Friday, March 8, 2024

Cost of War: 151 Days, 1,469 Dead, Tens of Thousands Victims of Terror

by Maayan Ruda, Hadar Gil-Ad and Yoav Zitun ~ Ynetnews

Wednesday, 6 March 2024 | The Iron Swords War, ignited by Hamas’s brutal massacre on October 7, has claimed the lives of 1,468 people in Israel to date, the majority on the day it erupted. These war figures underscore the profound impact on Israel in the 150 days since its onset.

According to Ynet data, the war has so far claimed the lives of 839 civilians, including 36 children under 18 years old—among them a ten-month-old infant, seven aged between two to nine years and 29 teenagers between 10 to 17 years old.

Additionally, 629 security and rescue personnel have perished in the war, 586 of them Israel Defense Forces [IDF] soldiers.

The National Insurance Institute reports that 61,942 individuals have been victims of terrorist acts. The age breakdown of these victims includes 3,557 aged 0-3 years, 3,726 aged 3-6 years, 8,659 aged 6-14 years, 3,586 aged 14-18 years and 42,414 aged 18 years and older.

These individuals have suffered physical and/or psychological injuries and are recognized as victims of hostility and terror. Notably, around 20,000 victims of these hostile acts are under the age of 20.

Cost of War on IDF

Beyond the civilian impact, the war has also imposed a significant and painful cost on IDF soldiers. Since the war began, 586 soldiers have lost their lives, 246 of whom died in the ground offensive in Gaza. Of these, 37 were fatalities in operational accidents: 19 from friendly fire, three from stray bullets and 15 from armament, weapons and vehicular accidents.

So far, 3,030 IDF soldiers have been injured: 1,755 lightly, 800 moderately and 475 severely. Currently, 88 of these soldiers are hospitalized with light injuries, 191 with moderate injuries and 37 with severe injuries. Notably, the ground offensive alone resulted in 1,453 injuries to soldiers, 303 of whom suffered severe injuries.

Among the injured, 545 were hurt in operational accidents, including 24 from stray bullets, 54 from friendly fire, 31 from road accidents, 45 under “other” and 391 from accidents involving anti-tank missiles, arms, weapons and machine gun mishaps.

The Hostages

Another tragic toll of the war is the hostages held in the Gaza Strip. On October 7, 253 Israelis and foreigners were kidnapped; 123 have been released—most in a previous deal with Hamas, five before that—and three through heroic IDF, Yamam and Shin Bet rescue operations (Ori Magidish, Luis Har and Fernando Marman).

Additionally, 11 bodies were recovered and 134 individuals remain abducted—including 33 confirmed deceased (including the bodies of soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, abducted before October 7), whose remains are still in Gaza.

Among the 134 remaining captives are civilians Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, held even before October 7 and the bodies of Goldin and Shaul. Alongside the abducted, there is one missing person—Bilha Yinon, initially determined to have been murdered in Netiv HaAsara, later reclassified by the IDF as missing.

Three hostages—Alon Shamriz, Yotam Haim and Samar Talalqa—were accidentally killed by IDF fire in Shijaiyah. Hamas murdered eight others, but IDF soldiers recovered their bodies.

Among the remaining hostages, there are 111 men and 19 women, including two children under the age of 5 (Ariel and Kfir Bibas); 11 foreign nationals (eight from Thailand, one from Nepal, one from Tanzania and one dual French/Mexican citizen); and 119 Israelis.

‘Every Casualty Is a World Unto Themselves’

The National Insurance Institute said in a statement, “Regrettably, since the disaster on October 7, the number of fatalities and injuries has continued to rise. Beyond the victims themselves, entire families are grappling with challenges unprecedented in the state’s history. The National Insurance Institute’s staff, especially the departments of hostility and rehabilitation, are working tirelessly to provide support to all those in need, alongside ongoing efforts with legislators to secure broader assistance than currently available by law.”

IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari recently addressed the painful costs of the war following the deaths of Sergeant Dolev Haim Malca, 19, Sergeant Afik Tery, 19 and Sergeant Yinon Yitzhak, 20 in an explosion in a booby-trapped building in Khan Younis.

Hagari highlighted that terrorists from the area where the explosion occurred launched attacks on the kibbutzim [collective communities] of Kissufim, Ein HaShlosha, Nirim and Nir Oz on October 7, carrying out massacres. “We must cleanse this space,” he said. “The costs of war are heavy and painful. Every casualty is a world unto themselves.”

Source: (This article was originally published by Ynetnews on March 5, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: McCoy Brown/bridgesforpeace.com

Prayer Focus
Pray for Israel, an entire nation in mourning. Cry out to the Lord for His comfort to touch the hearts of every person who has lost a loved one, every injured victim, and their families, for physical and psychological healing, and for spiritual renewal for those whose lives have been shattered. Beseech the Lord for supernatural protection for the hostages and for their soon release. And weep before the Lord for the children, crying out for His love to surround them, for His presence to be a reality for each of them.

Scripture

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

- Psalm 23:4 ESV

Terrorist Murders Two Israelis in Attack at Samaria Gas Station

by JNS

Friday, 1 March 2024 | A terrorist shot and killed two Israelis on Thursday afternoon at a gas station outside the town of Eli in the Binyamin region of Samaria, first responders and the Israel Defense Forces [IDF] said.

“A terrorist arrived at the Eli gas station in the Binyamin Brigade” deployment area “and opened fire,” the IDF posted on social media in Hebrew. “The terrorist was eliminated.”

The victims were identified as Yitzchak Zeiger, a 57-year-old father of three and grandfather of two from Shavei Shomron in northern Samaria, and Uria Hartum, a 16-year-old high-schooler from Dolev who had hitched a ride with Zeiger.

Aviad Gizbar, owner of a hummus restaurant at the gas station, neutralized the terrorist, whom Arab media named as Muhammad Manasra. The latter, of Qalandiya near Jerusalem, reportedly served as a police officer in the Palestinian Authority.

The IDF Homefront Command briefly called on residents of Eli to stay inside and close doors and windows as forces searched for additional suspects.

“This is a serious attack. After the attack a year ago at the Eli gas station, another attack took place there,” Eli Mayor Ariel Elmaliach told Arutz 7, adding, “Unfortunately, the writing was on the wall.”

Four Israelis were killed at the Eli gas station on June 20, 2023, when two Hamas terrorists opened fire on diners at a restaurant there.

Judea and Samaria saw a dramatic rise in terrorist attacks in recent months, with shootings reaching their highest level since the Second Intifada [uprising] of 2000–2005, according to IDF data.

“When we arrived at the location of the incident, the scene was extremely difficult,” said Eitan Freedman, a United Hatzalah volunteer EMT.

“Unfortunately, two people had to be pronounced dead at the scene due to the severity of the injuries they sustained,” Freedman said. “Members of United Hatzalah’s psycho-trauma and crisis response unit treated a number of people for emotional shock due to the nature of the incident.”

Source: (This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on February 29, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90/jns.org

Prayer Focus
Pray for all those who are mourning the loss of these two innocent Israelis, Yitzchak Zeiger, a grandfather, and Uria Hartum, a high school student. Cry out to the Lord for supernatural alertness and sound intelligence that will assist security forces in preventing these attacks before innocent people are killed or wounded.

Scripture

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

- Isaiah 30:21 ESV

IDF Concludes Review: Israel Did Not Hit Aid Convoy

by JNS

Monday, 4 March 2024 | “Our initial review has confirmed that the Israel Defense Forces [IDF] carried out no strike towards the aid convoy,” IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said on Sunday of the February 29 incident.

Last Thursday, Gazan civilians mobbed trucks carrying humanitarian aid supplies, as seen by aerial footage released by the IDF.

