"When G-d will return the captivity of Zion, we will be like dreamers. Then our mouths will be filled with laughter and our tongues with glad song." Psalm 126
My husband and I have been best friends for exactly 44 years now!!! (Oh yeah. We were babies when we met) We very rarely fight over things. The teenage years in our adventures in parenting came with their incredible challenges, but we got through them. We never really screamed or yelled at each other – except when we’d be on the road. In the middle of New York; on the Washington DC beltway; downtown LA. John would hand me a map and say, “get us to….” I would spend 5 minutes trying to figure out the right side of the map, then decipher where we were by looking out for landmarks. John would yell, “Which direction? What route do I take? Right or left?” I was directionally challenged. The writing on the map was always minuscule. The colors!! What do all those different colored roads mean??? “Dadgummit!!!!! We missed the freeway overpass !” he’d yell. I’d holler back at him. Followed by his, “Crrrraaaaapppp! We went the wrong direction! You said left.״ I’d yell back (at this point crying), “I said left. I meant right. I can’t do this. And you are driving way to fast!!!”
How did we all SURVIVE before the Israelis invented Waze? Or before Google maps. Last week we were trying to find our way to a new doctor’s office in a Haifa suburb. I could get to Kiryat Motzkin just fine, but once I turned on my map…
My Waze came up blank in Arabic. Nothing doing. No maps. No nothing. I tried Google maps. It put me en route with beautifully mapped out directions in Limassol on the island of Cypress. My weather app had us at the Beirut International Airport. Yikes!!!!! What the hell???? We no longer have GPS tracking and all internet mappings of Israel have been jammed and shut down!
Was this a hack job by our enemies? What gives? Train schedules and bus schedules are taken down. This is nuts!!! As it turns out, I’m thankful that our car has wonderful Atlas maps of every area in the country, easy to navigate (if you read Hebrew) and large print, section by section. Whew! Israel has removed all traces of itself on maps so our enemies won’t know which roads are blocked, which towns evacuated, where borders are or where major routes and large cities, army bases, factories, hospitals, airports are. They won’t be able to program missiles or attack drones laden with explosives. There will be no directions for them to see. No bus schedules. No targeted bombings. (We do have local schedules, but it was more challenging for Max to get a bus and then the train to come home today).
What else is new here? Let’s see. Yesterday was Yom Kippur. Yup. The holiest day of the year, usually comes in September/October. Well yesterday in Israel it was declared to be YK2. A day of fasting and prayer. Thousands of people, many secular Jews who don’t really ‘celebrate’ the holy day, came to the Western Wall in Yerushalayim to repent of all their sins (slichot), to fast, to pray, to blow the shofar, to cry out to G-d – literally. All of the different rabbis from all denominations were there united in prayer together. I heard it was the most incredible, unbelievable experience. At the end, everyone there joined arms to pray for the hostages and the soldiers, to ask comfort for mourning families and to sing Hatikvah, The Hope (the Israeli national anthem).
Three days ago a video was released by Hamas of 4 young women, seated against a wall, hands tied behind their backs. They all had disheveled hair. They all had bruises and slashes on their faces and dried blood and looked frightened and helpless.
The nation is grieving. We are still in shock, yet we continue. Without our men. With friends and family missing. Without maps to guide us, fully relying on G-d to go before us. We are still numb. Some are angry. Most are exhausted. We are all determined. To live. To love one another. To come out more than victorious. To help out. To excel. To be strong.
And yet there are so many distractions. South Africa has filed charges against us in the International Court of Justice at The Hague. The crime: Genocide. Because Israel is trying to wipe the Palestinian people off the map. Because we are trying to extinguish every Palestinian life. As I write this, our Supreme Court justice is leading the defense. Telling of the horrific atrocities Hamas committed against us; their training of children to be machine gun carrying militants. They are testifying that the young children of Gaza are being used as human shields and as spotters. That suicide belts are strapped onto elderly only women in wheelchairs in the middle of the road. It happened last week and 5 of our soldiers were killed in the blast.
And as a further confusion, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was here again this week. He says certain, specific things to our Secretary of Defense; other conflicting things to Netanyahu and our members of Knesset; then meets with Mahmoud Abbas telling him Israel agrees to a Revitalized Palestinian Authority in control of Gaza, and that it was agreed that 150 more truckload shipments of aid per day will be allowed into Gaza. None of this was discussed or agreed upon or passed by Knesset. When in a speech he stated more incoming aid to Gaza and renewed Palestine upon leaving the country, all members of the government were stunned.
Israel has opened up 2 border crossings , Erez and Keren Shalom. The Rafa crossing in Egypt has been opened. Currently 250 trucks per day cross into southern Gaza with shipments of flour, oil, rice, water, hygiene items, cook stoves, coffee, medicines, salt, sugar, produce… tents, cots, blankets, portable showers, portable toilets.
Most of the shipments are hijacked at gunpoint before they can ever get to the people. They are taken by Hamas or dumped into pits (I have photos). There are so many shipments that not even half can be thoroughly inspected. So far bags sent in by UNRWA marked ‘coffee’ have contained bullets. Inside tent poles have been missiles. Many found marked from N Korea. Do you hear about this in your news???? I’d really like to know. I can send you documentation and evidence… photos.
There are fears that the “empty “ trucks exiting Israel through Egypt will contain Hamas and PIJ terrorists escaping to freedom or, worse yet, some of the hostages, smuggled and trafficked to G-d knows where. There are still 110 hostages in Gaza. Including 4 year old Ariel Bibas and Kfir Bibas, who just passed his 1st birthday in some hellish tunnel.
Reports of incredible eyewitness testimonies from the Nova festival and from the cities and kibbutzim raided by the terrorists have described brutal rapes, gang rapes, mutilations- with a machete, cutting the genitalia off men and the breasts off women (I saw and downloaded this film 7 Oct as it appeared live on Memri). The released hostages are describing how some were branded with hot irons, fed 1/2 pita a day, tortured (pre-teens), raped. Some women were raped so forcibly that their pelvises and hips were crushed. One 52 year old woman was gang raped, shot in the leg so that her bones just shattered, then burned alive. Forensic results verify all this.
From the forensic medicine department
I can’t imagine the horrors.
Today I really planned on an uplifting story. I wanted to leave you with some really really funny things to jumpstart the weekend. I had great recipe for brownies- gluten free, low sugar, fudgy brownies made with tehineh. But you have to know what is actually happening here. The world has to know.
Think!!!!! Look!!!! Reason!!!!
Who is disrupting the world by blocking roads and bridges throughout the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, South Africa? Who is graffiti painting signs, buildings, monuments and storefronts? Who is rioting on campuses, chasing the Jews away into hiding?? Who is shouting “intifada intifada?” Who is shouting “From the river to the sea?” And do you really know what that means? Why has there been a 370% uptick in antiSemitic violence worldwide?
Who is defending themselves at The Hague and UN for crimes they didn’t commit? Who was awakened by machine gun fire and grenades thrown into their homes at 7am on a Saturday morning? Who is being held against their will in underground tunnels? Who is demonstrating peacefully? Who needs armed guards at their schools and houses of worship in America and Europe? Whose cemeteries are being vandalized with headstones knocked over and spray painted?
There is a difference. One side builds bomb shelters to protect their citizens. The other uses their citizens as human shields. There is a difference. Wake up.
I pray for a peace filled weekend. A lazy Saturday. A sunny Sunday. I pray for peace.
It had been a crazy week and John and I had decided to sleep in last Saturday. If it was sunny, we’d have a leisurely breakfast on the large rooftop balcony. We’d take in the view, read over and discuss the week’s Torah portion, and just relax.
Around 8am I was getting all sorts of red alerts on my phone. The siren goes off and a banner tells what type of attack is in progress… missile Shlomi; hostile aircraft intrusion Tel Hai; terrorist infiltration Margalit; missiles Meron;… we then heard the sirens blaring outdoors, locally. Time to hop out of bed (John was still asleep), get our things together (I have 2 packed bags. I take my phone and power cord and the two bags and purse. John gets his phone, wallet, the iPad and the dog) and we head to the safe room downstairs. 18 seconds. Hostile aircraft intrusion (explosive-laden drone). We failed miserably. It took us almost 90 seconds. “Was that a siren??? Is it here? Where are my sweatpants?? My slippers?? What’s going on? Did you hear anything? Can you hear anything outside? Was that a boom? Do you have the iPad? Did I just hear an all clear signal? Do we go downstairs? I have to pee first. No time. No time!!! Can you get downstairs?” Oy! Were we in trouble!
The Wednesday previous to that, 4 January, Salah al Arouri, the second in command of Hamas was killed after a meeting with top Hamas, Hizbulla and IRGC heads in Beirut, Lebanon. He was one of the 7 October masterminds. Israel was the first to be blamed for the hit. Then US/CIA/Mossad. Some suggested it was an inside job. There are many Lebanese who do not want to see another war spread to their country.
Hizbulla has taken over much of Southern Lebanon. They are deeply embedded in homes and facilities and also have an extensive tunnel system between villages. Iran has supplied Hizbulla with over 150,000 missiles: many area precision guided, far ranging missiles. That’s almost 10 times greater than the arsenal Hamas had in Gaza. Iran has kept Hizbulla well funded, equiand trained. They supposedly have IRGC troops embedded in Lebanon and in Syria. It is a definite threat to Israel׳s existence to have another Iranian proxy army at our throats.
Since 7 October, Hizbulla has been engaged in a rather small (considering) game of tit-for-tat shelling along the Israeli border communities, which have all been evacuated. Every morning and afternoon there is shelling- some antitank missiles and mortar fire. Occasionally they will launch a small rocket barrage or a UAV comes across the border. The IDF answers with precision guided missiles aimed at their launch pads, their surveillance towers, bases, storage units and other military installations.
After the assassination of alArouri, the threat level has become higher. Nazralla, head of Hizbulla, warned “if Israel wants war, we will fight without restraints, rules, limits or restrictions. We will avenge alArouri’s blood.”
