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Israel Radar@IsraelRadar_com·54mRocket alerts activated in Jerusalem area for first time in 6 weeks, @N12News reports; rocket attacks down sharply as IDF takes over more terror hubs, destroys launch sites; but some of Hamas rocket arsenal still intact, mostly in central & southern Gaza.
https://twitter.com/IsraelRadar_com/status/1735675654534746372
Israel Radar@IsraelRadar_com·2hIDF intercepts rockets fired from Lebanon, targets terror sites & operatives near border; Minister Gantz warns: If world fails to keep Hezbollah away from border, Israel will do it. via @N12News
Israel Radar@IsraelRadar_com·4hUS objects to permanent Israeli buffer zone inside Gaza, @ynetalerts reports; Washington willing to accept temporary security zone, ongoing Israeli strikes & raids to destroy remaining Hamas forces.
i24NEWS English@i24NEWS_EN🔴IDF: Troops expose a terrorist ambush that used dolls with speakers playing crying sounds as a lureThe dolls were placed intentionally near a tunnel shaft connecting to a large tunnel network that extends under other nearby civilian structures and to a Hamas command center equipped with cameras that were monitoring IDF troopshttps://twitter.com/i24NEWS_EN/status/1735652118919315496
Israel Radar 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
Fire burns in Gaza, as seen from southern Israel, December 15, 2023(photo credit: REUTERS/CLODAGH KILCOYNE)Source: Jerusalem Post
Aerial picture showing the wreckage of houses in Gaza.Source: The Guardian
i24NEWS EnglishIsrael reportedly turned to Egypt as a mediator instead of Qatar 'Qatar is dangerous, but I guess that it has more influence on Hamas than Egypt. They showed they can bring back our hostages,' says Frmr. Shin Bet coordinator @GONE
'Buying Quiet’: Inside the Israeli Plan That Propped Up HamasPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gambled that a strong Hamas (but not too strong) would keep the peace and reduce pressure for a Palestinian state.NY Times, Dec 10, 2023Just weeks before Hamas launched the deadly Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, the head of Mossad arrived in Doha, Qatar, for a meeting with Qatari officials.For years, the Qatari government had been sending millions of dollars a month into the Gaza Strip — money that helped prop up the Hamas government there. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel not only tolerated those payments, he had encouraged them.During his meetings in September with the Qatari officials, according to several people familiar with the secret discussions, the Mossad chief, David Barnea, was asked a question that had not been on the agenda: Did Israel want the payments to continue?Mr. Netanyahu’s government had recently decided to continue the policy, so Mr. Barnea said yes. The Israeli government still welcomed the money from Doha.Allowing the payments — billions of dollars over roughly a decade — was a gamble by Mr. Netanyahu that a steady flow of money would maintain peace in Gaza, the eventual launching point of the Oct. 7 attacks, and keep Hamas focused on governing, not fighting.The Qatari payments, while ostensibly a secret, have been widely known and discussed in the Israeli news media for years. Mr. Netanyahu’s critics disparage them as part of a strategy of “buying quiet,” and the policy is in the middle of a ruthless reassessment following the attacks. Mr. Netanyahu has lashed back at that criticism, calling the suggestion that he tried to empower Hamas “ridiculous.”In interviews with more than two dozen current and former Israeli, American and Qatari officials, and officials from other Middle Eastern governments, The New York Times unearthed new details about the origins of the policy, the controversies that erupted inside the Israeli government and the lengths that Mr. Netanyahu went to in order to shield the Qataris from criticism and keep the money flowing.The payments were part of a string of decisions by Israeli political leaders, military officers and intelligence officials — all based on the fundamentally flawed assessment that Hamas was neither interested in nor capable of a large-scale attack.[...]As far back as December 2012, Mr. Netanyahu told the prominent Israeli journalist Dan Margalit that it was important to keep Hamas strong, as a counterweight to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. Mr. Margalit, in an interview, said that Mr. Netanyahu told him that having two strong rivals, including Hamas, would lessen pressure on him to negotiate toward a Palestinian state.The official in the prime minister’s office said Mr. Netanyahu never made this statement. But the prime minister would articulate this idea to others over the years.More:https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/10/world/middleeast/israel-qatar-money-prop-up-hamas.html
Trey Yingst@TreyYingstThe IDF says that Israeli forces shot and killed three hostages today in northern Gaza after they were mistakenly identified as Hamas fighters.
The Guardian Updates 9m ago13.31 ESTIsrael Defense Forces: IDF mistakenly kills three Israeli hostagesThe Israel Defense Forces announced on Friday that it “mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat, as a result the force fired at them and they were killed.”In a statement released on Friday, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari wrote:“During the fighting in Shejaiya, an IDF force mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat. As a result the force fired at them and they were killed.During a scan and inspection of the area of the incident, a suspicion arose regarding the identity of the dead. The bodies were taken for examination in Israeli territory, after which it turned out that they were three Israeli hostages.”Two of the hostages who were killed have been identified as Yotam Haim and Samer Talalka, according to the IDF. It added that a “message was also given to the family of the third abductee, at whose request his name will not be given now.”The IDF said that is has begun “investigating the incident immediately.”