“The majority of Palestinians were killed or injured as a result of the stampede,” Hagari said.

According to the IDF, residents surrounded the trucks on Al-Rashid Street, southwest of Gaza City. They looted the supplies, with many Palestinians being struck by the trucks or crushed by the crowd.

The incident began at around 4 a.m. when some 30 trucks passed an IDF checkpoint to deliver food in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood. Thousands of Gazans rushed the trucks after they passed the checkpoint, resulting in a deadly stampede.

Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry reported that 104 people died and 280 were injured during the riot, with some reports giving a greater number of injured. The terrorist group is reportedly threatening to halt hostage negotiations over the incident, which it is calling a “massacre.”

However, the IDF said only a handful were shot by Israeli soldiers as some in the crowd who rushed the last truck in the convoy then began moving towards Israeli forces tasked with coordinating the entry of aid into the Strip in a way that endangered the troops.

This prompted an officer stationed at the checkpoint to fire warning shots in the air, after which troops fired at the legs of those who continued to move towards Israeli forces.

“From the information we gathered from the commanders and forces on the ground, our initial review has indicated that following the warning shots fired to disperse the stampede and after our forces had started retreating, several looters approached our forces and posed an immediate threat to them,” Hagari said.

“According to the initial review, the soldiers responded towards several individuals,” he said.

Hagari emphasized that Israel is a professional military body committed to international law and examines its operations. As the inquiry develops, the army will draw conclusions to reduce the likelihood of such a tragedy reoccurring.

Israel’s war is not against the people of Gaza, but against Hamas, he said. “This is why we are facilitating aid, creating humanitarian corridors, establishing unilateral humanitarian pauses and exercising caution in our use of force.”

He added that Israel helped coordinate Saturday’s airdrop by the US and the Royal Jordanian Air Force of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

“We have coordinated a total of 21 air drops in northern Gaza, in collaboration with France, the UAE, Jordan, Egypt and the US,” Hagari said.

On February 24, Israel decided it would start transferring humanitarian supplies directly to the northern Gaza Strip, to bypass the Hamas terrorist group.

Hamas has been stealing up to 60% of the aid entering the Gaza Strip.

In early February, it was reported that despite Israeli efforts, Hamas was making significant efforts to renew its control of the northern Gaza Strip, and it was using its control of aid supplies to reassert that control.

Source: (This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on March 3, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Screenshot/jns.org

Prayer Focus
Pray that the international community will accept Israel’s review of the tragic incident on February 29 and that Hamas’ plan to use control of aid supplies to reassert power in northern Gaza will be thwarted. Pray that ongoing deliveries of humanitarian supplies will not fall into the hands of terrorists but will reach those who are in desperate need.

Scripture

Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.

- Proverbs 22:16 ESV

Residents of Gaza Border Community Return Home with ‘Heavy but Beating Hearts’

by Ilana Curiel and Matan Tzuri ~ Ynetnews

Friday, 1 March 2024 | More than four months after their small community was evacuated due to Hamas’s murderous onslaught on southern Israel, residents of Shlomit returned home on Thursday, their convoy adorned with Israeli flags stretching as far as the eye could see.

Four Shlomit residents fell in the battles on October 7: Bechor Swid, Oriel Bibi, Aviad Cohen and Reouven Chicheportiche.

Swid and Bibi fell at the Magen Junction, while Cohen and Chicheportiche were killed at Moshav Pri Gan, where they helped avert a massacre. The battle at Pri Gan was crucial in preventing further harm to the community and surrounding settlements at risk of terrorist attacks. Additionally, four other Shlomit residents were wounded in the fighting.

“Today, we return to Shlomit as a unified and cohesive community,” said Kobi Revivo, a resident of Shlomit. “We left as one, and we return as one, minus four remarkable people who left us a path that we must fulfill—to continue to grow, blossom and add life. Let the people of Israel know that we, the residents of Shlomit, are coming back to the place we love, drawing strength from it to continue settling.”

