Day 168 — Friday, March 22

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer was interviewed today (Thursday) on Dan Senior’s ‘Call Me Back’ podcast and said that the IDF will enter Rafah even if it comes at the cost of harming relations with the US.

“What you saw on October 7th was a genocidal force that wants to wipe out all the Jews, and it’s the first pogrom that we’ve had since the birth of the State of Israel,” Dermer said. “The fundamental promise of this country, in my view is not just that Jews return to their ancestral homeland, it’s that we have the ability to defend ourselves.”

“In a fundamental way, that promise was broken on October 7, and I think our job is to restore that promise,” he said. “That means utterly dismantling the terror organization of Hamas in Gaza.”

“It’s gonna happen. And it will happen even if Israel is forced to fight alone, even if the entire world turns on Israel, including the United States,” Dermer declared.

According to Dermer, “There’s only one possible force that could stop Israel, and that’ the Israeli people.”

Dermer emphasized that there is no way to end the war without entering Rafah, where a quarter of the military strength Hamas had before the war is currently based.

“We’ll go into Rafah because we have to dismantle Hamas’s’ military capabilities. If you leave four battalions in Rafah. you’ve lost the war. And Israel’s not going to lose the war. With or without the United States, we’re not gonna do it (lose the war).

“We have no choice. I think what people don’t understand is that October 7th is an existential moment for Israel,” he said.

Arutz Sheva

Day 167 — Thursday March 21

While Hamas has experienced major disappointments at home, they’re encouraged by what they are seeing overseas. The Canadian government announced Tuesday that it will halt future arms exports to Israel. While disappointing, it is not surprising. With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in charge, it was not a matter of “if” but “when”. The sentiments of much of Western Europe are trending strongly in the same direction as Canada.

Of greatest concern is the intentional drift of the United States from Israel, led by the woke liberal left. Last week, in a speech highly critical of Israel’s handling of the war, US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he better straighten up his act. Otherwise, “the United States will have no choice but to play a more active role in shaping Israeli policy by using our leverage to change the present course.” He also included in his speech a call for early elections in Israel. This prompted Netanyahu to remind the senator that Israeli elections fall under the purview of the Israeli people, adding, “We’re not a banana republic.”

But it is not just Schumer who is trying to insert the United States into critical Israeli decision-making. Both President Joe Biden and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made it clear that the IDF going into Rafah would be a big mistake. Biden even went so far as to call it a “red line” before backtracking and saying, “So there is no red line…”, and then adding, “But there’s red lines….” Um, thanks for the clarification. Netanyahu responded by assuring the US administration and the Israeli people that Israel will be going into Rafah. He added, “You know, I have a red line. You know what the red line is? That October 7 doesn’t happen again. Never happens again.”

Day 167 — Thursday March 21

Antisemitism in European cities is reaching 1930s levels and London is the worst of them all, an Israeli government minister says, warning of mass migration, radicalisation, and the hard left coming together and “serious consequences” for inaction.

The growth of antisemitism in Britain is “terrifying”, says Israeli government figure Amichai Chikli, who warns freedom of speech is being extinguished in the old “beacon of light and democracy”. “Wokeism”-infected London is now the “most antisemitic place in the West”, the Diaspora and Antisemitism Minister said, counselling the United Kingdom and other Western nations to take another look at their open borders polities and soft-touch approach to extremism.

London has become particularly hard-hit by hate, Chikli said, because the “radicalised Islamist” minority has coalesced with the hard left, reports The Jewish Chronicle. He told a meeting of visiting European journalists in Israel: “The anti-Semitism we see today in the West is the worst since the 1930s and it is because of a ‘red and green’ alliance – the combination of the radical Left and the radical Islam groups that work together.”