62 rockets and drones were launched into Israel Saturday morning, sending people- Jews, Arabs,Druze, Muslims, Christians- from 90 communities into shelters regardless of ethnicity. Two (confirmed) Israeli satellite dishes were taken out on Mt Meron on Saturday by Hizbulla. There is a heavy military radar and information center at the top of the mountain.
Since then, things are becoming more interesting here. We go to bed with the sound of drones and of jets strafing the sky overhead. I wake up in the early morning to the cooing of a turtle dove outside my window. The low booms of shelling sound in the background and the thrum of helicopters whir to the East. It’s quite the weird juxtaposition.
Our IAF, F-16s, F-35s, Apache Helicopters, have upped the game in Southern Lebanon. They are taking an offensive stance at this point, making precision strikes against the enemy strongholds. The IDF has finally started using their surveillance blimp. We saw it in the sky last weekend.
During the first days of the war, Israel floated the idea of a full attack on Hizbulla. Eliminate the Iranian-backed terrorists once and for all. The US was very alarmed and objected heavily, with President Biden calling Netanyahu up to three times a day to dissuade Israel from expanding the war to multiple fronts.
To prevent the escalation of fighting between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel, an envoy from the Biden administration, Amos Hochstein arrived in Israel last week. Last Wednesday Hochstein met with Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and said the US has “a diplomatic effort underway to help resolve some of the tension” without providing further details. A senior Biden Administration stated that Lebanon doesn’t want war with Israel. “I think from everything that we can tell, there is no clear desire from Hezbollah to go to war with Israel, and vice versa,” he said. We’ve learned to take everything from the White House with a grain of salt or to believe the exact opposite.
After another week-long trip to the Middle East, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Lebanon this morning. France and the US are insisting that Hizbulla remove their forces to North of the Litani River in Southern Lebanon as per UN Resolution 1701. This was drafted in 2006, but was never fully enforced and Hizbulla troops and military installations crept right up to the border fence with Israel over the past 17 years.
Israel has continually explained that it cannot have the residents and businesses of 27 border villages evacuated long term. It cannot incur the regular daily fire of armaments into its territory. Infrastructure and residences have been destroyed and there have been numerous casualties including innocent civilians. “Israel will not return to the pre-war status quo in which Hizbulla poses a direct and immediate military threat to the security of the Israeli-Lebanese border,” stated Gen Herzi Halevi, head of IDF forces.
The Biden administration is currently exerting even more pressure on Israel to completely back down from Lebanon. Yesterday, a report, usually kept top secret confidential was “accidentally leaked out to the press” by the United Stated Defense Intelligence Agency. The head of defense, Lloyd Austin has been mysteriously absent for days while undergoing critical medical treatment. The report said that “… it will be difficult for Israel’s army to succeed because it’s military as sand resources would be spread too thin [sic] given the conflict in Gaza.” The story made major headlines from Iran to England with banners reading “Hizbulla Will Easily Defeat Israel.”
In Iran this week, there were two major explosions at the grave of Solemani, a lead terrorist who was killed in a targeted trike by the US four years ago. There were conflicting casualty reports – at first there were over 200 bodies recovered and over 200 injured. It was later scaled down to under 50 total casualties. Surprisingly there were no dignitaries, imams, politicians or military leaders present at such an important event. Initially, there was talk of it being an inside job. Then ISIS claimed responsibility. Soon afterIsrael was to blame for coercing ISIS to carry out the atta. You can’t make this up! Within a day, 8 IRGC warships were blown up mysteriously at an Iranian port. No one has claimed responsibility.
Monday, 8 January, the IDF eliminated Wissam alTawil, a senior commander in the elite Radwan Unit of Hizbulla. He was killed by a guided missile to his car as he traveled along the Lebanese/Israeli border. There are expectations of things really flaring up now.
The IDF has been preparing for war on all fronts since 2006. Relying on the United States at this point is futile, since they claim to be sealing de-escalation and ceasefire, yet send billions of dollars in aid to all our enemies. Their foreign relations envoys visiting the region never fail in stirring up the boiling cauldron in the countries surrounding us.
So we try to go about our lives and be of service to one another as much as possible despite the jets overhead. Despite the sounds of war 16 miles to the North. Despite the advancing threat of escalating. Each day we have more UAV incursions into Israel. More missile barrages to the immediate north. We pray a lot. We attend weddings and funerals. We make food for soldiers and for families whose dads have been called up to the front. Our son, Max has been called back to reserve duty after 2 months of hiatus. I hope it’s just for training, but we have no way of telling.
Last night was the first night we went out to dinner with friends in over 3 months. It’s been that long since this surreal nightmare of a life and the war began. One of the couples was from Toronto. My son was a baseball coach for their son, Ariel, when they were both younger. Ariel is now a soldier fighting in Gaza. (Has it really been 9 years since we’ve known each other???) The other couple just moved here 2 years ago from the Seattle area. Both of their sons are in the Air Force. Max is currently out of reserves after a month duty and is a professor’s assistant and research assistant at Reichman University. He’s applying to grad schools, but knows he could be called up again if anything gets too heavy.
All 4 ‘boys’ (and 1daughter) range in age from 18-25. We were talking about their lives here as compared with what they might be doing in the US or Canada. Most likely they’d be in college. Living in dorms or shared apartments. Some would be in fraternities or sororities, taking classes and going to parties. Playing beer pong. Possibly hooking up for the night. Some might be living at home and working part time. Playing computer games. Hanging out. Going to concerts. More parties. Not completely deciding what they want to do. Not interested in marriage or family.
We discussed how our kids have changed under the responsibilities and weight they bear here. All are in the service. Some have seen active combat. They’ve gone to too many funerals. Four in one day. Sometimes they’ve gone to a funeral in the morning; paid respects to a friend’s family in the afternoon and then attended another friend’s wedding in the evening. We can’t begin to imagine the emotional roller coaster they are enduring. And yet, most seem to be putting emotions in proper boxes and holding things together.
Max wrote this after attending a classmate’s funeral last week. He was killed by a booby trapped tunnel in Khan Younis, Gaza.
Motti came over as a Lone Soldier before his parents moved here. As an AirForce combat medic at age 21, Motti has seen things most people haven’t. He’s been instrumental in saving countless lives. Motti has had to shoot terrorists who are shooting at the evac team as they administer lifesaving first aid and transport the stretcher to an armored vehicle. Then the vehicle, avoiding IEDs, must make it to the awaiting helicopter. Motti stands guard as the patient is lifted into the chopper, still fighting off snipers making pot shots.
Of course, his mother is worried sick. Ruhama never knows when either of her two sons will have leave or for how long. Motti was in and out of Gaza for 78 days before getting a 4 day break. During that time home he proposed to his girlfriend, so now the families are planning the wedding which they hope will happen in April.
Ariel, my other friend’s son, is 19 and is planning on proposing to his young girlfriend during his next leave. They’ve already talked about going to university after their service and living in the married dorms. Ariel will study engineering (he’s in the Army Engineering Corps) and Maayan will major in computer high tech things. Even though they are both fighting for the existence of their country at present, both are looking with keen eyes towards the future and starting a family together.
Last week, in between classes, our son, Max attended four funerals. All classmates. All friends. Please realize these stories are all real and not just made up fluff.
Max called Joe “Hanks” because he reminded Max of a young Tom Hanks. Yosef ‘Joe’ Gitarts was also 25, a student at the Raphael Recanati International School at Reichman. He was a member of the debate team. Max wrote: “Joe was a wonderful club member- he traveled with us to compete in France and Bulgaria, and was the first to arrive to every practice. There are no words to describe how much we will miss his presence. May his memory be a blessing.”
May his memory be a blessing to others After international debate tournament in Bulgaria 9/23. Joe is kneeling, left. Max stands behind him. After 4 funerals, Max’s sentiments echo many people’s here-Joes coffin, draped in the Israeli flag is carried to its resting place His friends and classmates left flowers on Joe’s grave
Joe, a computer science major, made Aliyah (moved to Israel) to serve as a Lone Soldier when he was 19. He left his senior year of university to serve as a reservist. He was a sargeant in the 7029th Armored Battalion in the “Re’em” formation (179). He was killed by an anti-tank missile fired by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Joe left behind this letter to his family back in the States (It was released by the IDF and Reichman University):
“Dear Mom and Dad, I love you so much.
Everything is as it should be. I chose it. I lived a good and interesting life, and at the same time I was never afraid of death.
I could hide and I could choose not to come here. But that would contradict everything that I believe and value and who I consider myself to be. I would do the same again and again. I made this choice myself and followed it to the end. I fell honorably for my people. I have no regrets.
I love you very much and I am proud that you are my parents. You gave me a lot. I had a very interesting, full, happy, unique life.
My death only emphasizes that. You certainly feel a lot of pain. But you will overcome it.
Please find something positive in all of this. Be with the grandchildren. Help Israel”
These are truly special kids. Sons, daughters, husbands,siblings and friends. They are mature and wise beyond their years.
Sunday we received news of another funeral- one that took place in our city. Shai was a gorgeous young Ethiopian Israeli who lived in the next neighborhood over. We did not know her. At the funeral the rabbi talked about how the Torah portion for this week was Exodus 1-2. The chapters tell of all the heroic women who put their lives on the line to defend the Children of Israel- Shifra and Puah, the midwives. They were commanded by Pharaoh to kill all the Hebrew babies as they were being born. These brave women stood up to Pharaoh and refused to be part of it. Jocheved, who put her baby in a basket and floated him down the Nile rather than having him murdered by Pharaoh’s soldiers. Miriam, who bravely ‘found a nursemaid’ for Pharaoh’s daughter after she drew the baby from the water. Tsipporah, Moses’ wife. And all the heroines of the Bible. Shai’s name will be among them, the rabbi eulogized.
As it turned out, Shai served alongside our next door neighbor, Gia. They were both border patrol based in Bet Shean but fighting heavily armed terror cells in Northern Samaria (the West Bank). Last week they had uncovered a tunnel system underneath a kindergarten in the Jenin ‘refugee camp.’ Inside one of the rooms they found cases of cash…Israeli shekels, Euros and US dollars. Also uncovered were large piles of weapons and hand grenades. A tunnel led upward into a mosque. In that part of the tunnel was an explosives lab. On Saturday afternoon Shai was killed when the armored vehicle she was in hit an improvised explosive. The three other soldiers in the car are in very serious condition.