Resident Shiran Harush said: “After four months away from home, we are returning with heavy but beating hearts with many fears and, yet, great excitement. Our community and our hearts have a gaping hole over the loss of our friends who were killed on October 7 while defending the neighboring community of Pri Gan. We know the war is far from over. We pray for the return of the hostages and the safety of our soldiers! But it was important for us to return to remember what we are actually fighting for. Here, we are engaged in rebuilding and revival.”

Source: (This article was originally published by Ynetnews on February 29, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Chenspec/Wikimedia.org

Photo License: Wikimedia

Prayer Focus
Praise God that the residents of Shlomit have come home! Pray for them as they deal with the trauma of returning to the scene of such devastation and loss. Pray that the Lord will protect them from further terrorist activity and strengthen them as they rebuild their kibbutz and their lives. Ask the Lord to give them joy in the midst of their pain.

Scripture

When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.

- Psalm 94:19 ESV

New ADL Research Reveals 24% of Americans Embrace anti-Semitism

by David Swindle ~ JNS

Wednesday, 6 March 2024 | When the Anti-Defamation League [ADL] released its previous research into the depth of Jew-hatred in the US in January 2023, the group revealed that one in five Americans embraced anti-Semitism. That number has since risen to nearly one in four.

The ADL announced the results of a new poll with a 1.5% margin of error for 4,000 adults in the United States conducted from January 5-18.

Researchers found that 24%, up from 20% in 2022, answered agreement with at least six out of 11 anti-Semitic tropes the organization has polled on for decades.

Data shows millennials to be the most anti-Semitic generation in the United States, embracing 5.37 tropes on average. In contrast, Tik-Tok enthusiast Gen Z believes 5.01 bigotries, Gen X a total of 4.19 and baby boomers 3.06.

The survey found a correlation between anti-Semitism and the belief in an “oppressor vs. oppressed” ideology, asking for levels of agreement in the statement, “When we think about the problems of the world, it comes down to the oppressor vs the oppressed.” Those who strongly agreed endorsed six anti-Semitic tropes on average, whereas those who disagreed believed in 2.4.

“The ‘oppressed vs. oppressor’ correlation with increased anti-Semitic beliefs is most interesting to me. Having been brought up in the Soviet Union where that same Marxist-Leninist ideology and ideologues were very much responsible for Soviet anti-Semitic and anti-Zionism,” Misha Galperin, president and CEO of the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, told JNS. “I’ve been to that movie and did not like the plot.”

Researchers also found a correlation between beliefs in conspiracy theories and anti-Semitic tropes. Those in the top 25% for conspiracist ideology believed an average of 6.2 tropes.

Galperin said that “the overall increase is not terribly surprising given the enormous increase in anti-Semitic and anti-Israel incidents, especially on college campuses.”

Source: (This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on March 4, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Pixabay/jns.org

Prayer Focus
Pray for a move of God across the globe, awakening people to the evils of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. Pray that people will see the dangers of the Marxist-Leninist ideology that has taken hold, particularly among young people, and cry out to the Lord for brave parents, educators, and leaders who will raise their voices against this evil and bring the truth to those who have fallen victim to a false and very dangerous narrative.

Scripture

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD!

- Psalm 31:24 ESV

Israel Demands Meeting of UN Security Council over October 7 Sexual Violence Report

by Itamar Eichner ~ Ynetnews

Wednesday, 6 March 2024 | Israel, under the guidance of Foreign Minister Israel Katz, is appealing to eight member states of the United Nations [UN] Security Council, asking them to demand an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council following a report on Hamas sexual violence during the massacre on October 7, Ynet has learned.

