Israeli military confirms Hamas has at least 155 hostages hidden in Gaza

10/19/2023 // Laura Harris // 

Tags: big government, chaos, Dangerous, evil, Gaza Strip, Hamas, hostage crisis, hostages, humanitarian, inhumane, insanity, Israel, Israel-Palestine war, national security, terrorism, terrorist attack, tragedy, Twisted, Tyranny, violence, WWIII



The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has officially confirmed that Hamas has at least 155 hostages taken from their homes in Israeli border communities or seized from a music festival Hamas attacked near the border.

Among the captives is an 83-year-old veteran Israeli journalist, known for his commitment to peace and advocating for Palestinian rights, who was abducted from his home in the Nir Oz kibbutz. The unidentified journalist wrote for the left-wing newspaper Al HaMishmar and was also instrumental in defending the Arab Bedouin residents of the Rafah basin during their expulsion from Sinai in 1972.



Moreover, he was one of the first reporters to arrive at Sabra and Shatila in Lebanon in 1982, to cover the tragic massacre that happened in Palestinian refugee camps. The journalist volunteered for a group that transported Palestinian patients to Israeli hospitals for treatment.



The German government has also confirmed that eight Germans have been taken hostage in Gaza, including 22-year-old Shani Louk, who was recognized by her mother in an online video lying unconscious and barely clothed in the back of a pickup truck filled with armed men. (Related: State Department: At least 22 American citizens KILLED (so far) in Israel-Hamas conflict.)



Meanwhile, Israeli-American Abbey Onn, who had recently moved to Tel Aviv, reported that five family members of the Dan-Kalderon family, namely Carmela Dan, Ofer Kalderon, Sahar Kalderon, Erez Kalderon and Noya Dan, had been taken hostage in the kibbutz of Nir Oz, which was targeted by rocket fire. The family is believed to still be alive somewhere in Gaza.



Aside from the eight Germans and five U.S. nationals taken as Hamas hostages, there were also two Mexican nationals, a handful of hostages with other nationalities and the rest being Israeli.



Voices for Hostages, an organization established in Israel after the Hamas attack, appealed for more information about the Dan-Kalderon family. Desperate family members of other missing hostages also tirelessly reach out on television, radio, social media and personal contacts seeking any information about their loved ones.



Israel-Hamas conflict creates more war crimes

Hamas used the hostages to threaten Israel. Abu Ubaida, a Hamas spokesperson, announced on Oct. 9 that each Israeli strike on a Palestinian home without prior warning could be equal to the life of one Israeli hostage.



After the Hamas attack, Israel mobilized around 300,000 reservists and imposed a total blockade on the Gaza Strip. Several reports and eyewitnesses even saw Israeli fighter jets, artillery and drones targeting residential apartment blocks, hospitals, schools and even a mosque.



As the death toll continues to rise, Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced a complete blockade on 2.3 million people in Gaza. "No electricity, no food, no water, no gas – it's all closed."



Omar Shakir, the Israel and Palestine director of Human Rights Watch, condemned the actions of both sides and labeled them as war crimes.



"Depriving the population in an occupied territory of food and electricity is collective punishment, which is a war crime, as is using starvation as a weapon of war. The International Criminal Court should take note of this call to commit a war crime." She then added: "All hostages should be safely released to their families."



Similarly, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a joint call for an immediate end to violence and the protection of civilians. Erdogan urged Israel to avoid "indiscriminately" attacking civilians and gently criticized Hamas. He urged both sides to respect the "ethics" of war.



However, the escalation in violence created more conflict as Lebanese armed group Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel after at least three of its members were killed by Israeli shelling in Lebanon. Israel, in return, reported the loss of one of its deputy commanders in an earlier cross-border raid from Lebanon.


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[schwartzie]

Two American Hostages Released by Hamas: Report

Frank Bergman
October 20, 2023 - 2:26 pm


Two American citizens have been released by the terrorist group Hamas after they were held captive in Gaza, according to a new report.