He went on to say that while London is “a centre of Western civilisation, the country of the Magna Carta and one of the leading democracies of the West with a rich legacy of freedom of speech, of human rights. But it seems what is happening now in Britain is that freedom of speech no longer exists.” Jews in London hide their faith for fear of attacks, he said, while reflecting on the febrile atmosphere in the city in recent months and years, and particularly since Hamas launched a massive terrorist attack on Israel last year.

Chikli’s comments follow others by the UK’s Commissioner for Countering Extremism Robin Simcox, who said London became a “no-go zone for Jews every weekend” because of the attitudes and aggression on display at the weekly anti-Israel protests in Westminster. He said earlier this month: “Anti-Semitism skyrocketing… Protests [are] becoming ever more vociferous, with “from the river to the sea” beamed onto the side of Big Ben during a vote on Gaza.”

The Community Security Trust, a Jewish charity in the United Kingdom, said it has been told by many British Jews that they now avoid central London while demonstrations are taking place. A spokesman for the group said he was one of those who felt he couldn’t be in London’s capital because of the environment, saying: “I don’t go into town when there’s these demonstrations… We hear all about the right of protesters to demonstrate, but God forbid anybody say anything against them. Then you will find out about your freedom of speech.”

Chikli urged the United Kingdom and other Western states to take action towards the key contributing factors of rising antisemitism. While he emphasised most Muslims “have nothing to do with hard-line Islamism”, nevertheless he said “the dangers of open immigration [is] allowing extremism to build up”. This is in part down to a failure of integration, Chikli said, continuing that: “If you think that anyone who is coming now from Algeria or Iraq or Syria can be part of Western liberal society just by crossing the border – you need to understand that it is not that simple… It is extremely dangerous for Western countries to have this approach. Many organisations can take advantage of it… What is happening in the mosques? In the schools?”.

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan hit back at the Israeli government man’s comments through a representative, reports GB News, which recorded him as saying that while rising antisemitism is a problem, so is anti-Muslim hate. The spokesman said: “The Mayor speaks with members of the Jewish community regularly, and despite their ongoing and real concerns, most don’t agree with the extent of the language used by the minister.”

The remarks from Israeli minister Chikli are not by far his first on the subject, and British establishment news outlets have generally described him as “controversial” and “inflammatory” for his past comments. As previously reported, Chikli has called on Jews worldwide to proudly display articles of their faith in public and not be afraid, and has affirmed his view that “the overwhelming majority” of antisemitism spread online by the pro-Palestine left.

Breitbart

Day 167 — Thursday March 21

A Palestinian Arab man who was planning a suicide bombing attack in the “immediate time-frame” was arrested near Jericho, security officials announced this evening (Thursday).

Border Police officers acting on intelligence provided by the Shin Bet carried out the arrest before the bombing plot could be carried out.

An undercover force operated in the Aqbat Jabr camp near Jericho. The officers approached the suspect’s home. Upon seeing them, the suspect attempted to flee and was apprehended after a brief pursuit.

During the operation, gunmen opened fire on and threw explosives at the police forces, prompting them to return fire. Three terrorists were neutralized and one was reportedly killed.

This is the second time this month that a terrorist plot to carry out a suicide bombing in the near future was stopped. Ten days ago, it was reported that Muhammad Jabar, a resident of Jenin, was eliminated in the town of Zeita while on his way to Israel in order to carry out a suicide attack.

Arutz Sheva

Day 167 — Thursday March 21

The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had conducted an airstrike against Palestinian terrorists in Jenin, the northern West Bank, killing four terrorists.

They were hit while driving a car in Jenin’s refugee camp.

One of those killed was identified as Ahmed Barakat, the commander of the Jenin Battalion, who was responsible for perpetrating the terrorist attack that killed Meir Tamari last year.

Muhammad Hawashin, a senior commander in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad responsible for the organization’s infrastructure in the Jenin area, also died in the attack.

The two other terrorists were behind a thwarted attack planning in Israel on March 11, and another bombing attack against IDF forces on March 8 that wounded seven soldiers in the West Bank.