Tonight we will be going with Yanna, our neighbor’s wife (Gia is still in reserves) to the shiva call. In the Jewish religion, the family sits ‘shiva’ for 7 days of mourning. Sheva is the number 7 in Hebrew. During that time, family, friends and acquaintances stop by to pay their respects. I’ll hug the mom and thank the parents for their daughter’s service to the country. Even though we did not know the family personally, it’s just something that’s done here-
In Israel, we take the bitter with the sweet. The world is upside down and we try to make each day count in some way because, for us, life is precious and our time here on earth is a valuable gift.
Things are really heating up here in the North. We know it’s just a matter of time before the tide turns and the action shifts our way. We hear the jets constantly flying overhead. We see the Apache helicopters laden with tilim. And when the wind is right, we hear the faint booming of shelling in the distance …. But that’s for tomorrow’s post.
It’s a big deal here when a soldier proposes. The friends and family know in advance and are present. Most of the times, the girl is surprised. This was Motti- Yael said ‘YES!!!’
The entire country is in a state of upheaval in one way or another. We are all living in an unreal state of limbo.
In the extreme South, in the resort city of Eilat on the Red Sea all of the beautiful seaside hotels are filled with displaced families from the Gaza border and from the cities who have been under regular missile fire. Many of the men are in reserve duty, and the women are left to raise the children and as much as possible, pick up the pieces from businesses left behind. The city of Eilat has absorbed the school age children into their own system. Many rec centers, libraries and even hotel lobbies have been turned into makeshift classrooms. And every day Houthi missiles aimed at Eilat are deflected and sirens ring out for people to enter shelters.
In the center of the country, sirens still blare sometimes during the day, sometimes at night after people have gone to sleep. Take shelter!!! Quick!!! If you are lucky, you’ll have a safe room. Most apartments have a shelter on the ground floor or below. In older buildings, people gather under stairwells. It’s quite unnerving. There are jokes and comedy skits about who you’ll share a mammad with, what they’ll be wearing, what they’ll bring with them. In Tel Aviv, one never can expect the usual-
With very few tourists, the guides, the drivers, the tourist attractions, restaurants and souvenir shops are all suffering. With the exception of the Philipinos, (G-d bless them for their love and dedication to the Holy Land), there are few workers to plant or harvest crops or to work as caregivers for the elderly and sick. Many retirees are stepping up to the plate to work in orchards and fields picking crops. College students are volunteering in their free time.
Young families are beginning to feel the pinch economically as the husbands’ paychecks from being on reserve duty don’t compare with what was once a regular income.
Still, there are so many people that volunteer their time and talents to work with those affected by PTSD – from helping young children to elderly. There are art and dance therapists who give free classes. Meditation and yoga classes are offered to the displaced families in hotels. Massage therapy. Music therapy. It’s all very very necessary at this time. People in need helping others find a bit of healing for themselves.
So many pets have been displaced and are temporarily homeless. There are so many people in our area who have adopted pets from other families: not just dogs and cats, but fish, birds, turtles, hamsters, and exotic animals. Local farms away from missile fire, have taken in horses, goats, sheep, and various livestock from the Gaza envelope communities. It’s all a way of helping out and a labor of love. My husband has gone to local produce shops to get their lightly spoiled veg and over-ripe fruits and cast-off carrot tops and greens to give to the farms and petting zoos with so many extra animals.
Young teenage girls have established after school workshops and camps for younger children so the mothers can work. I will give links at the bottom, but several mothers have gotten together to take names of all the “army moms” who are holding down the fort. They raise money for independent caterers (small business women) to make and deliver healthy and pampering meals for Shabbat (Friday night dinner, Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner). The meals are totally pampering and gourmet for the family. All are delivered beautifully packaged. Many contain “swag bags״ full of pampering items for the mom and the children- jewelry, soaps and lotions, empowerment card decks, toys and small board games. All items are handmade by women entrepreneurs in Israel. Both Mamele and haOgen are non-profits set up for donations to support all the above people. Link below.
John just returned from running errands this morning. He always comes back with stories and ways to help. This morning he went to Masterphone to fix my cracked screen. Matan, the manager, was telling him that his family has been displaced for exactly three months now. They live in Shlomi on the Lebanese border. That community has been evacuated. The families are scattered all over the country. He, his wife and two small daughters have been traveling from house to house, staying for a couple weeks with family members or with other friends. The community has been bombed repeatedly, but they can’t get back to check up on their home or get needed items. It’s nerve wracking.
And now it’s 3pm on Friday. The F-16 jets just roared overhead and the Apache helicopters passed by our backyard. It’s become a regular event. Doesn’t even faze me any more. We just continue to do what we were doing. The alerts have just lit up the screen on my phone as the Gaza communities (who are not even there), central Israel (Tel Aviv, Holon, Rishon l’Tsiyon, Petach Tikva, Bnei Brak, Modi’in and Beit Shemesh) and Northern border communities (also evacuated) are finding shelter. Iron Dome activates when a densely packed area is threatened. If not the missiles land in fields, parks, parking lots, and border villages. We are the lucky ones…so far.
Shabbat approaches and I need to prepare. Here are several links that will support Israeli women trying to help make ends meet by helping others. It really does make sense, but they rely on our support. You pay it forward so they can provide product to serve those who most need it.
jgive.com/new/en/ils/donation-targets/116100
Amylmahalla@gmail.com (private chef providing catered meals to army families whose husband/dad has been called up for past 3 months)
Yesterday there was an air/drone strike in Beirut, Lebanon. One of the senior Hamas officials, Saleh Al Arouri, the Head of the Foreign Bureau, as well as four other high level officials were killed. Israel is once again on the highest alerts, not only from Hizbulla in Lebanon or Syria, but from the Jordanian border in the East and from within Judaea & Samaria (the West Bank).
Acting on verifiable information of another imminent massacre, the IDF uncovered a wide swath of hidden terror tunnels underneath homes and mosques in Hebron. Hebron has a very small Orthodox Jewish neighborhood surrounded by Arab Muslims. The name of this West Bank City between Jerusalem and Beersheva might sound familiar. It is the place where the patriarch of the Jewish faith, Abraham, bought a huge cave from Ephraim the Hittite. Over 4000 years ago he purchased this burial site for himself, his wife Sarah, his son Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah. They are all buried there. It is very holy to Judaism. The tunnels led into the Jewish neighborhood as well as out into the Judaea landscape towards outlying villages. Many were stockpiled with weapons.
Today’s post is one I’ve been working on for over three weeks. It’s a story of mishandling on every level by almost every party involved. Despite deep digging and interviews, combing over phone transcripts and conducting surveys, there are still holes in the story. I’ve published in two separate outlets, getting both relevant questions and vile ‘anti-Zionist’/anti-Semitic diatribes in the comments sections. I’m sure this will be no different.
I was first asked to cover this story and to give my opinion on the shooting of two Latin Catholic Palestinian women taking refuge at a church in Gaza. I was given the opportunity as an Israeli Jewish woman with Catholic connections, IDF connections, a nose for a good scoop and ability to do some sleuthing, to do some damage control before the story was fully investigated. The best way to cover this is to put forth a timeline. I will try not to opine, just state facts. There still remain holes, so….
Friday morning, December 15, 2023: news broke that the IDF shot three of their own. Three young men, Israeli hostages, were trying to escape Hamas captivity in Gaza. There had been intense fighting in the Shejaiya neighborhood of eastern Gaza City. Several times prior, Hamas had tried to lure Israeli soldiers into a trap by broadcasting the sounds of a crying baby or of someone yelling “Help me!” in Hebrew. Children were being used as spotters for the terrorists. The soldiers were on heightened alert when they saw two of the shirtless men emerging from a partially bombed-out building holding a white flag. There was a banner hanging from a window in English and Hebrew “SOS” “Help!” “Hostages” Thinking it was a ruse, the battalion fired on and killed all thee hostages, the third still inside the building.
It was reported at once. The entire country was reeling in shock and horror. One of the mothers of the slain forgave the troops who were too quick to shoot. It was a national incident. An immediate investigation was opened. The entire army was immediately taken to task, lectured on the rules of engagement, on the purity of arms. The members of the unit that shot the hostages were court-martialled and put in military detention. When in doubt, when your life is not in immediate danger, do not shoot. Do not aim your gun threateningly or punishingly. Do not fire on civilians or civilian targets.
There were 3 churches in the Shejaiya residential neighborhood of Northern Gaza. It was a mixed Christian and Muslim area surrounding a Latin Catholic, a Greek Orthodox and a small Baptist Church. At the onset of the war, even before a ground incursion began, the IDF notified all civilians to leave. They did this by dropping 7 million leaflets; making over 3 million text messages and 5 million direct robocalls in Arabic. Maps were given of two escape routes to the south, a main route and later, a coastal route.
After it was determined that Hamas operatives were bombing the main route south and shooting at their own refugees, the IDF provided a safe pages using tanks to shield the escapees. Two weeks were given to evacuate all those who heeded the warnings. Many people did leave at the time. Many were being held as human shields. Christian families, including women and elderly, were rightfully afraid that they would be killed by the Muslims if they tried to escape of if they presented themselves at refugee camps.
Before 7 October, there were an estimated 1100 Christians of different denominations living in Gaza. By December 16, it is believed that approximately 530 Christians were taking refuge in the Holy Family Catholic Church and convent; about 300 in the Greek Church stayed behind, and 53 at the Deir al Bala complex. Heavy house to house combat had raged in the proximity 12-15 December. By the 15th the Israeli Defense Forces declared that part of the neighborhood fairly secured. Weapons had been confiscated, entrances to terror tunnels sealed or blown up. The army was moving to the next neighbors.