A source with knowledge of the release reportedly confirmed the release to Fox News.



The two American hostages, a mother and her daughter, were released “on humanitarian grounds” following Qatari mediation efforts, the report states.



They were identified as Judith and Natalie Raanan.



They were originally taken by Hamas from the Nahal Oz kibbutz in southern Israel near the Gaza Strip.



Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obaida also released a statement Friday about the hostages.



Obaida slammed the Biden admin as a “fascist administration” and claimed reports from the White House are “false and baseless.”



The Al-Qassam Brigades is the armed wing of Hamas.



In a statement, Obaida said:



“In response to Qatari efforts, Al-Qassam Brigades released two American citizens (a mother and her daughter) for humanitarian reasons, and to prove to the American people and the world that the claims made by Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless.”



A source reportedly told Fox News that the hostages are now in the care of the Red Cross.



The identities of the rest of the hostages have not been released.



As of this morning, there were 11 Americans unaccounted for.


The hostages were kidnapped when Hamas launched its war against Israel on Oct. 7.



The Israeli military said Thursday there are 203 Israeli hostages taken by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.



Speaking in Israel Wednesday, Democrat President Joe Biden said:



“There’s no higher priority than the release and safe return of all these hostages” captured by Hamas.



“To those who are living in limbo, waiting desperately to learn the fate of a loved one, especially to families of the hostages. You’re not alone.



“We’re working with partners throughout the region, pursuing every avenue to bring home those who are being held captive by Hamas,” Biden said.

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[shalom]

TV7 Israel News - Sword of Iron, Israel at War - Day 14 - UPDATE 20.10.23

[J.J.Gibbs]

Report: Terrorists Drugged Themselves to Commit Atrocities Against Civilians

By Guest Contributor Oct. 20, 2023 5:00 pm

Guest by post by Bob Unruh



Took stimulant previously found to be used by ISIS



The atrocities that were committed by the terrorists of Hamas against innocent Israeli civilians during its attack on Oct. 7, in which some 1,300 died, have been documented widely already.


Families burned alive, victims’ bodies fused together in death by the flames, evidence of torture, the dead so mutilated they have to be identified by DNA.



Babies beheaded!



Commentators have cited the absence of such atrocities since the Holocaust.



Now a report in the Jerusalem Post charges that a drug has been found that the Hamas terrorists took “to help them slaughter Israelis.”



“Hamas terrorists who carried out a surprise attack on October 7 were found to be under the influence of Captagon, a synthetic amphetamine-type stimulant that has been clandestinely produced in southern Europe and trafficked through Turkey to the consumer markets on the Arabian Peninsula, as reported by Nir Dvori of Channel 12,” the publication explained.



The pills were found in the pockets of the terrorists who died.



It described the stimulant as the “cocaine for the poor,” and the report charges it allowed Hamas members “to commit heinous acts with a sense of calmness and indifference.”



Further, the report said the drug kept the terrorists “highly alert” for lengthy time periods and suppressed their appetite.



It previously was found to have been in the systems of ISIS terrorists “to suppress fear” when they carried out their operations, the report said.



It reported, “Captagon belongs to the amphetamine family and was initially developed to address attention disorders, narcolepsy, and depression. Despite its highly addictive nature and potential for inducing psychotic reactions, it continues to enjoy popularity in the Middle East due to its affordability and ease of manufacturing.”



Its production and sale reportedly had become a source of revenue for ISIS in Syria, and the profits from the drug, estimated at $3.5 billion for Syria in 2020, “exceed those gained from legitimate exports,” the Post report said.



Experts told the Post that consumption in Saudi Arabia alone is 600 million pills a year, with a market value of up to $12 billion, but seizures also have been reported in Greece, Malaysia, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Dubai and Italy.

