Shalom all,

Israel Update – Day 31 of the War.

As of this writing, the number of Israeli soldiers killed in action since the beginning of the ground offensive stands at 34. The number of Israeli soldiers who have died since 7th October – Black Saturday – has reached 348. Most of them were killed on the first day of the war, fighting to free the Kibbutzim around the Gaza Strip.

For the first time since the start of the war, sirens were heard in the Western Galilee and as far south as the northern suburbs of Haifa.The heavy barrage of 30 rockets were launched from Lebanon. The Hamas terror group has some of its members in Lebanon and they immediately  claimed responsibility for the rocket barrage.<https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bkip0lu7t> It is more likely, however, that the Hezbollah fired the rockets, as they have been irritating the IDF with on-again off-again missile attacks, primarily in the far north of Israel. 

Speaking of missiles, Israel eliminated a terrorist cell in Tulkarm, a city in the region of Judea and Samaria. The cell was planning to launch missiles into Israeli cities.

Israel’s war in the media needs a boost. Apparently, we don’t yell as loudly as the pro-Hamas demonstrators. The IDF and Israeli Embassies in different places have screened the 47-minute footage that documents some of the Hamas atrocities in private screenings to politicians and diplomats, both domestically and internationally. P.M. Netanyahu supports the release of the raw footage of Black Saturday to a wider audience under controlled conditions similar to those undertaken last week when the footage was shown to Members of the Knesset. The IDF is requesting the consent of families of the victims. The Prime Minister believes that distribution to a larger audience will help Israel’s public diplomacy campaign. Understandably, there is some opposition to the broader dissemination of the raw footage, as some of their loved ones appear in the videos. <https://www.ynetnews.com/article/skgtje8qt> 

When I first wrote about the IDF screening the raw footage to Members of Knesset, one of the recipients of these updates made the following comment: “Maybe I’m wrong but a part of me feels that we are such a society so calloused and hardened that only seeing the actual video would awaken us from whatever allows us to allow such milktoast, nay disguised double-speaking backstabbing, political pablum to issue from amongst us.  …But even then there would be those who would take it as an “AI” fake production…” He may well be right. I’ve seen some of the footage and the display of brutality is difficult to absorb. It leaves images in our minds that remain long after the screening is over. Maybe the world needs to be shocked into believing the atrocities. The footage is not “photo-shop”. It’s real, taken in real time. it’s hard to see. It’s impossible to ignore.

The IDF has successfully completed the siege of Gaza City and it is closing in on the area where Shifa Hospital is located. You will recall that Hamas has a massive Command Center complex UNDERNEATH the hospital, with an extensive tunnel system. The underground facility is staffed by a multitude of terrorists, equipped with  abundant weaponry, food and medical supplies. Missile launches are also directed from that facility. The IDF is slowly squeezing Hamas to crawl out of its tunnels.

A U.S. guided-missile, nuclear submarine arrived in our area. It’s presence is intended to serve as a deterrent and as a warning to Hassan Nasrallah and the Hezbollah in Lebanon, among other adversaries – including Iran, Syria and Yemen, not to become actively involved in the war. <https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/05/politics/us-missile-submarine-middle-east/index.html> and <https://www.ynetnews.com/article/mfx2mc1zz#autoplay>

The pressure is mounting from countries and humanitarian aid groups or different kinds, to get Israel to agree to a “humanitarian pause” or to a complete cease fire, because of the alleged number of civilian casualties from the IDF ground assault in the Gaza Strip. Again, we face the question of whether to pursue our goals militarily, or to agree to a pause in the fighting. The world is so concerned about the people in Gaza, but no “humanitarian relief” is forthcoming from Hamas. We still have no information from Hamas regarding the fate of some 240 hostages. There is no “humanity” exhibited on the part of this terrorist organization. Indeed, the massacre of 7th October revealed Hamas’s inhumanity. Multitudes of citizens in the Gaza enclave celebrated when the massacre took place and when the hostages were taken and brought to Gaza. And multitudes condemn us for our efforts to eliminate the evil that is Hamas … and Islamic Jihad … and other organizations like them in Gaza. We were humanitarian in dropping notices in Arabic warning the citizens of Gaza to get out of harm’s way. Hamas prevented many from leaving and the blood of the civilian casualties in Gaza is on the hands of Hamas, not Israel. 

Prime Minister Netanyahu, speaking at the Ramon Air Force Base in the Negev Desert, said that Israel would not agree to any ceasefire with Hamas unless the terrorist group releases the hostages. “There will be no ceasefire without the return of the hostages. This should be completely removed from the lexicon. We say this to our friends and to our enemies: We will continue until we defeat them. We have no alternative.” <https://unitedwithisrael.org/netanyahu-no-ceasefire-without-return-of-the-hostages/?utmo let it be written, so let it be done!!  If Israel will agree to a “humanitarian pause”, then it has to be, it MUST be, conditioned on the prior return of ALL of the hostages, who should be identified in advance. The pause should be for a very limited period of 24 hours, during which time ALL of the hostages should be returned. After that period of time, Israel should resume the goal of pursuing the elimination of Hamas. Period! We need to get the job done and over with. We must not cuddle the enemy. It only enables him to renew his strength and regroup, so that he can continue his goal of totally eliminating the State of Israel from the face of the map (some countries have already officially deleted Israel from their maps).

Reminder: Please remember the IDF in your prayers, for wisdom upon wisdom, grace upon grace, power, boldness and courage. May each one go out in peace and return in peace.

“As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people, from this time forth and forever.” (Psalm 125:2) “I will say to the LORD, ‘My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust’.” (Psalm 91:2)
Bless, be blessed and be a blessing.
Marvin