The Christians sheltering in place had been receiving supplies from Aid to the Churches in Need and Catholic Relief Services according to an administrator at the Latin Patriarchate offices in Jerusalem. A separate humanitarian aid project led by Joel Rosenberg’s team from All Israel News/All Arab News was being attempted. He stated, “They fear leaving the three churches they are in lest they be accidentally shot or bombed by the IDF, or purposefully shot by Hamas snipers who have been opening fire on many Palestinians trying to flee south, out of Gaza City. Both Israeli civilian and military leaders – including those in the war cabinet and the security cabinet – have been informed and are having internal discussions regarding the crisis facing the Christians holed up in the three churches in Gaza City.”
The IDF makes regular breaks or pauses to assess the situations of each of the areas where there has been or will be fighting. Reviews are made of communication transmissions, battalion movements, casualties, terrorist, civilian or hostage developments. It was during one of those pauses on the 11th of December that a UN team tried to get a shipment of aid to the Christians in need. That night the driver of the truck was shot by Hamas snipers and critically wounded. The entire contents of the container was then raided by the militants before it could ever get to its destination in the Shejaiya neighborhood.
According to IDF accounts, Israel was finally able to completely secure the area around the churches in order to let aid come through. The IDF has absolutely no intention of targeting civilians, especially Christians. Churches are considered heritage sites. Deliberately firing on Christians would potentially create an international incident, especially the week before Christmas.
Saturday, 16 December: the IDF receives a call from Fr Gabriel Romanelli of the Holy Family Parish reporting that explosions were heard in the immediate vicinity of the church complex. “During the dialogue between the IDF and representatives of the community, no reports of a hit on the church, nor civilians being injured or killed, were raised. A review of the IDF’s operational findings support this.” – IDF spokesperson, Daniel Hagari. The IDF expressed concerns to the parish official that it takes such reports with the utmost seriousness. It is reported that a water storage unit on the premises has taken a hit and is inoperable. There are no further mentions of any damages or casualties.
Saturday evening, 16 December, 6pm. A letter is issued from the office of the Latin Patriarch, newly ordained Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. It appears on Twitter and Facebook, and is picked up by Reuters and the AP as well as AlJazeera and the BBC.
“A sniper of the IDF murdered two Christian women inside the Holy Family Parish in Gaza, where the majority of Christian families have taken refuge since the start of the war… Nahida and her daughter Samar were shot and killed as they walked to the Sister’s Convent. One was killed as she tried to carry the other to safety,” he claimed.
“No warning was given, no notification was provided,” the statement continued. “They were shot in cold blood inside the premises of the parish, where there are no belligerents.”
Sunday morning, 17 December, The Vatican: During his weekly Angelus address, Pope Francis expounds on the shooting as related to him by the Patriarchate.”Unarmed civilians are targets for bombs and gunfire. And this has happened even within the parish complex of the Holy Family, where there are no terrorists, but families, children, people who are sick and have disabilities, sisters…Some are saying, ‘This is terrorism and war.’ Yes, it is war, it is terrorism.”
Monday morning, 18 December, Israeli government spokesperson, Tal Heinrich, stated that a thorough investigation has been made of the events leading up to through after the entire situation. Nothing was found to corroborate the official statements by the church. Two women who were walking in the courtyard of the church, Nahida Anton and her daughter Samar were struck and killed by sniper fire. There were no IDF troops in the immediate vicinity at the time. The gunshots could have come from Hamas operatives, but that was unclear.
“The IDF has conducted no fighting around that area. The IDF talked to representatives of the Christian community — it was not something that was brought up in the conversation.
“We looked into it — even when the truth is the most inconvenient thing to acknowledge, we admit it, as was the case with the three hostages who were mistakenly shot.”
The IDF considered the case completely closed by the end of Sunday. No further investigation or statements would be issued. This was a gross mistake on behalf of the IDF for many reasons. There are 1.2 billion Catholics in the world. It was the week before one of the holiest and oldest celebrations in Christendom. This story had the potential to and did go viral immediately. If the IDF had nothing to hide or proof they did not do this, there should have been more damage control. I don’t think they realized how big or how important this story would be.
The Latin Patriarchate supervises not only the Catholic Church in Israel, but also in Jordan (a huge, Muslim ruled country with over 2 million Palestinian refugees who have not been given citizenship). It also oversees the churches in Cypress and the Palestinian controlled territories in the West Bank. Because the Catholics in these territories are surrounded by Islamists, many are Muslim sympathizers. It is just a fact. I have personally interviewed many Christians from East Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank (Nablus, Tayibe) and have noted a strong anti-Israel bias.
The two stories- from the IDF and from the Latin Patriarchate- are not lining up. I am in no way denying the tragedy of the two women who were killed. I want to know the facts. The IDF was too quick to examine and make a final , definitive report. His Eminence Pizzaballa was too quick and too emotional to report the basic facts. From whom did he receive his information and could it be verified?
Sunday evening, Israeli time 17 December, The United States Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has issued a statement on the matter:
President of the USCCB Most Rev. Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services Issued a statement pleading for peace:
At this holy time of Advent in anticipation of the birth of the Prince of Peace, it is with great sadness and horror that we continue to witness the death and destruction of innocent people in the land of Our Lord’s birth. Such violence must not continue. Following the mistaken killing of Israeli hostages and now, the killing of two Christian women and the wounding of others inside Holy Family Parish in Gaza, we call for an immediate cessation of all hostilities, the release of hostages, and for earnest negotiations towards a peaceful resolution of this conflict.
By the next day, Monday, several Catholic news agencies including Crux, Aletaea, CatholicVote and LifeSiteNews among others had picked up the news and run with it. Headlines included
By the end of the day multiple news agencies including the MSM…Axios, BBC, NPR, the Guardian were reporting that 3 Israeli rockets were fired from Israeli tanks directly at the church and convent. Scores of people were injured. The convent was deemed a total loss with at least 57 disabled persons without respirators who were unable to escape. There were reports that the convent was believed to have housed a Hamas rocket launcher and that the two women killed might have been spotters. Rumors abounded.
If there was adequate damage control early on – as after the missile misfiring that landed on a Gaza hospital (falsely attributed to an IDF direct strike)- the story might not have gotten so out of hand. As it turns out, there were no IDF tanks anywhere in the immediate area at the time of the report. It was later clarified that a generator at the convent of the Missionaries of Charity was hit by an RPG (notoriously used by Hamas and PIJ). The generator caught fire and quickly spread to the convent causing damage that was extensive but did not destroy the entire structure nor any other buildings that were part of the complex.
In an interview on that Sunday, Israeli Ambassador to the Holy See Raphael Schutz said:
Schutz: First, I would say that as an overall principle, all victims since October 7 are victims of Hamas, because Hamas is the entity that ignited the war with their brutal attack on Israel. What Israel does is conduct a war of self-defense with the aim at the end of the day to make the Gaza Strip and also other areas of Israel safe and secure for our population, which is not the situation right now.
Coming to this tragic incident of the two women who were shot and killed, I would say that tragedies like that are part of a war. One day before this happened, this happened on a Saturday, and on Friday IDF forces by mistake killed three of the hostages who managed to run away and try to surrender but were perceived as Hamas and were shot and killed, which for us was a huge tragedy. Those people spent 70 days in captivity, and when they managed to run away, they were killed by us. So, it might be true technically that the women were shot by IDF forces, although this has not been 100 percent established, but even if this is true, this has not been done by malice, or intentionally, it was a mistake like others during the war.
In this context, I find it very annoying that the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem very fast, a few hours after the incident, without an inquiry, lashed into publishing a text naming Israel as a country of murder, the IDF as murderers in ‘cold blood,’ which is basically a blood libel. Nobody in Israel does that intentionally. Also, we remember that at the beginning of the war there was an attack on a hospital and Israel was blamed, but later it was found out that it wasn’t Israel, but a local militia that fired. Terrible, tragic, not intentional.” – Crux
There have also been conflicting reports on humanitarian aid. Once again. All civilians were repeatedly instructed to vacate the area as it would be/was an active war zone. Several Christian NGOs have been involved in collecting and delivering food and medicine to the Christians remaining in Gaza. Several reports say that the situation is dire and people are desperate. According to one elderly woman, the Christians there are rationing the meager supplies. Many are on the brink of death, many give their rations to the children.
An official in the Patriarch’s office told me directly last week that several tons were procured by the Latin Catholic Church in Jordan and by King Abdulla ll and had been sent into Gaza. The parishioners have no lack.
Supposedly, that Sunday night the IDF helped clear the way for a large service van of aid to arrive and be distributed among the three churches in Northern Gaza. The aid had come from one of Joel Rosenberg’s charities according to All Israel News. It’s hard to know who or what to believe.
I heard from a reputable Catholic priest in Israel that the Catholics of Gaza refused an offer early on in the war to be escorted to Bethlehem or to Egypt to safety by the IDF. They had refused, wishing to stay together for safety. Another report said an evacuation plan was presently in the works. Once again, it is difficult to get exact and not contradictory answers.
To sum up, for the past two weeks I, along with another friend in the US who covered this story, took a survey of regular Catholic churchgoers in NY, NJ, VA, FL, TX, MO, IL, ID, WA, CO, CA and AZ. In total 188 people responded to the following questions:
Have you heard anything pro or anti Palestinian in your parish from the pulpit or from other parishioners?
Have you heard anything pro or anti Israel in your parish from the pulpit or from other parishioners?
Have you heard anything pro or anti IDF in your parish from the pulpit or from any parishioners?
Have you heard anything pro or anti Hamas in your parish from the pulpit or from any parishioners?
Have you heard anything pro or antiSemitic/Jewish in your parish from the pulpit or from any parishioners?
The overwhelming majority reported that their parishes were very supportive of Israel and the Jewish people and equally against the war in general (although that was not a question). Many people expressed abhorrence over hearing of the 7 October massacre. All were concerned about the innocents in Gaza. Most reported that their parishes regularly prayed for a generic end to the war in the MidEast and in Ukraine. The only respondents who had expressed outright antiSemitism, antiZionism were in the Chicago, Dallas and Virginia (DC Beltway) area.