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[shalom]

TV7 Israel News - Sword of Iron, Israel at War - Day 15 - UPDATE 21.10.23

[shalom]

The Shin Bet's new unit to eliminate the perpetrators of the Hamas massacre

This unit is dedicated to hunting down and eliminating every individual who played a role in the Oct. 7 attack two weeks ago.

By AMIR BOHBOT/WALLA!

OCTOBER 22, 2023 01:21


In Israel's ongoing effort to track down all those involved in the brutal terrorist attack that left more than 1,400 victims, the Shin Bet has established a new unit named Nili, an acronym in Hebrew that translates as "The Eternity of Israel Will Not Lie".



This unit is dedicated to hunting down and eliminating every individual who played a role in the massacre in the western Negev settlements two weeks ago.



This force was specifically set up to target members of Nukhba (a special commando unit within Hamas's military wing) who infiltrated Israel, executed mass killings in various villages and IDF outposts, and subsequently returned to the Gaza Strip.



The members of this new organization function independently from other Command and Control units that are focused on neutralizing strike cells and high-ranking terrorists. This particular mission is distinct, with the organization encompassing both field operatives and intelligence personnel.


Comes after Israel kills several key players in the attack

Last Saturday, Ali Qadhi, a commander within the Hamas Nukhba force and a key player in the attack on the border area, was taken out. The following day saw the elimination of another leading figure, Billal Al Kedra, who spearheaded the lethal raid in Nirim.

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[J.J.Gibbs]

Hamas & IDF Ground Forces Clash For 1st Time Inside Gaza: Israeli Soldier Killed, Others Wounded

BY TYLER DURDEN

SUNDAY, OCT 22, 2023 - 03:15 PM

Update(1515ET): Hamas has claimed to have repelled a brief Israeli ground incursion, in what marks the first such reported direct ground fight between two sides in Gaza. The Al-Qassam Brigades announced its fighters destroyed two Israeli military bulldozers and a tank as part of an ambush amid the IDF's conducting 'limited' incursions into the strip.



"The soldiers of the Zionist force that fell into the Khan Younis ambush left their vehicles and fled east of the fence on foot," the Hamas wing said on social media. The IDF as expected did not confirm the claims, saying only that "shots were fired at IDF soldiers operating west of the Gaza Strip security fence, in the area of Kissufim." Instead, the IDF said only that "An IDF tank struck the terrorist cell who fired at the soldiers" - but did confirm its forces were operating inside Gaza at the time of the incident.



The IDF appears to have begun taking casualties, and the major ground offensive has yet to even begin. Importantly, an IDF statement cited in a fresh Times of Israel update appears to back Hamas' account of repelling the IDF tank and bulldozers:



A soldier was killed and three others were hurt on Sunday after Hamas attacked troops carrying out an operation on the western side of the Gaza border fence, near the southern community of Kissufim.



The operation was part of the military’s searches for bodies of missing Israelis, and to clear the area for Israel’s upcoming ground offensive.



The Israel Defense Forces said an anti-tank guided missile was fired at an Israeli tank and engineering vehicle, and troops responded by shelling the terror cell. Terror group Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.







Elsewhere the IDF announced it conducted a very rare airstrike in the West Bank. It said its jets hit a mosque allegedly used as a "Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist compound" in Jenin.



Meanwhile, Israel has issued a formal apology to Egypt for inadvertently hitting an Egyptian border outpost, which injured a number of Egyptian military border guards. Al Jazeera describes:



Shell fragments from an Israeli tank have hit the Egyptian border, injuring at least seven people including several Egyptian border guards, according to the militaries of both countries.



The incident occurred late Sunday, with the Israeli military confirming that it “accidentally” hit the Egyptian position near the border with the Gaza Strip.



Israeli forces have struck the Rafah crossing area multiple times at this point, with Palestinian officials alleging that it is an intention al act.

