BREAKING....Thread 8...Israel At War...OPERATION SWORDS OF IRON

[mystery-ak]

Released Hostage Blows the Lid off Terror Apologists' Claims That Israeli Women Were Not Raped by Hamas
By Jeff Charles | 8:56 PM on December 13, 2023

Remember when the anti-Israel left went into full spin mode after it was revealed that Hamas terrorists had raped Israeli women they had taken hostage on October 7? The formerly #MeToo crowd quickly switched it up to #MeWho?

High-profile progressives eagerly played the role of Hamas apologists, responding to the news by either downplaying the sexual violence against Israeli women or denying it altogether. But now, a survivor of the attacks and kidnappings is speaking up, and her experience is going to put the pro-Hamas crowd in a tricky situation.

    A recently released Hamas hostage's revelation of sexual violence against her fellow captives appears to refute anti-Israel progressives who tend to downplay or dismiss terrorists' atrocities.

    Chen Goldstein-Almog, 48, was held hostage by Hamas with three of her children for 51 days following the Palestinian terrorist group's Oct. 7 attack on Israelis.

    Her husband and eldest daughter were murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the attack.

more
https://redstate.com/jeffc/2023/12/13/hamas-survivor-blows-the-lid-off-terrorist-apologists-claiming-israeli-women-were-not-sexually-assaulted-n2167531

[mystery-ak]

Israel Radar
@IsraelRadar_com
·
1h
❗️Mossad confirms: 7 terror suspects linked to Hamas arrested in Denmark, attacks foiled; earlier reports said terror plot targeted Israelis & Jews. via @N12News
 & @ynetalerts

[mystery-ak]

Hamas Waves White Flag: Maybe We Could Recognize Israel? Update: Retreat?
Ed Morrissey 9:21 AM on December 14, 2023

Looks like the Banned on the Run finally got the message. With the IDF closing in on Hamas’ Gaza leadership in a Khan Younis bunker and their international sheiks now on the run from the Mossad, it has begun to dawn on them that October 7 really did change everything. The Israelis clearly intend to either drown or shoot Hamas dead to the last man, and this time the US will not be able to restrain them. Even their hostaging strategy hasn’t worked.

And just like that, from the river to the sea has changed to Let’s Join the PLO. Al-Monitor reported last night that a “top” Hamas official has floated an offer to recognize Israel’s right to exist and to fold itself into the Palestinian Authority in exchange for an end to the war (via Noah Rothman):

    A senior Hamas official suggested the Gaza-based militant group would recognize Israel as a step toward ending the long-running divisions between the Palestinian factions.

    Speaking to Al-Monitor in his Doha office on Monday, Mousa Abu Marzouk struck a careful tone on Israel some two months after his group carried out the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.

    “You should follow the official stance,” Abu Marzouk said. “The official stance is that the [Palestine Liberation Organization] has recognized the state of Israel.”

    The internationally recognized umbrella grouping of most Palestinian factions, excluding Hamas and Islamic Jihad, formally recognized Israel’s right to exist and renounced terrorism in 1993. In exchange, Israel accepted the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people.


more
https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2023/12/14/hamas-waves-white-flag-maybe-we-could-recognize-israel-n598940

[ScottinVA]

No.. No.. NO!! Every single one of those Hamas animals must be exterminated to the last one.  That is the only way to eradicate cancer.

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/TreyYingst/status/1735304878669300174

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1735276855156932748

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/IsraelRadar_com/status/1735276539036508329

[240B]

Or use the ones the found in those Hamas honeyholes.

That's true. Israel is bloated with weapons of all kinds. These weapons were purchased by Hamas/Iran with American and worldwide 'charity' money going to Gaza. After raiding all the weapons caches, which each one may contain 20,000+ rifles, grenades, mines, and RPGs, Israel has more weapons than people able to fire them. Essentially, all the arms Hamas has hidden away like squirrels for decades meant to destroy all of Israel and Europe, are now all arrayed against them. This is a positive outcome for the entire Earth.

[mystery-ak]

Instant News Alerts
@InstaNewsAlerts
·
1h
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told Israeli leaders that it was critical for them to begin transitioning their campaign in Gaza to more precise, targeted operations. (WSJ)

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/IsraelRadar_com/status/1735409281011261722

[240B]

https://twitter.com/IsraelRadar_com/status/1735276539036508329

This is an interesting psyop by Israel. These terrorists are typically, but not always, uneducated barbarians. When they see another terrorist with a higher reward value than themselves, they behave like children and become extremely angry and jealous.