https://twitter.com/i24NEWS_EN/status/1735688786640539814
i24NEWS English@i24NEWS_EN·'Hamas has lost the war, it has lost Gaza... It has lost the sympathy of the population... They have lost the war but they don't know it yet. Sinwar is completely disconnected from reality,' says Frmr. IDF intelligence officer Raphaël Jerusalmyhttps://twitter.com/i24NEWS_EN/status/1735599412330557894
Israel Defense Forces@IDF·49mDuring combat in Shejaiya, the IDF mistakenly identified 3 Israeli hostages as a threat and as a result, fired toward them and the hostages were killed. 1/1
Israel Defense Forces@IDFTheir bodies were transferred to Israeli territory for examination where it was confirmed that they were 3 Israeli hostages and were identified: Yotam Haim, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza by the Hamas terrorist organization on October 7.Samer Talalka, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Am by the Hamas terrorist organization on October 7.The third hostages’ family has been notified and requested that his name will not be broadcasted. IDF and Israel Police representatives have notified all of the families. 2/2
Israel Defense Forces@IDFThe IDF began reviewing the incident immediately. The IDF emphasizes that this is an active combat zone in which ongoing fighting over the last few days has occurred. Immediate lessons from the event have been learned, which have been passed on to all IDF troops in the field. The IDF expresses deep remorse over the tragic incident and sends the families its heartfelt condolences. Our national mission is to locate the missing and return all the hostages home. 3/3
Israel Radar@IsraelRadar_comIDF stunned by scope of terror tunnel network in Gaza; Israeli forces discover massive underground spaces used as command centers, weapons production & storage sites. via @tallevram
'Buying Quiet’: Inside the Israeli Plan That Propped Up HamasPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gambled that a strong Hamas (but not too strong) would keep the peace and reduce pressure for a Palestinian state.NY Times, Dec 10, 2023Just weeks before Hamas launched the deadly Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, the head of Mossad arrived in Doha, Qatar, for a meeting with Qatari officials.For years, the Qatari government had been sending millions of dollars a month into the Gaza Strip — money that helped prop up the Hamas government there. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel not only tolerated those payments, he had encouraged them.During his meetings in September with the Qatari officials, according to several people familiar with the secret discussions, the Mossad chief, David Barnea, was asked a question that had not been on the agenda: Did Israel want the payments to continue?Mr. Netanyahu’s government had recently decided to continue the policy, so Mr. Barnea said yes. The Israeli government still welcomed the money from Doha.Allowing the payments — billions of dollars over roughly a decade — was a gamble by Mr. Netanyahu that a steady flow of money would maintain peace in Gaza, the eventual launching point of the Oct. 7 attacks, and keep Hamas focused on governing, not fighting.The Qatari payments, while ostensibly a secret, have been widely known and discussed in the Israeli news media for years. Mr. Netanyahu’s critics disparage them as part of a strategy of “buying quiet,” and the policy is in the middle of a ruthless reassessment following the attacks. Mr. Netanyahu has lashed back at that criticism, calling the suggestion that he tried to empower Hamas “ridiculous.”In interviews with more than two dozen current and former Israeli, American and Qatari officials, and officials from other Middle Eastern governments, The New York Times unearthed new details about the origins of the policy, the controversies that erupted inside the Israeli government and the lengths that Mr. Netanyahu went to in order to shield the Qataris from criticism and keep the money flowing.The payments were part of a string of decisions by Israeli political leaders, military officers and intelligence officials — all based on the fundamentally flawed assessment that Hamas was neither interested in nor capable of a large-scale attack.[...]As far back as December 2012, Mr. Netanyahu told the prominent Israeli journalist Dan Margalit that it was important to keep Hamas strong, as a counterweight to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. Mr. Margalit, in an interview, said that Mr. Netanyahu told him that having two strong rivals, including Hamas, would lessen pressure on him to negotiate toward a Palestinian state.More:https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/10/world/middleeast/israel-qatar-money-prop-up-hamas.html
https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/1735741100000694563
How tragic for the hostages, their families...and the soldiers that made the error.
Israel Radar@IsraelRadar_com·27mIDF stunned by scope of terror tunnel network in Gaza; Israeli forces discover massive underground spaces used as command centers, weapons production & storage sites. via @tallevram
American tax dollars at work.
Scoop: Israel's Mossad chief expected to meet Qatari PM to resume hostage talksAdios, Dec 15, 2023Israel's Mossad spy agency director David Barnea is expected to meet Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Europe this weekend to discuss resuming negotiations of a deal to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, two sources briefed on the issue said.Why it matters: It would be the first meeting between senior Israeli and Qatari officials since the collapse of the seven-day ceasefire that led to the expansion of the Israeli military operation to southern Gaza.Israel's return to the table suggests it is ready to try to explore a new hostage deal. The previous deal was derailed two weeks ago after Hamas refused to release the remaining women it is holding hostage. Hamas blamed Israel for the collapse and said the women Israel proposed be released were IDF soldiers.Driving the news: On Friday, the IDF announced three Israeli hostages were mistakenly killed in Gaza by IDF soldiers.The IDF said the three might have managed to escape or were abandoned by their Hamas captives during fierce fighting in northern Gaza.Shortly after the IDF statement, several family members of hostages still held by Hamas publicly called on the government to present a new plan for a new deal to secure their release as soon as possible.Hamas is still holding more than 130 hostages. More than 100 were released as part of a deal that paused the fighting in Gaza for seven days.Behind the scenes: Qatari mediators contacted Israeli officials last weekend to see whether there was interest in relaunching indirect talks with Hamas over a new deal, Axios reported earlier this week.The mediators checked with the Israeli negotiating team about whether Israel would agree to a deal that would allow the release of the remaining female hostages in exchange for a pause in fighting lasting longer than a day, according to Israeli sources.One source said such a deal could include "humanitarian elements," such as the release of elderly men and those with serious medical conditions, or the release of hostages who are seriously wounded.Last weekend after the initial Qatari proposal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the members of the war cabinet decided against the Mossad chief traveling to Qatar.After a backlash to the decision, Netanyahu changed course and allowed Barnea to engage with the Qataris.Israel expressed willingness to discuss a new agreement that would include the release of the remaining women they'd asked for in the previous deal, an Israeli source said.https://www.axios.com/2023/12/15/israel-mossad-qatar-prime-minister-hostage-negotiations