In Washington, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the US is "concerned about potential escalation" in the Middle East, and confirmed that US assets were deployed to the region to ensure troop safety:



“We're concerned about potential escalation. In fact, what we're seeing is a — is a prospect of a significant escalation of attacks on our troops and our people throughout the region, and because of that, we're going to do what's necessary to make sure that our troops are in the right — in a good position, and they're protected, and that we have the ability to respond,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.”

All eyes continue to be on Israel's northern border, where the tit-for-tat strikes with Hezbollah continue ramping up.



* * *



A spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has announced over the weekend that Hezbollah has escalated its attacks against northern Israel which risks "dragging Lebanon into a war."



Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday issued the same words in his own warning for Hezbollah, saying it must avoid making "the mistake of its life" by deciding to join the war in partnership with Hamas.



"If Hezbollah decides to enter the war, it will long for the Second Lebanon War," Netanyahu said in comments made before a unit of elite commando forces in northern Israel. "It will be making the mistake of its life. We will hit it with a force it cannot even imagine, and the meaning for it and the Lebanese state will be devastating."


Since the Oct.7 Hamas attack on southern Israel there have been a handful of casualties on either side of the Lebanese border. In at least one instance so far, Hezbollah scored a direct hit on an IDF military vehicle, which likely resulted in Israeli troop deaths and injuries. The group backed by Iran uploaded the video to the internet in order to show off its advanced capabilities.



Israel has in response sent artillery and missiles against Hezbollah positions, as well as against some residential areas of south Lebanon. Americans and other foreigners have been heeding warnings to get out of Lebanon while they still can.



Typically if a broader conflict involving Lebanon opens up, Israel strikes Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport, the only commercial airport in Lebanon, as it did in 2006.



Hawks within Israel and the US want to use this to deliver a 'death blow' to Hezbollah, which is by all accounts a more formidable and better-armed force than Hamas in Gaza, as The Guardian underscores, "The Israeli government is coming under growing pressure from security establishment hawks to launch a pre-emptive strike on Hezbollah in Lebanon – but is facing strong opposition from the US, which fears a two-front war would risk igniting a major regional conflict."

Others want Israel to focus on Gaza, in order not to get bogged down in a conflict that could overwhelm Israel's military:



But President Biden used his time in Tel Aviv on Wednesday and visits by top US defence officials in the days before, to urge the Israeli leadership not to risk such a pre-emptive strike on the Iran-backed militia, the New York Times reported, and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu ultimately cooled on the idea.



Still, Israel is clearly taking measures to prepare for a possible all-out fight on its northern border, at this point having evacuated dozens of communities which lie within two kilometers of the border.



On Sunday, the defense minister confirmed that another 14 towns and villages have been told to evacuate, in addition to the 28 initially ordered to do so last week. "According to the IDF and Defense Ministry, the 14 communities being added to the list are: Snir, Dan, Beit Hillel, She’ar Yashuv, Hagoshrim, Liman, Matzuva, Eylon, Goren, Gornot HaGalil, Even Menachem, Sasa, Tziv’on and Ramot Naftali," Times of Israel details.



An active battlefront...

Hezbollah has not only been using anti-tank missiles, but has rolled out with guided missiles amid ongoing fire exchanged between both sides. Israel has lately stood accused of using controversial white phosphorus shells as well.



A broader war would likely bring Iran and Israel into a direct clash, and possibly Syria too. On Sunday Israel attacked Damascus and Aleppo international airports for the third time this month.

The scenario becomes all the more dangerous given the presence of US carrier strike groups in the region, and more recently some six Chinese warships in Mideast waters, watching the situation closely. And Russia has of course long had a strong military presence in Syria.


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[shalom]

TV7 Israel News - Sword of Iron, Israel at War - Day 16 - UPDATE 22.10.23

[Shoshanna]

Israeli President: Hamas Terrorists Had Instructions to Manufacture Cyanide
JOEL B. POLLAK
22 Oct 2023

Israel’s ceremonial president, Isaac Herzog, told Britain’s Sky News on Sunday that Hamas terrorists were found with USB drives that included instructions on how to manufacture cyanide agents for use against Israelis.



