My dear friends, the news is not all bad. Not at all. In fact, we are doing well in our battle against Hamas in Gaza. But it’s difficult to focus just on this because there are so many related issues, many of them problematic, that also touch upon our broader situation. It looks something like this:
Sometimes it’s difficult to know what to look at first, or how to parse the significance of each event.
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Yesterday, the IDF announced that it has secured control of the terrorist hotbed of Jabaliya, four kilometers north of Gaza City. Some 1000 terrorists were eliminated, 3,500 men of fighting age were interrogated in the field, and then 500 terrorists from Hamas and Islamic Jihad were arrested; 70 of these had participated in the October 7 massacre.
Hamas’s operational systems in Jabaliya have been destroyed. Not surprisingly, rockets were discovered on this site.
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Jabaliya, I note, refers both to a village and a small UNRWA “refugee camp” adjacent. I put this in quotes because this is a farce – UNRWA maintains the myth that the residents of the camp are “refugees,” when in fact they are generations removed from those Arabs who originally fled in 1948. The camp promotes discontent and radicalism. One of the actions that should be taken after the war is that all UNRWA camps in Gaza should be disbanded.
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Two days ago, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for the first time said that there were sections of northern Gaza that were close to being able to transfer to “the day after” status. He did not mention any specific area, but he was likely referring to Beit Hanoun in the far northeast corner of Gaza, where Division 252 has “completed its mission” and many of the reservists involved would now be released from duty.
While in the south, notably in the Khan Younis area, fierce fighting continues.
https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-778478
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Just possibly this was an announcement that would not have been made yet, were US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin not here. I am not suggesting that Gallant would withdraw forces prematurely, only that he might have been eager to assure Austin that we were scaling down as possible. He has made it clear that this is a process that must proceed one stage at a time.
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Actually, Austin’s visit proved to be less difficult than had been anticipated. We have no way of knowing what he said in private to Netanyahu, Gallant, or the War Cabinet regarding a quick termination of the war. But publicly he voiced considerable understanding for the difficulty of the situation of the IDF:
“This is Israel’s operation and I’m not here to dictate timelines or terms. Our support for Israel’s right to defend itself is ironclad, as you’ve heard me say a number of times, and that’s not going to change.”
Gaza, he noted, is a complex battle space, with a dense population, and “that makes it very, very difficult to conduct any military operation.” Also, Hamas routinely uses civilians as shields, and fights from “near hospitals, mosques, churches, you name it. That adds to the complexity.”
Gallant declared that there is “no clock that is running” on the achievements of the war…
“We will dismantle Hamas, otherwise we will not be able to exist and live in the way we want to live in this region… They need to know [in the wake of October 7] that if they kill or kidnap 1,500 people including kids and women, this is the end of Hamas.” (Emphasis added here and above)
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On Monday, Israeli soldiers from the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion and the 188th Armored Brigade on Monday destroyed “Palestine Square” in Gaza City’s Shejaia neighborhood. They also smashed a Hamas statue commemorating the killing of Golani soldiers during the 2014 Gaza war.
Along with this, the ISF secured control over “Elite Quarter” in the center of Gaza City, where Hamas’s administrative and military leadership operated.
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Also on Monday, the IDF announced the discovery of the largest-ever attack tunnel in Gaza, running from Khan Younis in the south to the north of Gaza, a quarter of a mile from the Erez crossing into Israel (which had been used by Gazans working or seeking medical care in Israel.) It did not run into Israeli territory.
The tunnel goes down some 50 meters (165 feet) underground in some areas and is wide enough for vehicles to pass through. It has several branches and junctions, along with plumbing, electricity and communication lines.
This tunnel project was headed by Muhammad Sinwar, commander of Hamas’s southern brigade, and brother of Hamas’s Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar. Construction was done by a team of specialists from Khan Younis. Special equipment was smuggled into Gaza for this construction.
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Consider what the construction of this tunnel implies regarding Hamas intentions. Now the world is screaming about Israeli treatment of the civilians of Gaza, but these people have been cheated by Hamas for years, as millions, indeed billions, of dollars that were donated for the benefit of the people have been utilized instead for projects focused on terror. The massive construction effort that went into building this tunnel complex might have gone to building schools and housing for the people.
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As to the “civilians” of Gaza, we have this information, which must be grasped in all its implications:
Kamaal Aduan Hospital is located in Jabaliya, which has been taken over by the IDF. The hospital was headed by Ahmad Kahlot, who was arrested on December 12, and then interrogated by the Shin Bet.