The appeal will be made to the US, Great Britain, France, Malta, Ecuador, Japan, Switzerland and Slovenia—countries that Jerusalem believes share common values with Israel—over the report that stated that on the day of the war against Hamas in Gaza began, sexual violence and torture occurred.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres did not immediately call a Security Council meeting over the report, which he is authorized to do. Israel expects that he will not call such a meeting on his own, so it attempts to bypass him and appeal directly to member states. Israel hopes that such a gathering will advance the UN’s official recognition of Hamas as a terrorist organization—something the UN has so far avoided.

At the same time, Israel will also appeal to Guterres with a request to invoke Article 99, which allows him to draw the Security Council’s attention to a matter that endangers regional peace and security—as he did in December to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza. However, it is estimated that Guterres will not use this clause for Israel.

“With great urgency, I call on you today to call an urgent meeting of the Security Council, after yesterday’s UN report on the horrific crimes committed by Hamas against Israeli women and girls on October 7, as presented by the Special Envoy for Sexual Violence in Conflicts Pramila Patten. In the report, she stated that there is ‘clear and convincing information’ that hostages captured on October 7 and currently held in Gaza were raped and sexually tortured,” reads a letter sent on Tuesday to Gueterres.

“She also stated that she has reasonable grounds to believe that this sexual violence is continuing against those hostages who Hamas and other extremists in Gaza are still holding. Furthermore, Patten found that there is probable cause that sexual violence related to the conflict occurred in several locations, including rape and gang-rape in at least three locations in southern Israel. They found a pattern of victims—mostly women—who were found fully or partially naked, tied up and shot across multiple locations,” continues the letter.

The letter also states that “Patten stated that knowing the true extent of the sexual violence committed during the October 7 attacks ‘may take months or years and may never be fully known.’ This is an extremely urgent matter, which must receive the full attention of the Security Council.

The dire humanitarian situation of the hostages deserves similar attention. I urge you to immediately call for a meeting of the Council, in light of the obvious danger posed by the Hamas duo to regional security and the ongoing threats to our hostages. Hamas must be held accountable and defined as a terrorist organization.”

Source: (Excerpt of an article originally published by Ynetnews on March 4, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Geo Swan/Wikimedia.org

Photo License: Wikimedia

Prayer Focus
Pray that, for once, the United Nations will actually live up to their stated raison d’etre by declaring Hamas a terrorist organization, acknowledging the sexual violence that occurred on October 7 and continues to threaten Israeli women who are being held captive in Gaza, and take whatever steps possible to facilitate the release of the hostages. If UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres does not respond quickly and decisively to Special Envoy Pramila Patten’s urgent requests, beseech the Lord for His removal and for a replacement who is not steeped in anti-Semitism.

Scripture

I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and will execute justice for the needy.

- Psalm 140:12 ESV

IAF Strikes Hezbollah in Six Areas of Southern Lebanon

by JNS

Wednesday, 6 March 2024 | Israeli Air Force [IAF] jets struck Hezbollah targets in six areas of Southern Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces [IDF] announced on Tuesday evening.

Targets included a Hezbollah military site in the area of Ayta ash Shab from which two anti-tank missiles were launched towards the area of Biranit earlier in the day. No injuries were reported in Israel in that attack.

The IDF said it also struck a Hezbollah operational command center in Jabal al-Baba; rocket-launch posts in the area of Matmoura; and military compounds in the areas of Majdal Zoun, Houla and Kafra in Southern Lebanon.

Earlier on Tuesday, a volley of rocket attacks launched from Lebanon damaged a building in the northern city of Kiryat Shmona.

Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for eight waves of attacks on northern Israel in the past 24 hours, according to data released by the Alma Center research group on Tuesday, though not for the Kiryat Shmona attack.

The recent attacks from Lebanon included Katyusha rockets and anti-tank missiles, targeting civilian communities in Western Galilee.

On Monday, an Indian worker was killed and nine were injured in an anti-tank missile strike on the community of Margaliot, sparking IAF airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Southern Lebanon.