The lower value terrorists may actually kill the upper value terrorists just to increase their posted reward. Everyone wants to be the number one terrorist on the Israeli and worldwide list. And they will kill each other to make that happen. After all, they are terrorists. Killing is what they do. It doesn't much matter to them who they are killing or why.

[mystery-ak]

Hamas terrorist fighters will not be safe in the terror group’s vast network of underground tunnels in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces said.

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the terror group’s group tunnels won’t be able to shield its fighters as the fighting intensifies. 

Earlier in the day, IDF troops killed several Hamas fighters in a tunnel.  “In the Hamas tunnels, the troops planted explosives… we identified the terrorists with a camera, and killed several terrorists in this incident,” Hagari said in a Thursday press conference.

He said senior Hamas officials choose to hide underground and use civilians as human shields. 

Hagari said the IDF has “new combat means” to kill Hamas operatives in its tunnels.

“We will enter, plant explosives in locations we know terrorists frequent, and will wait for the right moment to kill them underground,” he said. “The terrorists won't be safe underground.”
Posted by Louis Casiano

[mystery-ak]

Gaza and West Bank should be run by ‘revamped and revitalized’ Palestinian Authority, Sullivan says

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the Biden administration wants to see the governance of the Gaza Strip connected with the West Bank, the other Palestinian territory.

Speaking with Israel's Channel 12 television, Sullivan said both areas need to be connected under a "revamped and revitalized" Palestinian Authority.

"That's something that requires intensive consultations with the Palestinians first, as well as with the Israeli government,” he explained. “But it will require reform, it will require an updating of how the Palestinian Authority approaches governance."

The Palestinian Authority has limited authority in the West Bank and used to govern Gaza until it was ousted in 2007 after a brief civil war with Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month that the Palestinian Authority should not be allowed to run Gaza.

He has accused PA President Mahmoud Abbas of encouraging terrorism against Israel.

Sullivan said the Biden administration has held talks with Israel but has not directed the Jewish state on how to conduct its war against Hamas.

"I'm not here to lecture or dictate. Israel is a friend and a partner. We sit down and we consult and we talk as friends."
Posted by Louis Casiano

[DCPatriot]

Gaza and West Bank should be run by ‘revamped and revitalized’ Palestinian Authority, Sullivan says

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the Biden administration wants to see the governance of the Gaza Strip connected with the West Bank, the other Palestinian territory.

Speaking with Israel's Channel 12 television, Sullivan said both areas need to be connected under a "revamped and revitalized" Palestinian Authority.

"That's something that requires intensive consultations with the Palestinians first, as well as with the Israeli government,” he explained. “But it will require reform, it will require an updating of how the Palestinian Authority approaches governance."

The Palestinian Authority has limited authority in the West Bank and used to govern Gaza until it was ousted in 2007 after a brief civil war with Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month that the Palestinian Authority should not be allowed to run Gaza.

He has accused PA President Mahmoud Abbas of encouraging terrorism against Israel.

Sullivan said the Biden administration has held talks with Israel but has not directed the Jewish state on how to conduct its war against Hamas.

"I'm not here to lecture or dictate. Israel is a friend and a partner. We sit down and we consult and we talk as friends."
Posted by Louis Casiano

IN A PIG'S EYE!! 

Change one sworn enemy for the revamped older model.   

[Right_in_Virginia]

UK slaps travel ban on settlers responsible for violence against Palestinians
Times of Israel, Dec 14, 2023

British Foreign Minister David Cameron announced Thursday a ban on “extremist settlers” from Israel entering the United Kingdom, in order “to make sure our country cannot be a home for people who commit these intimidating acts.”

The decision follows a similar measure announced last week by the United States, which said it will impose travel bans on extremist Jewish settlers implicated in a rash of recent attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, as well as on Palestinians involved in attacks on Israelis.

In a post on X, Cameron said that “extremist settlers, by targeting and killing Palestinian civilians, are undermining security and stability for both Israelis and Palestinians. Israel must take stronger action to stop settler violence and hold the perpetrators accountable.” He did not elaborate on how such a determination will be made, and if a list of those barred will be publicized.

Fifty-six British parliamentarians demanded that the government make the move Wednesday.

“In contrast to the way in which Israeli settlers enjoy a climate of impunity, the Israeli authorities have arrested over 3,000 West Bank Palestinians since the appalling Hamas attack of 7 October. This is often in the most arbitrary manner and without charge,” the signatories wrote.

He acknowledged, however, that there was as yet no unanimity among the 27 EU governments on the issue, who would need to vote unanimously in order to enact the proposal.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday also told the body’s lawmakers she was in favor of imposing sanctions on extremist Israeli settlers.