Unfortunately this incident was handled poorly by all sides. One day, we will hopefully be able to piece together the whole story. Until then, I pray for complete peace in the region. This was in no way meant to be a judge against or vilification of either side. It is a complex and volatile war-
I’m back!! Happy New Year! Our 1 January, 2024 (Day 86 of the War with Gaza), started out with a bang! Actually- a lot of bangs. Literally. Just seconds past midnight the Israeli skies from north of Tel Aviv to near Beersheba in the south and all the way east towards Jerusalem were lit up jwith a heavy missile barrage from Gaza.
Supposedly, despite receiving over 100 truckloads of ‘humanitarian aid’ daily through the Rafa Crossing in Egypt and Kerem Shalom Crossing in Israel (spoiler alert:it is mostly being hijacked by Hamas, not getting to civilians), the people of Gaza have no fuel. No food. No water. No power. No medicine. But they certainly have a surplus of missiles. The rockets fired at Israel have never stopped. Go figure. I’m sure this is all over your news feeds.
Have you been hearing anything about this on your local news, TV, radio or podcasts? Have you heard that in the past two months there were four direct strikes on Ichilov Hospital causing serious damage and light injuries? Or the strikes hitting Barzilai or Soroka Hospital where the entire Children’s Outpatient Clinics were destroyed? Thankfully it was after outpatient hours and only a couple maintenance workers were injured.
Have you heard that the Houthis of Yemen, a rebel splinter Shi’ite terrorist group backed by Iran are lobbing missiles at any ship that tries to enter or exit the Red Sea? Israel’s Iron Beam, brand new laser system, has knocked out several missiles (in space!!!) that were fired towards the southernmost port/resort city of Eilat. Many ships have decided to take new, longer routes which will not only cause delays but will raise the cost of fuel (oil tankers) as well as commercial goods. The US navy has shot down 38 Houthi drones that are seen as a threat to the region. However the rebels have stepped up their game, taking aim at any international commercial vessel which tries to navigate the Middle Eastern shipping lanes.
Two weeks ago the Pentagon announced it was putting together a 20 country coalition to combat the attacks. They would join the USS Carney already in the Gulf of Aden/Arabian Sea; however, this group including the US, Canada, the UK, Seychelles, France, Italy, Norway, Netherlands, Spain, Bahrain and others failed to come together. For now, Israel and the US has been acting in a defensive mode knocking down the UAVs and missiles, but not attacking any launch sites or Houthi bases directly. By this threat the Houthis show solidarity with Hamas; are able to recruit new members to their cause because of their newfound power; and Iran is able to show that the US cannot deter even the smallest terrorist group from disrupting international trade. The Red Sea and Suez Canal account for 30% of the world’s shipping.
Hizbulla continues to be a viable threat from the North, mostly from Lebanon, sending over multiple missile barrages and UAV incursions into Israel several times daily. This is a war of attrition for now. As Israel is fighting Hamas in Gaza it seems the IDF is responding defensively towards the terrorists in Lebanon. 90% of the local Maronite Christians and the Druze have vacated their properties and moved further north, leaving southern Lebanon in Hizbulla hands. They are backed by Iran and have 150,000 missiles pointed towards Israel. That’s ten times the number Hamas has.
Israel has been receiving limited UAV (explosives laden) and missile fire from Syria. These mostly fall in the Golan Heights region. In intercepting arms shipment transfers from Iran to Hizbulla via Damascus, Syria last week, a very high level Iranian Revolutionary Guard, General Seyed Razi Mousavi was killed along with four other top level military leaders. Both Iran and Hizbulla have avowed revenge on Israel. There are reports of Syrian backed/Iranian backed rebel groups amassing in Southern Syria along the Golan. UAVs have been launched from there and shot down over Israel by the Israel Defense Forces.
In the meantime, Biden is receiving lower numbers than expected from his Democratic base for his reelection. Many of these Democrats are pro-Palestinian. The US administration has been flying top officials, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Gen. Milley and others to meet with Netanyahu and the IDF Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant and the IDF generals. They are demanding that the IDF scale down military strikes in Gaza even further. We have already been limiting our air and sea strikes and coordination from both with ground ops to appease the US. This is a different tactic that was originally started in the North of Gaza. This newer approach is prolonging the clearing out of terrorist holdouts and has increased the IDF casualty numbers greatly. Yet the Hamas members (now foregoing their military uniforms in favor of civilian clothes- if they are killed, Hamas can include its militants as civilian casualties) are surrendering in record numbers.
Still, the Biden administration in conjunction with the UN and a handof European countries is calling for Israel’s rapid deescalation leading to a ceasefire. They are also calling for a two state solution (an idea that is completely dead in Israel) with the Palestinian Authority heading up governance in Gaza. 89% of Palestinians living in the West Bank polled last week (Tel Aviv University) are in favor of Hamas and the eviction/eradication of all Jews from Israel/Palestine. They believe the October 7 massacre was completely justified in their war of liberation. So there you have it.
The sale of US small arms and rifles to Israel has been stopped. Israel would BUY the weapons (it would not be given to them) from US manufacturers . They would then be used for licensed and trained civilians in border communities against threat of invasion to stop the likelihood of another 7 October from happening. Also, the scheduled SALE of Apache helicopters to Israel … a contract over a year old… was canceled by the United States last week.
To set the record straight – because there is a lot of misinformation and fake news out there. The US Congress and Senate work to pass a budget. In it are defense spending expenditures. Also in it is aid to foreign countries for various things. Over the past two years, aid in the form of cash, humanitarian aid and military equipment has been GIVEN to Ukraine WITHOUT STIPULATIONS. Israel is also given allocations of military aid: joint training exercises; arms; ammunition; aircraft and money. The stipulations are that Israel must, in turn, BUY a certain amount of aircraft from US companies: Lockheed-Martin (F-16, F-35), Boeing (Apache Helicopter), Raytheon (the missiles for its Iron Dome Defense System), AM General, formerly AMC (Humvees), and Colt (M-16 rifles). There are many other American companies used by Israel. Also, Israel must share its technology with the US in exchange- technology for the Iron Dome Missile Defense Systems, surveillance and spyware systems, and other technological advances.
By agreement, the United States used Israel to store much of its MidEast munitions (they also have an arsenal in SKorea for the Asian front). This includes tank and artillery shells (155mm), which, in essence, have been extensively depleted by their transfer to Ukraine. In 2022 300,000 155mm shells were given outright to Ukraine from the Israel stores. Further stockpiles have been depleted to Ukraine throughout 2022-2023. Israel had rights to use these munitions after receiving permission from the US, but now much of that reserve is gone. 14,000 rounds were supplied to Israel.
$147 million dollars worth of equipment (fuses, chargers and primers) was SOLD to Israel, bypassing Congress in December. The above mentioned fuses, etc are necessary to make the 155mm artillery shells operative. Also included in the $147 million SALE are transmitters, helmets, tank ammunition, and steel-toed army boots. Much more is secret or classified information that I am unable to access.
But the bottom line is: Ukraine has received both cash and military equipment for no charge. Israel pays for much of what it receives in cash or by the transfer of technology. In the US legislation passed to fund overseas military, there are many fine lines. The money Israel receives is stipulated to be spent exclusively on US military contracts. The material aid that is provided comes at a cash or knowledge transfer cost. These are the facts that are most likely not being reported by the MSM, NPR or other popular outlets (Guardian, Axios, HuffPo and even conservative leaning outlets).
In the meantime, the war continues to slog on. Gen Herzi Halevi, commander of the IDF stated “There are no magic solutions or shortcuts. We will continue to thoroughly dismantle the terrorist group until the job is finished. It will be a very long process and we will utilize various methods. We are tenacious and very very determined.” Despite much international pressure, the IDF is not increasing its speed in finishing the probe is it willing to concede to a ceasefire. Rushing to meet deadlines will only wind up causing more casualties for both sides.
As of today, thousands of reservists who have served in Gaza for the past 2 1/2 months are being scaled back. Hopefully, they will be reintegrating into society to help stimulate the economy. There are still 132 hostages being held in Gaza. 112 are thought to be alive. 20 are dead and still being held. There are still elderly and children including a baby, Kfir Bibas, who turns 11 months this week. There are 7 who hold dual American and Israeli citizenship.
I need a miracle every day. Truly. The Hebrew month of Kislev is the month of Chanukah and the month of miracles. My dear husband John had predicted that by the first day of Chanukah we’d start to see a few one by one gradually getting bigger. He wasn’t wrong-
Let me give you the story from Sgt. Hezzi. The battalions were camped out in N Gaza last week. The tanks had formed a huge outer ring. Between the tank ring and the inner ring were huge mounds of dirt to form embankments of protection. Inside the ring were large (exceptionally large) tents set up… like event tents, not little pup tents. These houses all the soldiers. Their cots. Their mess hall. Their synagogue. Their triage tent. It was a big deal.
The IDF intelligence intercepted a Hamas video of a periscoped small camera coming out of a small hole in the ground. The camera was EXACTLY in the middle of the tent ring and Hamas were filming the soldiers inside their tents and people walking around.
The alert was given for the tanks to move southwest and at dusk for the troops to pick up belongings – all arms, etc – and very quietly evacuate. That night terrorists came out of a hole in the ground spraying the tents with machine gun fire for minutes. After the machine gun fire came the grenades and RPGs, setting the tents aflame. But there was no one in them.
Then something went horribly wrong. One of the RPGs misfired back into the tunnel exposing a whole network of tunnels directly underneath where the IDF encampment had stood. There was not a single casualty. But that’s not the end of the story.
The IDF soldiers were now surrounding the partially demolished tunnel system when one by one Hamas terrorists began to emerge with their hands up. In their underwear. Out they marched. Over 80 in all. Bringing caches of rifles and other arms. They completely surrendered without a shot being fired.
This happened several times over the past three days. Now. A word of warning. Photos are being spread of the terrorists lines up by the scores in their briefs. There has been misinformation that the IDF is lining them up to be blindfolded and shot. To humiliate them. To torture them. This is untrue. They are being loaded into trucks and each will be thoroughly interrogated. Each will stand trial and if convicted, be imprisoned.