“The IDF and the Shin Bet will continue to work to remove any threat and thwart terrorist infrastructures that work to carry out murderous attacks and will also bring to justice those that will harm the citizens of Israel,” a joint statement said.

🔴WATCH: CCTV footage of the Israeli airstrike on a vehicle in the West Bank city of Jenin

📹-27A pic.twitter.com/Kn623NRsK7

— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) March 20, 2024

i24 News

Day 167 — Thursday March 21

A new poll of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza shows that 71% still approve of the terror attack by Hamas on October 7 — a result that is almost unchanged since the same poll was taken late last year, though there have been geographic changes.

The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research Poll conducted a survey among 1580 adults using face-to-face interviews in both the West Bank (830 respondents) and Gaza (750 respondents), with a 3% margin of error.

The results were as follows, according to the pollster (emphasis removed):

As we did in our previous poll three months ago, we asked the respondents in this poll what they thought of Hamas’ decision to launch the October the 7th offensive. A vast majority of 71%, compared to 72% in December 2023, say it was correct. However, despite the stability of the total response, the findings do show significant change when looking at the two areas separately. As the figure below shows, the perception that the decision of the offensive was correct drops in the West Bank by 11 points and increases in the Gaza Strip by 14 points.

The poll found that respondents were unaware of Hamas atrocities:

As we have found in the previous poll, almost all Palestinians think Israel is committing war crimes while almost all believe Hamas is not committing war crimes in the current war. Moreover, more than 90% believe that Hamas did not commit any atrocities against Israel civilians during its October the 7th offensive. Only one in five Palestinians has seen videos showing atrocities committed by Hamas. Only one fifth of those who did not see the videos had access to such videos but decided not to see them; the rest report that the media they watched did not show these videos. The findings show that those who have seen the videos are almost 10 times more likely to think that Hamas men have committed atrocities on October 7.

Other findings are also interesting, such as that a majority of Gaza residents support continued Hamas control of the Gaza Strip.

U.S. President Joe Biden has claimed that the majority of Palestinians are “not Hamas.”

A majority of respondents also expected that Hamas would “win” the war.

breitbart

Day 166 — Wednesday March 20

At the root of the word antisemitism is the word “Semite,” and the Semites were the descendants of Shem, one of Noah’s three sons. Genesis 6:10 tells us, “And Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.” The Semites were the ancestors of both the Jews and the Arabs. If someone is of Semitic descent, it means that they have either Jewish or Arab lineage. It is worth to note that when the word is used as the compound word, “antisemitic,” it never includes the Arabs but just the Jews.

The definition that I have arrived at, after more than two decades in that field, is as follows:” Antisemitism is the irrational and demonic hatred of Israel and the Jewish people, characterized by thoughts, words, and/or deeds against them.” It was satisfactory to me for quite a long time until a few years ago, when I decided to add two words that have become critical to that definition: irrational and demonic.

In all the volumes I own on that topic (more than 400), I have found almost no scholar or theologian mentioning a spiritual component to antisemitism. I have learned much over the years about the history, geography, sociology, and morphing of the oldest hatred, but I extremely rarely see the spiritual aspect of it all being addressed. Yet, we have to recognize that antisemitism is very irrational, and that is because it is from Satan himself.

It is actually not that complicated. I believe that Satan adheres to the pre-tribulational, premillennial view of the end times. He knows the Bible better than most of us, and as a result, he is well aware that, at the end of the tribulation, when surviving Israel calls upon Yeshua, the Messiah returns with the Saints, who would’ve been raptured seven years prior, and this is pretty much the end of Satan’s career. Yes, my friend, Yeshua will not return until Israel calls upon him, according to Zechariah 12:10: “And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn..“

As I have mentioned before, he really doesn’t care for his retirement plan. Simply put, Satan will do everything he can to prevent Yeshua from returning, and since he understands that it is hinging around Israel calling on the Messiah, Satan has worked overtime to destroy the Jews and turn the Church against them. It is fair to say that he has done a lot of damage toward that goal so far, but we would be naive to believe that antisemitism only affects Israel and the Jews.