“The rise in violence by extremist settlers is inflicting immense suffering on the Palestinians. It undermines the prospects for a lasting peace and could further exacerbate regional instability,” she said.

Following the US measure, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said those carrying out such violence are extremists” and that Israel is a nation of laws which cannot tolerate such activity, “and we don’t need others to explain that to us.”

https://www.timesofisrael.com/uk-slaps-travel-ban-on-settlers-responsible-for-violence-against-palestinians/

[Right_in_Virginia]

Instant News Alerts
@InstaNewsAlerts

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told Israeli leaders that it was critical for them to begin transitioning their campaign in Gaza to more precise, targeted operations. (WSJ)

Unguided ‘dumb bombs’ used in almost half of Israeli strikes on Gaza
Washington Post, Dec 14, 2023

Almost half of the munitions Israel has used in Gaza since the war began have been unguided bombs, a U.S. intelligence assessment has found, a ratio that some arms experts say helps explain the conflict’s enormous civilian death toll. The revelation comes as U.S. and Israeli officials engage in intensifying conversations about the sequencing of military operations in the two-month conflict.

The Israel Defense Forces has fired more than 29,000 air-to-ground munitions into the Palestinian enclave since Oct. 7, and only 55 to 60 percent of them have been precision-guided, according to a new assessment from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The rest were what are known as “dumb bombs,” said two people familiar with the assessment who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter.

The use of so many unguided bombs, first reported by CNN, is a concern among humanitarian groups and others amid growing calls inside and outside the United States for Washington to condition any further military aid to Israel on the immediate reduction of civilian deaths.

Nearly 18,800 people have been killed and almost 51,000 wounded in Gaza over the past two months, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Under international law, weapons are considered indiscriminate if they cannot be directed at military targets.

“It is challenging in the best of circumstances to differentiate between valid military targets and civilians” there, said Brian Castner, senior crisis adviser and weapons investigator at Amnesty International. “And so just under basic rules of discretion, the Israeli military should be using the most precise weapons that it can that it has available and be using the smallest weapon appropriate for the target.”

Israel has been using “very, very large weapons,” Castner said. “And so when you’re using that in a densely populated area, even if you hit your valid military target, you’re far more likely to kill civilians nearby.”

More:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/12/14/israel-unguided-dumb-bombs-gaza/

[Right_in_Virginia]

Sullivan: Israel’s bombings in Gaza must ‘match its intent’ to protect civilians; revamped PA should ultimately rule
Times of Israel, Dec 14, 2023

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, interviewed on Channel 12 news, is asked about the differing US and Israeli visions for post-war Gaza, with US President Joe Biden speaking of a revitalized Palestinian Authority and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposing a PA role.

Sullivan says the US view “is that ultimately governance of the West Bank and Gaza needs to be connected, and it needs to be connected under a revamped and revitalized Palestinian Authority.”

Pressed on what exactly this means, Sullivan says, “It will require reform. It will require an updating of how the Palestinian Authority approaches governance. It will require the participation of other countries in the region to contribute financial resources and other forms of support.”

[...]

Elaborates Sullivan: “The president was saying that Israel’s intent is to conduct that campaign in a way that distinguishes between innocent Palestinians and Hamas. And what he would like to see as this campaign unfolds is that the results of the bombing campaign and the ground campaign match that intent.”


More:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/sullivan-israels-bombings-in-gaza-must-match-its-intent-to-protect-civilians-revamped-pa-should-ultimately-rule/

[Right_in_Virginia]

IDF suspends several troops for singing Hanukkah songs into Jenin mosque loudspeakers
Times of Israel, Dec 14, 2033

The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday suspended several soldiers who appeared on video singing Hanukkah songs over the loudspeaker system in a mosque in the West Bank city of Jenin.

Footage circulating online showed the soldiers singing Hanukkah songs and the Jewish prayer “Shema Yisrael” (Hear, O Israel).

The IDF said the soldiers were removed from operational duty immediately after their commanders saw and investigated the videos.

Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef also denounced the incident, calling on the military’s top chaplain “to explain to soldiers that they must not harm the religious sentiments of the adherents of other faiths.”

The IDF is aware of at least three cases of uninvolved Palestinians being killed by troops in recent weeks, and a handful of cases of settlers killing Palestinians, which are still under investigation.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-suspends-troops-for-singing-hanukkah-songs-into-jenin-mosque-loudspeakers/

[Right_in_Virginia]

The Guardian Updates
4h ago
18.09 EST

Summary

It is just after 1.00 am in Gaza.