The IDF also released on Tuesday footage of an IAF F-15 shooting down an unmanned aerial vehicle [UAV] that intruded into Israeli airspace from Syria earlier in the day.

The footage shows air crews tracking down the UAV and discussing its location over the air force’s radio network before one pilot states, “We are monitoring the target. Immediately carrying out [the strike].”

Footage shows an air-to-air missile shooting out of an aircraft and striking the UAV, downing it.

Also on Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited the IDF Artillery Corps highly classified Moran Unit in northern Israel, which reportedly activates advanced weapons systems. Senior military commanders, including the head of the Ground Forces Headquarters, Gen. Brig. Aviram Sela joined Gallant.

During the visit, Gallant said: “We must understand the situation we are in regarding Hezbollah. They are continuously degrading reality and bringing us closer to a decision in which we must decide what we do. For us, the supreme mission is to return residents to their homes. We will do this either through an arrangement or through an operational-war operation and this must be clear because the significance of it for you is that you could be called to it, from one minute to the next, as they say.”

Gallant called on the military personnel to be prepared “all of the time,” adding, “I don’t wish for us to reach the stage of war, but I repeat the very clear and very simple message I am telling you. Hezbollah is deteriorating the situation and bringing us to a decision point.”

Cache of Weapons Discovered in Central Gaza

Meanwhile, on the southern front, the IDF announced on Tuesday that its Counter-Terror Unit (known by its Hebrew acronym, LOTAR), is conducting a special mission in the heart of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza against Hamas.

During the series of operations, the unit uncovered dozens of rocket warheads, grenades, mortars and other weapons, as well as military equipment, hidden near a school used as a shelter for displaced Gazan civilians, the IDF said.

During LOTAR Unit raids of Hamas hideouts and military strongholds in residential areas and acting on intelligence, “the forces searched several Hamas infrastructures and located a weapons storage facility” near the school, it added.

Source: (Excerpt of an article originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on March 5, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Ayal Margolin/Flash90/jns.org

Prayer Focus
Pray for protection for all of those who live in the north of Israel and for the security forces as they work to secure the northern border. Pray that Israeli leaders will hear the voice of the Lord as they make decisions and will proceed courageously and successfully in mitigating the threat from Hezbollah and their patron state, Iran.

Scripture

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”

- Psalm 32:8 ESV

IDF Releases Recordings of UNRWA Teachers: ‘We Have Female Hostages, I Captured One’

by Yaakov Lappin ~ JNS

Tuesday, 5 March 2024 | The Israel Defense Forces [IDF] released two recordings of phone conversations on Monday evening showing that teachers affiliated with the United Nations [UN] Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees [UNRWA] took part in the mass murder attacks in southern Israel on October 7.

The first call recording is of a Hamas terrorist working as an Arabic teacher at an UNRWA school in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, describing how he broke into Israeli territory and stating that he is holding female Israeli hostages.

The teacher was named as Yusef Al Hawajara and is heard stating on a call, “We have female hostages, I captured one.”

During the call, Al Hawajara went on to say, “We will enter Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

He described the massacre of Israelis to his friend, saying, “They shot them in the eyes.”

The second recording features an additional terrorist, described by the IDF as Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist Mamduh Ahmed Alkali, an elementary-school teacher at an UNRWA school in Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza. The teacher is heard telling his family that he is inside Israeli territory.

“I’m inside, I’m inside with the Jews,” stated the voice of the UNRWA teacher in response to a man asking him on the phone where he was.

The IDF said that “terror organizations in the Gaza Strip routinely exploit international aid organizations for terror purposes.”

According to IDF intelligence assessments, more than 450 terrorists—most of them Hamas members—are also employed by UNRWA.

IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari stated on Monday evening that Hawajara was heard bragging about seizing an Israeli female hostage. “Sabayya means female captive, a ‘possession.’ Sabayya is exactly the same word used by ISIS to describe the Yazidi women they captured and did horrific things to. I want you to hear the tone, how they brag, how they laugh. How they talk about women. How they call her a ‘noble horse.’”