The Times of Israel elaborated:



Herzog shows off materials recovered from USB drive on the body of a Hamas terrorist in Israel which was copied from al-Qaeda and included “detailed instructions on creating chemical weapons,” including “precise instructions for preparing a device for dispersing cyanide agents,” the President’s Office says.

“It’s official Al Qaeda material. We’re dealing with ISIS, Al Qaeda, and Hamas,” Herzog told Sky News, holding a printout of a file obtained from a USB found on one of the dead terrorists killed during the attack on Oct. 7.



“In this material, there were instructions how to produce chemical weapons. This is — it speaks about arson and it speaks about various chemicals that come out and produce chemical weapons.”



Cyanide was used as a chemical weapon during the First World War, though questions remain about its lethality in battlefield conditions outdoors. It may have been intended for indoor use — and perhaps could be used against Israeli soldiers fighting in tunnels in Gaza.



The Sky News presented then pressed Herzog on the “severing” of services from Israel to Gaza. Herzog replied that Hamas, not Israel, was responsible for cutting off Gaza’s electricity with rockets; that Gaza only obtained 7% of its water supplies from Israel; and that the UN was providing fuel.

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[shalom]

TV7 Israel News - Sword of Iron, Israel at War - Day 17 - UPDATE 23.10.23

[maybetoday]

“Make It Stop” – Israel Shares 43 Minutes of Gruesome Hamas Attacks to Horrified Journalists in Private Screening Not Yet Released to Public – Includes Young Children Burned and Pregnant Women Cut Open

By Cullen Linebarger
Oct. 23, 2023 12:20 pm


Israel on Monday screened for some 200 foreign journalists 43 minutes of shocking crimes committed by Hamas savages during their October 7 onslaught on southern Israel, in which over 1,400 people were killed. Some of the presentation includes never-before-seen footage.



They decided to release this screening to counteract a “Holocaust-denial” phenomenon which is starting to permeate across the globe.






The Times of Israel and other outlets printed the gruesome details shared by the IDF. With very few exceptions, journalists were only allowed notepads and pens as the IDF forbade them form sharing the most terrifying footage to the public.



Here are some of the most shocking details revealed:


In one video, a man rolls around on the ground, bleeding from his stomach, as a Hamas terrorist tries in vain to chop his head off with farming equipment. In another clip, an Israeli woman is trying to determine if a partially burned corpse with a mutilated head is that of a family member.



The dead woman’s dress was pulled up to her waist with her underpants removed. She had been raped and torured by the medieval savages before being set ablaze.



In yet another video, a 19-year-old female Israeli soldier is seen wearing bloody sweatpants while being dragged out of the trunk of a car to a chorus of sickening cheers. One man yells in English, “You’re in Gaza!”



A male soldier is pulled from a car, tossed to the ground, and then beaten by a bloodthirsty Palestinian crowd.



Joel Pollak of Breitbart News then describes perhaps the most horrifying video of all: one child had been blinded by the Hamas savages and was covered in his father’s blood after they deliberately targeted his family:



A terrorist peers over the fence and lobs a grenade into the shelter. It bounces off the back wall and explodes.



The father’s body falls forward. A boy appears, covered in his father’s blood, looking at his father.



We see the boy on the couch, now doubled over on the rug. “Why am I alive?” he wails.



He then looks at the brother in the chair. There is a red, black space where his eye used to be. He asks if his brother can see out of that eye. He says that he cannot. The other brother asks again. Are you joking? He repeats that he cannot see.



Pollak also reported he heard fellow journalists whisper “make it stop” as the presentation on Hamas’ atrocities continued.

The IDF went on to release still images to journalists showing a headless soldier, several charred human remains, including those of young children, dead bodies in a bomb shelter, and several Islamic State (ISIS) flags.



The IDF also revealed that a pregnant woman was not only killed by Hamas savages, but they also cut her unborn child out her belly and beheaded it.