Red Cross this morning demanded access to the prisoners to ensure they were being fed and not mistreated as well as had full access to the outdoors at least three hours per day, showers and medical attention. They still have refused to check on the Israeli men and women, some quite elderly, still in captivity-
Anyway the above was a double miracle on the first day of the festival of light. On Friday morning thousands of people were gathered in front of the Canadian Parliament buildings. It was a rally in support of Israel. It was a peaceful rally with speakers and musicians all who came out to show their solidarity with Israel.
Just to be clear. I’m not superstitious and I do not look to the heavens for “signs” as my faith is firmly rooted in the L-rd. So no comments on this one or how frills and trappings of the holidays are not signs of piety. The lights, the celebrations are outward displays of internal faith that enrich our lives with beauty and meaning.
That said, as the people in Canada peacefully gathered the snow began to fall. Gentle flakes witnessed by many. They were all shaped like Stars of David!!! How beautiful!
On October 7, Yarden, her husband, Alon and their three year old daughter, Geffen were forced into a car by Hamas terrorists. As the car raced toward Gaza, they took their chance and tumbled out of the car. Yarden was holding their child. As they ran for their lives, Yarden handed Geffen to her husband, knowing he could run faster. The terrorists chased them firing their weapons. They ran in different directions, Yarden running behind a tree to direct the fire towards her. Alon and Geffen hid under the brush evading Hamas for over 12 hours until they were rescued. Yarden was wounded and taken into Gaza. Last week, Yarden was released last week and the family reunited. It was an act of utmost heroism on Yarden’s part and a miracle they all survived. Thank you, G-d.
The troops are making incredible progress in clearing Gaza of evil. Huge stashes of weapons have been found in schools, hospitals, mosques and homes. Underground tunnels have been discovered and destroyed. We were told to expect a high casualty rate, higher than in all the other wars put together. We were told of booby traps and mines everywhere. Miraculously since the start of the war only 97 soldiers have been killed. I do not wish to minimize their loss. Each life taken is precious. It’s just amazing that this few number has been totaled.
The IDF have set up synagogues and Chanukah menorahs in Gaza. Their faith in G-d – actually the entire country’s faith – is at an all time high. Everyone, even the most secular are lighting their chanukiyyas and keeping Shabbat. People are still praying round the clock.
A man went to pick through the rubble of his mother’s house In Kibbutz Be’eri, the kibbutz that was most heavily damaged by Hamas on that horrible Shabbat two months ago. Tzvi Cohen’s mother is 92. She came to Israel from the Ukraine just before the Holocaust started. She had lost most of her family in Europe.
Tzvi found his mother’s home completely firebombed and destroyed. Thankfully she was celebrating Simchat Torah with her grandchildren in Beersheva that day. Tzvi tirelessly sifted through the rubble looking for anything of meaning. He was just about to give up when he saw something glimmering under a cinder block. It was his mother’s silver Shabbat candlesticks from the Old Country and next to it, albeit mangled, the family’s Chanukah menorah.
Another miracle:
These are beautiful reminders of G-do’s love, mercy and protection. Bad things happen. Evil is all around us, but at this darkest time of the year, if you light Chanukah lights or Advent candles, let them be a singe to you. Look to the light!
We were on the way to the hospital again the other day. This time in Tel Aviv. As we had just gotten to the parking structure there was another huge barrage of missiles- yes. They are still firing at us daily and I bet it doesn’t get picked up in the news.
Thankfully Iron Dome intercepted many. There was a report of infrastructure damage in Central Israel. Several people were lightly injured by falling shrapnel. I am due to go into surgery in about an hour. I pray that there are no red alerts while the doctors are operating and that all goes well. My writing has been sporadic as of late due to constant trips to Tel Aviv. As soon as I am able I shall write another blogpost. Until then, have a beautiful Season of Light and expect miracles!!!!
A week ago almost (Time both seems to drag by slowly and speed by simultaneously. We are living in a weird world) Israel instituted a “pause” in the war effort in order for Hamas to set free hostages. A “truce” was put in place, mediated by Qatar and the Biden administration. I put the word in quotes because Hamas continually violated it with impunity from beginning to end. Is this surprising????
For those readers living outside Israel, I don’t know what news sources you follow or what is being reported. Israel negotiated to the following:
There would be a complete ceasefire from both parties- Gaza and Israel.
Israel would cease all aerial surveillance and attacks from the air over Gaza
Over 4 days up to 50 hostages would be released from Gaza and 180 prisoners released from Israeli jails back to the West Bank and E Jerusalem.
Israel would release 3 convicted (by trial) criminals- women and men under the age of 20 from Israeli prisons for every hostage received
A detailed list of the names of the hostages was to be given to the Red Cross to relay to Israel the night before each exchange.
Family groups would not be broken up within those held hostage. Brothers and sisters would be set free along with their parents
All women, children and elderly over age 70 would be released from Gaza
Hamas would release hostage groups at a set time. They would be turned over to the International Red Cross and shuttled to Egypt where they would then be sent back to Israel
Humanitarian aid by Israel, the US, UN and EU would be allowed to flow into S Gaza at a rate of 200 trucks per day of food, cots, tents, medical and hygiene supplies. An additional 100 trucks per day would carry cooking fuel and portable toilets and cookstoves
Israelis, according to national polls and interviews, are relieved to be getting back 50 captives, but extra concerned for the more than 180 hostages left behind. While there is a desperate demand for the women, children and elderly to be set free, there are unsettled concerns and anger that Israel is releasing criminals that have been convicted of attempted terror attacks and murder. Many feel they will be extra motivated to continue further attacks within Israel.
Specific protocols were set up to receive the hostages, offering a set diet for reintegration to eating food in event of starvation. They will be sent to set hospitals where they will be met by their immediate families and receive full medical and psychological care.
On Thursday morning the day of the proposed ceasefire, Israel located major weapons caches and secret underground tunnels and bunkers under the Shifa Medical Center compound. Evidence from security camera showed hostages being corralled into an elevator by force, doctors looking on.
Within the first 15 minutes of the ceasefire, 3 large missile barrages were launched from within Gaza. Hizbulla continued to fire from Lebanon into N Israel and the Houthi’s did not stop firing into S Israel.
Family groups were split up. The first morning the entire country was anxiously awaiting the release of the first group, however a 24 hour delay was announced due to complications in negotiations and signing the agreement by Hamas and Qatar. No such list was provided the night before the first set of hostages were to come out.
Israel knew that Yayha Sinwar, head of ground operations for Hamas would never let all the hostages put. He would continue to use them as human shields and bargaining chips to extend the truce. There was no doubt that Gaza would use this time period to regroup and rearm. There was a possibility that some of the Israeli hostages would be smuggled out of the country.
To show he was the one in control, Sinwar released the first group of captives at the very last minute – at 11:50 pm, ten minutes before the deadline. There was no regard for family groups staying together. The list of refugees had changed slightly. Later it would be reported that Hamas took hundreds of captives, both innocent civilians and soldiers. Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another terrorist group in Gaza, also had captured people. Then there were those taken into captivity by random civilians that were unaccounted for, yet videos show them paraded through Gaza City the first day.
This past Saturday in Tulkarm in the West Bank, controlled by the Palestinian Authority, NOT Israel, a mob first beat then shot two Palestinian men who were accused of collaborating with Israel. Their bloody bodies were dragged through the streets before being hung up from a telephone communications tower for all to see. These are Islamists fighting their own people.
All together, 242 prisoners were released from Israeli prisons. All had been tried and convicted of attempted terrorist attacks or attempted murder. Most were given a hero’s welcome by their home cities as parades, fireworks and speeches were made and sweets passed around. One woman, Aasra Jabes, 24 was convicted of attempted murder in 2015 when the car bomb she had detonated on her. Aasra was left with burns on 40% of her body and was terribly disfigured. She received 2 plastic surgeries in an Israeli hospital, but she plans on filing suit for Israel to pay for her next corrective surgery. The news and social media have reported erroneously that she was disfigured by Israeli forces.
As of last Thursday and Friday there have been stabbings and shootings In Jerusalem leaving 6 dead civilians (a headmaster and a teacher at a girls’ shook, a rabbi and a doctor) and several wounded. All terrorists were neutralized and identified as former criminals who had served their sentences for terror related offenses.
Eighty-one Israelis have now been freed since the initial four-day ceasefire started on Nov. 24, along with 23 Thais and one Filipino. The stories coming out are horrifying. Most hostages with family members still being held are fearful to speak out because of threats to their loved ones. There have been verified reports that the children were branded with hot metal pipes upon capture. They were held in small, confined spaces and not allowed to make noise. Groups were blindfolded and moved from house to house. Food rations were slim. Beatings of the male prisoners with electrical cable happened regularly. The children released had lost 15% of their weight stated a pediatrician at Ichilov Hospital.
The negations kept changing. Apart from the original rocket barrage, Hamas operatives sent explosive devices into N Gaza wounding several IDF soldiers. Overnight Wednesday, Hamas initially released a list of just seven live hostages and three bodies. Israel threatened to renew the fighting in Gaza unless a revised list was received by 7 a.m. Thursday.A revised list was submitted 20 minutes before the deadline.
An Israeli official told Ynet that the overnight negotiations were “very difficult and nerve-wracking.”
“There was a fight for every name. We are entering very difficult times. Hamas will try to manipulate, intimidate and spread disinformation. We were one step away from canceling the deal,” the official said.
Hamas is reportedly seeking to extend the truce another day and release more hostages on Friday, AFPreported just hours before the latest extension was due to expire.
“Mediators are currently making strong, intense and continuous efforts for an additional day in the truce and then working to extend it again for other days,” a source close to the terror group told ynet news.
Mia Scher, 21 a French-Israeli girl and one of the last to be released had suffered multiple gunshot wounds and fractures to her right arm and hand. She stayed with and was treated by a UNRWA veterinarian!!!! Another war crime. Mia will have to have several more surgeries to fix her arm and hand, but there is no guarantee she will retain full use of it. Another two children were kept in an attic by a UNWRA teacher. The children were fed very meager amounts only a few times each week.