“I am a father of two girls. When I hear this conversation, I tremble. It’s horrific,” said Hagari. “150 days ago, on October 7, Hamas abducted and violated young women, young girls. From the testimonies of hostages who returned from captivity, we know the women and girls in Hamas captivity are in danger. Our mission to rescue these hostages from the ruthless terrorists is urgent. Hamas and ISIS follow the same barbaric ideology and employ the same barbaric methods,” he added.

UNRWA’s employment of hundreds of terrorists is “systematic,” said Hagari. “They receive salaries paid by the international community. Donations for humanitarian purposes, meant to benefit the people of Gaza, are funding mass murderers and rapists.”

The IDF has shared this and other information with “international partners, including the UN,” said the IDF spokesman. A global response is needed, he said.

Civilians in Gaza “are also suffering as a result of this war that Hamas started,” said Hagari. “Our war is against Hamas, not the people of Gaza. We acknowledge their suffering.”

On Sunday, the number of aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip from Israel was the highest since the start of the war, Hagari said. Israel puts no limits on the amount of humanitarian aid that can enter Gaza, he added, as it continues to dismantle Hamas and seeks to rescue its hostages—an estimated 134 are still being held captive, though not all are confirmed to be alive.

Source: (This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on March 4, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Tomer Neuberg/Flash90/jns.org

Prayer Focus
Pray that this travesty will not be allowed to continue, and those UNRWA employees who participated in the October 7 massacre and the subsequent hostage situation, will be held accountable for their actions. Pray that UNRWA will be dismantled and, if necessary, replaced with an organization that is committed to caring for the needs of the people of Gaza and the elimination of an education system that has taught thousands of Gazans to hate and murder Israelis.

Scripture

Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!

- Isaiah 10:1–2b ESV

Hamas Leader: ‘Civilian Casualties Are a Tactical Advantage’

by Einav Halabi and Yoav Zitun ~ Ynetnews

Tuesday, 5 March 2024 | Mounting civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip will intensify global pressure on Israel to halt its military actions against Hamas, the terrorist group’s leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar told fellow Hamas officials handling cease-fire talks in Qatar, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday as growing humanitarian crisis and destruction in Gaza are testing Israel’s relations with the US and other global partners.

According to the newspaper, Sinwar aims to emerge from his underground hideout after the fighting ceases and proclaim victory.

“We brought the Palestinian cause to the forefront. We have changed the status quo,” Sinwar said in a message delivered to Egyptian officials soon after the terrorist organization’s deadly onslaught on southern Israeli communities on October 7.

The paper noted that Hamas has altered its tactics since the last cease-fire in November, now attacking Israeli troops with small squads armed with rocket-propelled grenades and retreating without engaging in gunfights. While this strategy reduces casualties on Hamas’s side, it also proves less effective in inflicting casualties on Israeli forces.

Meanwhile, the civilian population in Gaza has bore most of the war’s brunt. Israeli officials estimate that approximately 12,000 terrorists, including 1,000 on October 7, were killed during the conflict. Hamas leaders outside of Gaza have acknowledged the loss of 6,000 fighters. The US estimates the actual number of casualties to be somewhere between these figures.

Hamas also used recordings of hostages, including children, calling for help to lure Israeli troops into ambushes. “Fighting the enemy is like a game of whack-a-mole,” said an Israel Defense Force reservist in Khan Younis, noting the difficulty in defeating the terror organization.

Source: (Excerpt of an article originally published by Ynetnews on February 29, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Fars Media Corporation/Wikimedia.org

Photo License: Wikimedia

Prayer Focus
Pray that Yahya Sinwar will be captured and brought to justice. Pray that his outrageous statements will reach the ears of international leaders, helping to restore the relationship between Israel and her global partners.

Scripture

Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people. A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor, but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.

- Proverbs 28:15–16 ESV