He himself had joined Hamas in 2010 at the equivalent rank of a brigadier-general. Hamas took over the hospital as an operations center. Many of the hospital staff doubled as members of Hamas’s Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. These include doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other staff. (Boggles the mind: Apparently, they saved lives part of the time, and took lives on the side.)
This is very different from medical personnel who are innocents being forcibly taken over by Hamas. Staff was complicit. Hamas concealed weapons in the hospital and wove its operations into the activity of the hospital.
See a video of the interrogation of Kahlot here:
https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-778679
Please share this very broadly.
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Civilians? Just how can we identify them? Especially as members of Hamas often dress as civilians.
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The issue of negotiations for the release of hostages is very intense and complicated.
There are parents of hostages and those who support them who have been on the street demonstrating for Israel to do anything that is necessary to secure their release. This is a very disturbing position. If Israel were to concede too much, slowing down or stopping our military operation, in order to secure the release of the hostages, the damage to the entire nation might be very great – dwarfing what was accomplished in bringing perhaps 100 captives out. (In theory there are about 130, but some are understood to be dead.) Yet those espousing this position believe they are taking the humanitarian stance.
This is very much a left-wing, right-wing issue. And I find myself deeply disturbed by those parents on the left who accuse those on the right, who say they would not want to sacrifice the good of the nation, of “abandoning” their children. This is both cruel and unfair.
There is concern that Netanyahu may be too susceptible to the calls of these parents, and thus agree to a deal that would not be in Israel’s best interest.
In recent days there have been fluctuating rumors about another hostage exchange deal. What I see is that Hamas feels emboldened by the demonstrations, which they believe have weakened Netanyahu’s bargaining position. Some of the Hamas demands were rejected outright, but it remains to be seen what comes of this.
Obviously, we are not going to stop fighting, but some damage to our efforts might ensue if too much is conceded.
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Another concern, with fluctuating rumors floating, has to do with a second Security Council resolution on the fighting in Gaza, which will apparently be brought for a vote shortly. In legal terms a couple of words can make an enormous difference and at the moment there is debate on-going with regard to the precise wording. The vote has been delayed twice now.
There have been worrisome reports that if the wording of the resolution is satisfactory to Biden, he may vote with it rather than veto it. The US vetoed the first time.
Technically, all SC resolutions are binding on members. And so, the first thing that occurs to me is that, at least in theory, it would be binding on Israel, but not on Hamas, which is not a nation and certainly not a member of the UN.
But I have learned that it is not uncommon even for member states to ignore such resolutions. (SC resolutions have a clause for enforcement only under Chapter VII, which does not apply here.)
When I read a tweet by Eugene Kontorovich, a highly respected professor of international law, I decided it was foolish to worry about this at all:
“Why does Israel even act like the Security Council resolutions matter anymore?”
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I speak above about arrest of some of those who participated in the massacre: Decisions are now being made as to their legal status. The sub-committee of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee has convened for the first time to discuss this behind closed doors. This will be a major issue.
I do not know how extensively this approach might be utilized, but I know I am not alone in hoping that at least some of the perpetrators of the massacre are tried and then executed.
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Elderofziyon has reported on a new fence built by Egypt at the border with Gaza:
“…a high iron fence topped with barbed wire. Behind it is an 8-10-meter-high concrete wall…Behind it is a series of earthen berms. New watchtowers are also being erected. They are all built to keep desperate Palestinians out of Egypt. The ‘human rights’ community and mainstream media seem oddly unconcerned about such extensive means to ensure Gazans cannot flee a war zone.”
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I wrote recently about the tragic error, when three hostages were mistakenly shot by the IDF when coming forward to be rescued. Doug Altabef, Chairman of the Board of Im Tirtzu, has suggested that the situation was a set-up by Hamas. We cannot be sure, but he makes a good case:
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/382156
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And I end with a very special message, sent to the IDF by Iris Haim, mother of Yotam Haim, one of the hostages accidentally shot by the IDF (the two pictured below):
“I love and appreciate you. I have no anger. I understand the complicated situation you were in.”
Bless her!
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We have now lost 134 of our soldiers in battle.
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Keep praying to Heaven for Israel, my friends. Pray for the strength and wisdom of our leaders, for the safety of our boys, and for the rescue of our hostages. Pray with a heart filled with hope.
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© Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by independent journalist Arlene Kushner. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution.