It is approximated (Israel still does not know for sure and is still identifying bodies) that there are still 141 hostages. The men are being held as bargaining chips. There are reports that the women who were not previously released are still captive because Hamas does not want them speak of sexual violence against them. Still in captivity are now 10-month baby, Kfir Bibas and his 3 year old brother, Ariel Bibas. The pictures of these two little flaming redhead children in the arms of their distraught mother went viral. Some rumors (Hamas propaganda) show the father breaking down upon being shown the videos of the murder of his wife and the babies. This has not been proven, so hope is still up that they will be retrieved.
Antony Blinken, US Secretly of State, has visited Qatar and this region twice in the past week. He was calling for the pause to be fully extended to a ceasefire altogether. Netanyahu said this was completely unacceptable and that IDF are fully prepared to resume the eradication of Hamas’ leaders. Blinken also called for more humanitarian aid to be let in.
Yesterday, Israel discovered a hidden cache of drones outfitted with high tech infrared sensors and cameras operated by remote control were stored in a UN truck carrying medical equipment to Gaza. Also as part of their humanitarian aid shipments, 16 large trunks of ammunition marked UNWRA relief: canned peaches, were found. In another truck, RPGs were found stored away among tent pegs and stakes. Israel halted all humanitarian aid for two days. Another violation.
Much of this is going un or under-reported or is dismissed as non factual by foreign news outlets. When, after a 3 day extension, Sinwar refused to list names of hostages, but would pass on to Israel 8 bodies, the pause was lifted. Gaza, within 15 minutes of the end of the ceasefire, let loose a huge missile barrage to central Israel. Several were wounded by falling shrapnel and there was some damage to infrastructure. Most rockets were intercepted by Iron Dome.
We pray for all hostages to be miraculously set free and for Israeli to clean up all the violent and evil troublemakers so life can continue somewhat normally.
Israel is taking a pause in any military activity in order to ensure the safe release of hostages that have been abducted to Gaza: Israeli, dual citizenship Israeli/Irish, Israeli English, Israeli/French, Israeli/Russian, Israeli/Argentinian, Israeli/American and Thai, Nepalese and Filipino nationals and several Arab Muslim Bedouins are among the captive. The pause was supposed to last three days. Then it was extended to five. We are now on day seven with no end in sight.
On 17 January, 1971 America started its bombardment of Iraq starting Operation Desert Storm. Israel was pressured by the US to suspend any offensive moves in the event the Arab States would attack. That day an aerial attack of 42 Scud missiles were fired into Israel, aiming at Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa. We were sitting ducks, collateral damage in order to protect US standing with the Muslim countries during the campaign. Israel suffered both damage to infrastructure as well as civilian casualties including two deaths.
Israel has continually been in an appeasement stance with the States ever since. After the brutal invasion of Gaza (Gaza is a sovereign territory governed by Hamas. Israel has no civilians, army or governance there) into Israel on 7 October, 2023, which included the massacring, raping, burning, mutilating, torturing, looting, destruction of property and abductions of 243 men, women, children (including 9 babies under age 4) and elderly, the State of Israel declared war on Hamas. It was a matter of good versus evil and the evil Hamas army had to be eliminated.
7000 missiles from Gaza were launched into Israeli territory in a period of just over one week. Think about that. Although Iron Dome defensive missile system intercepted many of the rockets launched, there was still extensive damage done to buildings and roads and many civilian casualties and deaths. 31% of Hamas rockets misfired, falling back into Gaza including one which struck the parking lot of a Palestinian hospital with unintended casualties. This incident was quickly and falsely attributed by the Hamas Medical Board to an Israeli air strike. It would be days and even weeks before the true facts were confirmed by international journalists; however the damage had already been done.
The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) called up reservists. Over 370,000 reported for active duty. Troops were amassed about the borders as the threat of a Hizbulla invasion from the North was imminent. Every day since 8 October, Iranian backed Hizbulla from Lebanon and Syria have been firing missiles and sending over explosive-laden UAVs into the Northern communities. All Israeli communities with 7 miles of the Northern and Gaza envelope borders have been evacuated. This has caused over 210,000 families to be displaced. In the meantime over 100,000 additional troops, returning ex-pats and Lone Soldiers have flown in from abroad to defend Israel.
The IDF was well-prepared and well-positioned. Morale and energy was high. The troops were ready spiritually and physically and the country was finally unified after a year of intense divisions. In the North it was decided by the head of the military that there would be no escalation. All IDF actions would be in direct response to attacks from Lebanon and Syria. It would involve deflecting incoming rockets and intercepting drones. Also, the IDF would shell watchtowers, satellite dishes, communications stations and sites of rocket launchers only.
From the onset, over one week of waiting for the United States with multiple visits from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the invasion of Gaza was delayed. Boots on the ground IDF troops were ready. All willing innocent Palestinian civilians were instructed to move to S Gaza below the set demarcation line. Hamas operatives stymied this by setting up barriers, bombing the routes and shooting at their own civilians. They like to use human shields. During this time, Hamas was still bombing Israel and the IDF was responding proportionally on Hamas launch sites and military strongholds, usually in densely populated Gaza City.
Israel’s mission was threefold: to destroy any further military capability of Hamas in Gaza. This included taking out all military and intelligence headquarters as well as targeting the Hamas commanders. Finding and dismantling all terror tunnels to render them inoperative was part of the mission. This would involve a heavily coordinated effort by air, ground and sea. It would involve intense house-by-house urban warfare with the knowledge that many places would be mined, booby trapped and patrolled by Hamas forces.
Israel’s second mission: to find and rescue any and all hostages alive or dead using exact information culled from captured Hamas prisoners being held in Israel. At first it was stated that there would be no negotiations with the enemy forces and no release of Gazan and Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
In 2006, an IDF soldier, Gilad Shalit, was captured by Hamas and taken at gunpoint into Gaza. After negotiations brokered by Egypt, in 2011, 1027 Palestinian prisoners were set free from Israeli prisons. These were people captured, tried and convicted of planning or implementing acts of terror on Israeli citizens. This included stabbing, shooting, firebombing, car ramming, kidnapping and attempted murder, kidnapping or other acts of terror. One of the prisoners released was Yayha Sinwar, now head of Hamas and mastermind of the 7 October attacks. Gilad Shalit was released, but at tremendous cost to Israel. Not only did it have dangerous repercussions, but the move deeply divided the country politically.
The third mission: to somehow decide on and implement a plan that would help rebuild and return Gaza back to the innocent civilian population.
No one wants to think about 243 hostages held by Hamas. Many abducted were wounded by the gunshots and mortar fire. Many were elderly, over the age of 75. There were young children taken. Pregnant women. The parading of many captives through the streets of Gaza City and Khan Younis was televised the first day. Children were being encircled and taunted by the crowds. Women, obvious rape victims with bloody pants, were filmed being led by the hair to the jeers and cheers of civilians. Men and women in pickup trucks were being hit by innocent Gazan civilians with boards and canes and bats. How would they fare in Gaza? Would they be fed, treated for injuries, held in the dark, raped or tortured? Would they be used as human shields?
As days turned into weeks and atrocities verified (Yes. The world was not believing and actually demanding proof that the attack even happened), we got to know the abducted almost personally. They had names. They had lives and stories. They had families, some butchered, some kidnapped, some alive and awaiting their release. Most Israelis knew someone who had been taken- most at least knew someone who had a family member or friend abducted. It became very personal.
The United States sent over backup ships into the Mediterranean and Gulf of Aqaba. They resupplied our anti missile system with military ammunition and supplies that had originally been in Israel (but had been removed by the Biden administration). They gave us back the Iron Dome systems that we had lent to them. The United States offered to send in crack teams of doorbusters if needed. Israel thankfully declined. The Biden Administration begged us to rethink any ground incursion.
Despite the request to halt before even starting, the IDF moved into Northern Gaza. Humanitarian aid was being sent from Israel by the truckload to the south despite reports otherwise. Tanks supporting the ground forces entered the northern part of Gaza and began a three week mission of clearing terror sites and uncovering tunnels. Massive amounts of arms and ammunition were found: mortars, grenades, machine guns, bullets, pistols, RPGs, explosives, missiles, missile launchers. IDF uniforms were uncovered as well as other Iran supplied military equipment. The terror tunnels under three hospitals including the Shifa Medical Center were uncovered and televised to the world as proof.
After seeming progress was made in clearing out large swaths of the North (this included demolition of many buildings that served as terrorist sites), a “temporary pause” was brokered by Qatar, the US and Egypt. Israel agreed to a temporary ceasefire with Hamas and Hizbulla in exchange for the release of UP TO 50 women and children hostages. Family groups were not to be split up. The Red Cross has refused to check on the condition of the hostages. They have also refused to give lifesaving medications delivered by Israeli families to the hostages.
One hour into the first day of the ceasefire, Hamas sent three missile barrages into Israel. Hizbulla continued their shelling of the North from Lebanon. There has been the lopsided release of three Palestinian prisoners, all convicted of attempted murder and terror activities, for every one Israeli hostage released. The Palestinians have had large welcome parades for the prisoners while continuing to chant death to all Jews. The Gazans have released 4 groups totaling 42 Israelis released, 1 Filipino and 14 Thais.
Of the released hostages, Elma Avraham is now in intensive care. She is 85 years old and has been without her lifesaving medication for 49 days. Two teenage girls were released, both requiring extensive surgeries to their legs for bullet wounds and multiple fractures that have not been properly treated. Most of the hostages released have been elderly women, children and their mothers. Reports have surfaced from the relatives that the hostages were held without showers or changes of clothing in suffocating and dark rooms. They were not allowed to speak. One 12 year old boy was made to watch the filming of his family and friends being murdered on Kibbutz Nir Oz. He was threatened at gunpoint not to cry. At first food rations were good, but for over the past two weeks consisted of one pita per day and two glasses of tea.
The Israeli government is again prioritizing the pause in combat for the release of its citizens. The two red headed children shown being abducted with their mother, Ariel Bibas age 3 and Kfir Bibas now 10 months, are lost. Hamas claims the Palestinian Islamic Jihad had them. PIJ does not seem to know their whereabouts. This is completely unacceptable. There are still 9 children being held, along with concertgoers from the Nova Party, men – including many elderly- and captured IDF soldiers, both male and female. There still remain over 180 people in captivity.