Here’s what happened today:

Joe Biden said that he wants Israel to stay focused on how to save civilian lives in Gaza. “I want them to be focused on how to save civilian lives, not stop going after Hamas, but to be more careful,” the US president said on Thursday.

Biden’s national security adviser advised Israel to end its ground campaign in Gaza, and carry out a more targeted offensive in its war in Gaza, the New York Times reported. Jake Sullivan advised Israel to change its war tactics within three weeks or less.

A spokesperson for the White House said that it wants Israel’s war in Gaza to “end as soon as possible”, but added that the US is not dictating a timeline on when the fighting should end to Israel.

All communication and internet services were completely cut off in Gaza, Palestinian telecommunication companies announced on Thursday. The latest update came from the territory’s main telecommunication companies, Paltel and Jawwal.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Thursday that soldiers faced discipline after violating the IDF’s code of conduct during an “operational activity” near a mosque in the city of Jenin. The IDF soldiers were seen on video singing Hanukkah songs in a mosque they had raided.

Thank you for reading.

My colleague in Australia will now be handling updates to this blog.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Israel tells US it needs ‘months’ to defeat Hamas
The Guardian, Dec 14, 2023

Israel will fight on until “absolute victory against Hamas”, the country’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told a senior official from the Biden administration, as another minister said the war could last “more than several months”.

Netanyahu’s comments were made to Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden’s national security adviser, during a visit to Israel hours after its defence minister, Yoav Gallant, told Sullivan that many more months were needed to defeat Hamas in Gaza.

A statement from Netanyahu’s office said: “I told our American friends – our heroic fighters have not fallen in vain. From the deep pain of their falling, we are more determined than ever to continue to fight until Hamas is eliminated – until absolute victory.”

Gallant earlier told Sullivan, apparently contradicting bullish daily updates from Israel’s military about the progress of its campaign, that the war “will require a period of time – it will last more than several months”. He said Hamas had “built infrastructure under the ground and above the ground and it is not easy to destroy them”.

[...]

After his meeting with Gallant, Sullivan declined to give details of the talks, but described the conversation as constructive and said there was a “wide degree of convergence” on strategic objectives and steps needed.

Speaking to Israel’s Channel 12 TV station, Sullivan said the Gaza Strip should be brought under a “revamped and revitalised” Palestinian Authority – another point of contention between Washington and Tel Aviv.

Netanyahu has said there is “disagreement” with Washington over how Gaza would be governed after the war and suggested Israel would retain “overall security responsibility” for the territory.

A poll of Israelis, published on the day of Sullivan’s visit, revealed widespread dissatisfaction with Netanyahu’s handling of US-Israel relations during the war. About 43% disapproved of Netanyahu’s treatment of Biden with 36% supporting, according to a Maariv/Jerusalem Post poll conducted this week.


More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/14/israel-tells-us-it-needs-months-to-defeat-hamas

[mountaineer]

Visegrád 24
@visegrad24
BREAKING:  The Israeli Army has taken over the headquarters of Hamas’ Shejaiya Battalion.
After securing it, the command and control center was blown to pieces
4:45 AM · Dec 15, 2023

[Elderberry]

Israel Radar
@IsraelRadar_com
·
IDF built huge war logistics center inside Gaza, @MaarivOnline
 reports; this is the 1st military supply center outside Israel since 1982 Lebanon war, allowing army to enhance Gaza ops without depending on longer supply lines. via @MaarivOnline

[Elderberry]

i24NEWS English

@i24NEWS_EN·
·
 IDF announces the rescue of the bodies of the abductees, the late Elia Toledano, the late Corporal Nick Beiser and the late Sergeant Ron Sherman who were murdered under #Hamas captivity after being kidnapped on #October7

https://twitter.com/i24NEWS_EN/status/1735579531375747155

[Elderberry]

Israel Radar

@IsraelRadar_com
·
IDF forces take over HQ of Shujaiya battalion, considered strongest Hamas fighting force; armored & commando forces raid terror sites in the heart of Khan Younis, kill numerous terrorists, locate tunnels with motorcycles used in Oct. 7 attack. via @idfonline

[Elderberry]

Israel Radar

@IsraelRadar_com·

IDF sends in bulldozers for massive demolition of buildings in Shujaiya; army determined to ensure that no observation towers or surveillance posts remain in this Hamas stronghold near Israeli border. via @Nadav_Eyal
 
Israel Radar
@IsraelRadar_com
·
IDF forces take over HQ of Shujaiya battalion, considered strongest Hamas fighting force; armored & commando forces raid terror sites in the heart of Khan Younis, kill numerous terrorists, locate tunnels with motorcycles used in Oct. 7 attack. via @idfonline