Shalom all,

The number of IDF deaths since the beginning of the ground offensive is now up to 174. Seventeen percent of them were killed by “friendly fire”.  The total number of IDF deaths since October 7th stands at 507. 

A group of reservists set up a protest vigil near the Prime Minister’s Office, demanding that the fighting not stop until Hamas is defeated. These are soldiers who have been involved in the heat of battle, who have had brothers-in-arms fall and die near them, who understand the need to remove the evil of Hamas far from our doorsteps. They are protesting outside of the P.M.’s office because they know that the decisions that will be made about how to continue the Gaza War will be a political one.

A senior Islamic Jihad official told the Lebanese Al-Mayadeen channel: Islamic Jihad and Hamas responded in a joint document to the Egyptian proposal for a deal. According to the official, the first clause is a ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of IDF forces from Gaza, in addition to the restoration of the Strip with guarantees from the UN Security CouncilHe also said: “Everything that is disseminated in the media about exchange transactions that are divided into phases is only after the implementation of a ceasefire and the withdrawal of IDF forces, and not before.”  Ismail Haniya, the head of the Hamas political bureau, added that “The Israeli hostages will not be released except on our terms.” 

The demands of Hamas and the “Palestinian” Islamic Jihad are outrageous and unrealistic. The IDF has already decided to “draw back” a bit by releasing thousands of troops, as part of its planned next phase of the war. Hamas’s “demand” that the IDF withdraw all of its forces is a non-starter. Similarly, the restoration of the Gaza Strip, if it will be done at all, will be accomplished with funds from pro-Hamas and anti-Israel countries and organizations. 

But, Haniya had more things to say, that are in the realm of fairy-tales that have a happy ending (according to the story teller). In this regard, he stated: “We are open to the restoration of a national authority and a national government in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. We emphasize the activity based on the plan of resistance, which is prioritized by the establishment of a state with Jerusalem as its capital and the right of return. A settlement in the Palestinian issue without Hamas and the resistance is an illusion and a mirage.” So, there we have it in a nutshell. The Hamas terrorist organization that split from the Fatah organization, which “rules” the “Palestinian” Authority in Judea and Samaria,Jerusalem wants to reunite for the purpose of “resistance”. It should be recalled that the leadership of Hamas and the leadership of the P.A. cannot stand each other, to put it mildly. But, they both have a common goal, namely, the destruction of the State of Israel. There are 4 more points made by Haniya in one sentence: (1) establishment of a “Palestinian” state; (2) the capital of that state is to be Jerusalem, and (3) the terrorists want a “right of return” for all the Arabs who left Israel before the War of Independence and, (4) the resolution of the “Palestinian” issue – which remains undefined, but probably is intended to include all of the other points, has to be done with “Hamas and the resistance”. In other words, Hamas has no intention to disappear. To the contrary, it intends to be involved in all aspects of establishing and following through with “Palestinian” statehood.

A note about the “Palestinian” demand for a “right of return”. This is an attempt to flood Israel with millions of descendants of Arabs who left Israel prior to the start of the War of Independence. I wrote about this in my post of September 8, 2018, entitled “UNRWA – Debunking and Defunding a Deception – Part One”. Hamas can’t win a military war with Israel, so it is once again raising its plan to destroy Israel by changing the demographics. 

Hamas should start to reconsider its position in light of the high number of senior operatives who have been eliminated by Israel. The latest one is Saleh al-Arouri, deputy chairman of Hamas’s political bureau and a founder of the terror group’s military wing. 

Al-Arouri was killed in Beirut, Lebanon, by a bomb that hit the Hamas offices there, which are located in an area that is a stronghold of the Hezbollah terrorist organization. According to Lebanese state media, the blast was caused by an Israeli drone strike. He is responsible for setting up the local branch of Hamas in Lebanon. After Israeli officials publicly stated that all of the senior member of Hamas are fair game, al-Arouri threatened Israel with a major response, if there would be targeted killing of Hamas leaders. Two other senior Hamas military officials were among the five people killed along with Al-Arouri, which is a major blow to the terrorist organization. 

Mark Regev, the foreign media spokesman for P.M. Netanyahu, during an MSNBC interview, said that “Obviously in Lebanon, there are many Hezbollah targets, but whoever did this strike was very surgical and went for a Hamas target because Israel is at war… Whoever did this has a gripe with Hamas…Whoever did this, it’s not an attack on the Lebanese state. It’s not an attack on the Hezbollah terrorist organization. Whoever did this, it’s an attack on Hamas, that’s very clear.” 

In a similar vein, the IDF Spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, began his nightly briefing today with the statement that Israel’s military is at a “very high level of readiness – in all arenas, in defense and offense. We are in a high statement readiness for any scenario…The most important thing to say tonight is that we are focused and remain focused on fighting Hamas.” He did not mention al-Arouri and obviously was trying to calm the concerns of the Hezbollah. After the briefing, Hagari was asked whether he expected Haifa to come under attack by the Hezbollah as a result of al-Arouri’s killing, to which he responded: “I’m not referring to what’s been said here [by the reporter] and in other places. We are focused on fighting Hamas. We have been from the start, and we will continue to be.”

Following the death of al-Arouri, Hamas political bureau chief, Ismail Haniyeh, said among other things, that al-Arouri’s assassination was a “terrorist act”. His statement is a clear example of “the pot calling the kettle black”. After earlier stating that the hostage negotiations will take place only in accordance with the terms of Hamas, in a form of protest over al-Arouri’s killing, the terrorist organization froze all talks for the release of hostages.

The tense situation in the north is now hot. It hasn’t yet reached its boiling point. But, as a result of today’s events, it may be a long night.

Bless, be blessed and be a blessing.

Marvin