International diplomats and governments are trying to convince Israel of a permanent ceasefire. No mention of hostage releases. Putin has pressured Hamas into releasing 5 Russian civilians. Last Friday Hamas delayed the release of any hostages to the Red Cross by over 5 hours. When Netanyahu said bombing will commence at midnight, the captives were transferred at 11:50 pm. On Monday, several IDF troops were wounded by explosives and gunfire from Southern Gaza. Obviously the “pause” is one sided. Three UAVs have entered Israeli territory in the past two days from Lebanon. They have been shot down.
From the South, Iranian backed Houthi forces have fired multiple surface to air and surface to surface missiles at Eilat. All have been intercepted. Two Israeli owned cargo containers were commandeered by Houthis in the Red Sea. They are not regarding any ceasefire.
So, Israel is again divided. Of course, we want the immediate release of ALL people that were abducted. Dead or alive, they need to be released. No more bargaining. No more pause. Of course, we want to eliminate the threat of Hamas from being able to pull off an attack of any kind against Israel. No more ceasefire. Every day that a ground incursion is delayed, the greater the chance that the troops lose their moxie. The more truckloads of humanitarian aid that is being let into Southern Gaza, the greater the chance that re-arming of Hamas is occurring.
The desire of Hamas is to prolong a ceasefire for as long as possible in order to buy precious time. In the interim, the world’s attitudes are shifting away from Israel. Many Israelis see this as a terrorist psy-op, a form of extortion and way to create division between the families of the remaining hostages and military/government/popular front who want the military ground mission to continue. It is seen as a way of focusing attention on the ‘innocent Gazan’ refugees.
There are difficult decisions to be made. It is a difficult time. Hamas has just agreed to extend the ceasefire, the one they are not upholding, for an additional four days. And so it continues-
Some were young people who had stayed up all night dancing at a peace and love concert. They had glowing fluorescent butterflies on their faces. Others were in tiny suburban communities snuggled in their beds. A little girl held her doobie, her teddy close to her body. A mother was up nursing her infant baby. A 12 year old boy was our for an early morning jog outside his kibbutz. Men were waking up and getting ready to go to the community synagogue.
It was a hot, late-summer, lazy Israeli Shabbat morning. Many extended families had gathered together for the last of the Fall Feasts, Simchat Torah, a day of rejoicing and picnicking and partying. 6:29 am. The missiles started flying overhead. Not in eights and tens as is usually the case, but all at once, unceasingly. Because the computer systems were not working as they should (these questions will be answered after the war), and because there were so many rockets from Gaza fired at once all throughout central Israel, Iron Dome could not keep up and warning sirens did not sound. Everyone was caught completely off guard.
It is reported that up to 3000 Hamas terrorists, some special forces, recently trained in Iran, entered into Israel, bombing the fences and walls (after drones carrying explosives knocked out satellite and communications towers). The armed terrorists overwhelmed the military bases at the border, slaughtering and mutilating the soldiers. Tanks stationed at the border were blown up with RPGs and incendiary grenades. Each squadron had body cams and go pros, uploading every minute onto TikTok, Facebook Live, Instagram Live, Telegram and other social media sites. It has been established that Hamas operatives were also embedded journalists working for AlJazeera, Memri TV, BBC, CNN and other media outlets- all of it was recorded and broadcast victoriously to the world.
After the terrorists, came the ‘innocent’ civilians of Gaza. Security camera footage documents this. The civilians were young boys and older people, men and women. As militants were torturing their Jewish victims on the kibbutzim, young kids from Gaza were standing by as onlookers. There is much documentation and video recordings to show this. As homes were being bombed, Gazan civilians were absconding with golf carts of booty.
People who were in their safe rooms for hours report that after the gunfire and explosions, they could hear people inside, speaking Arabic, rummaging through their homes. One lady, Nurit, hiding in the shelter on Kibbutz Aza recognized the voices of her housekeeper and her two teenage daughters. She smelled the food they were cooking… food she was going to serve that day for Shabbat. The family heard the banging of something metal on the saferoom window, now sealed shut. Gunshots in back of the house. Then the voices of men scraping chairs along the floor in their kitchen. They were having lunch with her housekeeper . Nurit described the sound of dishes breaking and the television blaring. The terrorists were watching Netflix while she and her three teen children hid afraid to make a sound or move.
The ‘pickers’ came to take anything of value they could find- jewelry, electronics, clothes, bicycles, musical equipment, golf carts. They looted the bodies of the dead taking wallets and cell phones. The next day, credit card purchases to AliBaba and Amazon were attempted with shipping addresses to London, to Barcelona, Lyon, Paris, Marseilles, Amsterdam and the United States as well as Gaza. The credit cards all had names of Israelis living within the Gaza Envelope, the 20 towns and kibbutzim along the border.
As the torture, brutality, killings and destruction was happening, so we’re the abductions. On to motorcycles. Into cars and pickup trucks. By foot. Men, women, children….and even several babies, the youngest was 9 months, little redhead ex Kfar Bibas, his 4 year old brother and his imma. The photos of a confused and distraught Mrs. Bibas clutching her young children as they are led away captive went viral within a day.
Ethan (12) and his dad, Ohad (49) Yahalomi lived on Kibbutz Nir Oz. They did everything together.
On the morning of October 7 their world stopped. Hamas terrorists entered their house and abducted them to Gaza. BRING THEM HOME NOW!!
Avinatan Or, 30, is the second eldest of seven brothers from Shilo. He now lives in Tel Aviv and works as an electrical engineer. Avinatan is described as a carefree and optimistic soul. He planned on marrying his girlfriend, Noa.
On October 7, when terrorists paraglided into the Supernova Festival, Avinatan and Noa Argamani, 25, initially succeeded in hiding, trying to call for rescue forces. But shortly thereafter, a Hamas video on Telegram showed Avinatan and Noa being ripped away from each other and being taken to Gaza. You should know Noa. She’s the one on the motorcycle, screaming, arms extended and pleading for Avinatan to save her. The photo went viral for two days. BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!!
Yahhel Shoham is a gorgeous little 3 year old toddler. She was plucked from her warm bed in Israel along with her 8 year old sister, Naveh. They lived in Kibbutz Be’eri with their mother, Adi, and father, Tal, both 38.
The entire family along with Adi’s brother, her parents and her aunt and uncle were all gathered for a weekend get-together. Adi’s father, aunt and uncle were brutally massacred in front of the family. Her mother and husband were kidnapped, thrown into the back of a truck. The two little girls were also abducted by separate terrorists. In all here were 8 members of a single extended family abducted. They are now held in captivity in a Gaza hellhole. BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!
“I am wounded and bleeding, Mummy. I think I’m going to die.” These were the last words of 23 year old Romi Gonen during the almost 40 minute (recorded) phone conversation with her mum, Meirav, and her family. Romi had been at the music festival and was shot but hiding when she contacted her family. She is now somewhere in Gaza and her parents have had no word if she’s received treatment, her condition, or even if she is alive- BRING ROMI HOME NOW!!!!
It was not only the young who are being held hostage. We have a friend who’s best friend is off in Gaza somewhere. He is 75 year old Alex Dancyg, originally from Poland. Alex is a noted Holocaust historian and author of several books. Living at Nir Oz, ironically Alex was an expert on the rounding up, abduction and systematic murders of the Jews of Poland during WWll. “All the tour guides in Poland, at the Jewish sites and Nazi camps, use his books exclusively as reference,” our friend Piotr told us. BRING HIM HOME NOW!
Yagil Yaakov is a 12 year old boy who has severe allergies and is on medication for other medical conditions. He is now somewhere in Gaza. On day 34, the Hamas terrorists released his picture taken in captivity.
This past Sunday, Noam, a shopkeeper in a Judaica store found an order for the boy from his mother in Kibbutz Nir Oz. “I was uneasy when I saw it, “ he said. He knew the story of Yagil. The order was a pair of t’fillin (prayer boxes a Jewish man straps on his arm and head for prayer every morning) in an embroidered bag with his name on it. He called the mother, Rina, to find out how everything was, how the family was.
He is supposed to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah in a month and a half. Rina insisted on paying for the gift, but Noam refused to accept any money from the mother. “She told me, ‘Noam, you’re not giving me the money back. Soon Yagil will come home and we’ll have a big celebration, G-d willing. We need to get ready in the house. There is a big Bar Mitzvah to celebrate and we need to do everything we possibly can to bring him home.”
By now, you might have seen Rachel Goldberg. She’s spoken at the Stand With Us rally in Washington, DC and at several other venues. Her son, Hersh Goldberg Polin, 23, has been abducted to Gaza by Hamas terrorists. His crime? Attending a music festival… in Israel.
“Right now, how we are living is hard to describe to you,” Goldberg told the crowd of nearly 300,000 at the National Mall in Washington last Tuesday. “We hostage families have lived the last 39 days in slow motion torment. For 38 nights none of us have slept the real sleep of ‘the before.’ We all have third-degree burns on our souls. Our hearts are bruised and seeping with misery.
“But the real souls suffering are those of the hostages,” she continued. “And they want to ask everyone in the world —all the screamers, the indifferent, the experts, the academics, the knowledgeable, the passives, the perfectly outraged, the righteous, the indignant, the haters, the leaders, the lovers—every single one of us: Why? Why is the world accepting that 240 human beings from almost 30 countries have been stolen and buried alive?
“These children of God ranged in age from nine months to 87 years. They are Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists and Hindu. Why are they being left underground in the dirt?” she asked.
“Abigail Mor Idan is three years old; she watched her parents get murdered in front of her and was then kidnapped, and she would like me to ask the world, why are you letting her stay in the dark in her trauma, buried in the Earth’s crust?” she asked. “And Joshua Mollel, who is a Tanzanian African graduate student studying agribusiness, would like for me to ask you why somehow his life actually doesn’t matter. The world must prepare what we will say to them.”
They all have names. Families. Stories. Their photos are being torn down around the world. But they are all very real. Their photos must be shown. Their names must be spoken. 240 precious children of G-d. Their stories must be shared.
BRING THEM HOME NOW!!! Pray that all the hostages will soon be reunited with their loved ones.
Israel Dreams 