Shalom all,
Israel Update – Day 22 of the War.
It’s been three long weeks since the unfathomable murderous attack was carried out by the jihadists, orchestrated by the Hamas terrorist organization. As of this writing, over 1,400 were killed by those who infiltrated from the Gaza Strip into the communities surrounding the Gaza enclave and more than 5,000 were wounded. The revised figures of those taken hostage by Hamas and the other terrorists now stands at 229. The families of the hostages are outraged that no one from the government explained to them whether the ground offensive now underway engages the well-being of the hostages.

Major General Herzl Halevi, Israel’s Chief of General Staff, said that “This is a war with multiple stages. Today we move to the next one.” He also noted that the objectives of the war require a ground operation and that “In order to expose and destroy the enemy, there is no other way than to enter its territory with force.” Israel points out that the present offensive is a limited one and that it will expand, as necessary. The IDF operation is by air, sea and land and has successfully eliminated numerous targets, including high-ranking members of Hamas. Terrorist cells that attempted to launch anti-tank missiles were identified and neutralized by the IDF, who also destroyed a booby-trapped structure and eliminated it. Nevertheless, and despite the heavy assault on locations inside Gaza, rocket barrages continued to be launched from there into communities in the south and from mid-day until now, additional targets in the center of the country, including Tel-Aviv, Shell (south-central area between the Judean Hills and the coastal plain – about 15 km in length), Holon, Raanana and the Gush Dan area. No deaths were reported, but several people were injured and there is property damage. Halevi also stated that the IDF was “prepared for every possible scenario”, referring to regional escalation, particularly against the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon.

Without question, a second front has opened up in the north. It is limited at this point, but it exists. There is significant military confrontation with the forces of the Hezbollah and the IDF has responded with pinpoint accuracy and destroyed a number of locations from which missiles were launched, including anti-tank missiles. Air raid sirens blared in the entire area of the Galilee.

Israeli military intelligence is aware that Hamas has anticipated the Israeli ground offensive and that its knowledge of the geography of the Gaza Strip is greater than that of the IDF. There will be all kinds of booby traps and explosive devices in the path of the IDF, with many of them in the maze of miles of tunnels that criss-cross Gaza. Along with that are the thousands of terrorists, who are willing to fight to the death and in the process hope to maximize the number of IDF casualties. May God grant wisdom upon wisdom and boldness with caution to our forces now inside enemy territory.

Less than an hour ago, I watched the televised press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister, Yoav Galant, and former head of the IDF and now member of the War Cabinet, Benny Gantz. Their comments were brief and were intended to encourage the nation – and send a message to our enemies, as well as to our “friends”. Netanyahu made a number of points: The IDF entered the “gates of evil” last night, with the “supreme goal” of completely eliminating Hamas and guaranteeing our existence as a nation.“This is our second War of Independence.” 

Gantz added that the IDF is pursuing attacks from the air, above and below the ground, as well as from the sea. Hamas is taking difficult blow that it never knew before. We don’t want to expand the war, but we are prepared for it. Regarding the hostages, he stated that “We are dealing with a new reality”. The release of the hostages is of the highest importance and that we are doing everything we can to bring the hostages back to Israel, that it’s very complicated and that our enemies are not seeking a humanitarian resolution. He added that this will not be a short war. 

War Cabinet Minister Galant spoke forcefully and clearly: “This is a war for our home, a war of ‘no choice’.” He noted that the Hamas war criminals are willing to sacrifice their own people in Gaza and that it’s important for the world to know that “War does not have a political time clock.” And while they spoke, Hamas fired rockets toward central Israel.

Yesterday, it was mentioned that Hamas has a base of operations under Gaza City’s largest hospital. The IDF release footage of investigations of terrorists who were captured during confrontations with the IDF following the Hamas incursions on Black Saturday. The Hamas operatives confessed that hospitals in the Gaza Strip were used to shield Hamas from IDF strikes. Responding to a question about the connection between the Gaza hospitals and the vast tunnel system of Hamas, one of the terrorists interviewed, who is a member of Hamas’s elite Nukhba force, said: “[Most] of them are hidden in the hospitals. (At) Shifa for example (the hospital), there are underground levels…Shifa is not small, it is a big place that can be used to hide things.” When asked why medical institutions were being used by Hamas for protection, his answer was so that “you won’t strike them”, which enables Hamas to take advantage of that fact to smuggle “explosives, weapons, food, [and] medical equipment” for their operatives. Two other important facts came out of that particular interview. One has to do with the fuel situation in Gaza: “First, they [Hamas] take care of their own cares and jeeps and then distribute them to the people. They refuel from full containers for themselves.” The other is that there is no freedom of movement. “You can’t go to Egypt without their (Hamas) permission.” Regarding the use by Hamas of the hospital as a “safe place” for them, IDF Spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that Hamas’s Central Command is located below Shifa Hospital, from which terrorist operations, as well as rocket fire, is coordinated. The command center has several areas, all well-equipped with storage for weapons, ammunition and medical equipment, adding that “The hospital has 1,500 beds and about 4,000 staff members who act as a human shield for Hamas leaders.” An underground tunnel allows entry to the Central Command without have to go through the hospital itself. <https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bkrxjhcf6#autoplay> Needless to say, this poses no small problem for the IDF. In order to get to the command center, the hospital itself may have to be removed. Hagari was then asked whether Shifa Hospital is a target for the Israeli Air Force, to which he responded: “In this war, all options are on the table.”  Earlier in the war, another hospital in Gaza was damaged. Israel was immediately blamed, but it was discovered that the damage was caused not be Israel, but by Hamas. Many news sites did not correct the initial reporting of false information. Israel will need abundant wisdom and a holy boldness destroy the underground command center. 

The IDF showed to news executives and reporters a 43-minute video of the atrocities carried out by Hamas operatives and others. This was the first time that the footage was shown outside of Israel. The scenes are from the body cameras worn by the terrorists, from security cameras and from social media accounts. Fox News anchor, Martha MacCallum reported this today on her Twitter (X) Account <https://twitter.com/marthamaccallum/status/1717961633597710676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1717961633597710676%7Ctwgr%5E79edf76cbc56a6409f4fc731dca708d387362eb7%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ynetnews.com%2Farticle%2Fsyfz9bcz6>: “Today we were shown the Hamas bodycam and other videos of the attacks of October 7th. There are no words to explain. It is to witness the darkest evil that can exist. Hamas terrorists laugh and call home to boast how many Jews they killed “with their hands.” Asking if their parents are proud? Humans bloodied, charred, ripped apart. But it is the cries of the children that I will hear forever. I share this with you because the world needs to know what happened. And so that you can imagine it, because I hope you never have to see it.” (EmphasisMine)

“There are six things which the LORD hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.” (Proverbs 6:16-19) Does this sound like any terrorist organization that you heard of?

We need to recognize that our fight is not just against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of evil that seek to steal, to kill and to destroy. And so, we need divine wisdom and strength.

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.Come, behold the works of the LORD, Who has wrought desolations in the earth.He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. (Psalm 46:1, 7-11)

As we begin a new week, may you be granted wisdom and grace and find favor in the sight of God and man.
Please remember in your prayers our sons in the IDF, as well as all those who wear the uniform, who serve day and night and stand in harm’s way to protect us.

Bless, be blessed and be a blessing.
Marvin