The little footage Israel did allow journalists to share with the public were previously viewed. Nonetheless, they do give small taste of the horrifying war crimes committed by Hamas.

Hamas’s savagery can be best summed by one terrorist named Mahmoud. He was seen today’s footage boasting about killing 10 innocent Israelis with his “bare hands.”



“Their blood is on my hands, let me speak to Mom,” he exclaims. “Please be proud of me, Dad.”



Should the Gateway Pundit obtain additional footage, we will share it with our readers so they can see the full truth of Hamas’ cruelty with their own eyes. Obscuring evil only allows it flourish.



link

[schwartzie]

The European Union Rewards Terrorism

by Robert Williams

October 24, 2023 at 5:00 am


Israel had not even buried its dead from the horrifying jihadist pogrom that Hamas terrorists unleashed on Israeli civilians in south Israel -- beheading babies, burning them alive, torturing, raping, kidnapping, murdering -- before the European Union decided to reward the terrorists by tripling its assistance to Gaza.



"The Commission will immediately increase the current humanitarian aid envelope foreseen for Gaza by 50 million euros," European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen said. "This will bring the total to over 75 million euros. We will continue our close cooperation with the UN and its agencies to ensure that this aid reaches those in need in the Gaza strip."



Oh really? How? The terrorist group Hamas, a proxy of Iran, the "worst state sponsor of terrorism," is wholly in control of Gaza and will take what shows up and dribble it out slowly to a chosen few, mainly in their military. The idea that any of it will reach the million displaced souls who were urged by the Israelis to flee to southern Gaza to save their lives is charming, but woefully starry-eyed. Food and water -- if that is really what is in the uninspected trucks, rather than weapons -- will go to the Hamas foot soldiers to make sure they stay fit and loyal.



"Hamas are trying to prevent people leaving northern Gaza. And that is the point... Of course we want to minimize Palestinian casualties. We want to minimize Israeli casualties. We want everybody to respect civilians. But the real clear distinction is Israel are trying to get civilians out of danger; Hamas are trying to put civilians into danger, and that is a fundamental difference between the two." — UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, October 15, 2023.



Sadly, massive injustices were done by the international media which, without checking, wrongly blamed Israel for firing at a hospital in Gaza, supposedly killing hundreds. Video evidence and a voice recording revealed that the real cause of the explosion at the hospital was a rocket, launched toward Israel by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, that landed in the hospital parking lot. The media, it seems, could not wait to stick it to the Jews.


 Continued at link

[shalom]

TV7 Israel News - Sword of Iron, Israel at War - Day 18 - UPDATE 24.10.23

[Midnight]

Hamas Documented Atrocities – FOOTAGE RELEASED by Israel of Barbaric Attack on Innocent Civilians …WARNING ON CONTENT

By Jim Hoft
Oct. 24, 2023 4:00 pm


MASSIVE RAW FOOTAGE Massacre Across Israel from the Eyes of Hamas





A captured Israeli man on Oct. 7 by Hamas terrorists in Israel. Video released by Israel following deadly attack.







Hamas terrorists drag a dead Israeli man out of his car after they murdered him. Hamas later came and took the body back to Gaza for ransom money.







A young man who is visibly injured is taken hostage by Hamas killers from the Nova concert in Israel.







A woman lays next to her car after she was murdered by Hamas on Oct. 7 in Israel.




Israeli forces released RAW FOOTAGE of the Massacre Across Israel by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023.



Over 1,400 Jews were slaughtered by Hamas that day including at least 300 young adults who were attending the Nova concert near the border.



Hamas took over 200 hostages with them back to Gaza. Four women have been released.



We are publishing this footage for our readers to show the complete barbarism by Hamas on innocent civilians.

We pray for the safe return of the remaining hostages.



** This comes after Israel released 40 minutes of recorded atrocities to reporters in Tel Aviv on Monday.



WARNING ON VIOLENT CONTENT: Video at link