Antisemitism is now crossing all borders. I believe that not only does antisemitism affect the Jewish people globally, but it is also becoming a threat to the friends and supporters of the Jewish people and of Israel.

Day 166 — Wednesday March 20

Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly declared on Tuesday that Canada would discontinue future arms exports to Israel.

This decision follows the passage of a non-binding motion in the House of Commons urging the cessation of military aid to Israel, as reported by the Toronto Star.

In response to Canada’s announcement, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz expressed regret, condemning the move as undermining Israel’s right to self-defense against Hamas terrorist.

Katz emphasized Israel’s ongoing fight against Hamas until the group is eradicated and all abductees are returned home.

“It is unfortunate that the Canadian government is taking a step that undermines Israel’s right to self-defense against the Hamas murderers who have committed terrible crimes against humanity and against innocent Israeli citizens, including the elderly, women and children. History will judge the Canadian government’s current move harshly. The State of Israel will continue to fight until Hamas is destroyed and all abductees are returned home,” Katz stated.

Canada’s parliamentary motion, initially proposed by the left-leaning New Democrats (NDP), called for the international community to pursue a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, last-minute revisions were made to the language, removing explicit support for Palestinian statehood.

After negotiations between the NDP and the ruling Liberal Party, the revised motion passed with a vote of 204 to 117. The amended motion now calls on the international community to work towards the establishment of a Palestinian state within the framework of a two-state solution.

i24 News

Day 165 — Tuesday March 19

“Hamas is ‘pimping’ Palestinians to be ‘implements of war’ against Israel,” California Pastor Jack Hibbs said this weekend, while he criticized Hamas for exploiting Palestinians in their conflict with Israel.

Hibbs argued, in his sermon, published by the Christian Post, and broadcasted on YouTube, that Hamas is using Palestinians as “implements of war” and accuses the group of hiding behind civilians to achieve its goals.

Furthermore, he expressed sympathy for Palestinians caught in this situation and emphasized the importance of Israel in biblical prophecy, suggesting attacks on Israel are akin to challenging God.

The sermon also touched on the recent violence between Hamas and Israel, including a significant number of casualties on both sides and accusations of Hamas using civilians as human shields.

“Hamas is responsible for what’s going on in Israel right now,” he added. 

“Hamas is pimping Palestinians to achieve its goal… Just as it has historically always hidden behind women and children, daycare centers, and hospitals to do what it does, so it’s using Palestinian people today… Tragically, they are being used as pawns and implements of war.”

He added, “Hamas and Hezbollah are ‘poking God in the eye’ when they attack Israel.”

Jerusalem Post

Day 165 — Tuesday March 19

It is a very busy news week in the world’s most chaotic and volatile region—the Middle East.

First and foremost, various media outlets in the region, in particular, Syrian State media run by Bashar al-Assad and also Israel’s Channel 11 broadcaster, report that Russian forces are moving closer to the Israel-Syria border.

Now, a quick reminder: Russian forces have been in Syria since September 2015. They entered the Syrian Civil War basically to save Bashar al-Assad’s hide. Assad eventually prevailed in that Civil War and the Russian incursion into Syria was the game changer.

Well, guess what? Surprise, surprise, Russian forces have not left nearly nine years later. They are still in Syria and are the most powerful force in that country where a number of regional actors have a footprint—the Iranian regime and Hezbollah foremost among them. Turkey is in Syria as well, and in the past, ISIS and Al-Qaeda were also in the region.

Syria has been, as one friend of mine in Israel called it, a Potpourri of rogue regimes and terror groups all stationed in one place—at Israel’s doorstep.

Now, reports that Russia is stationing forces closer along Israel’s border are a cause for great concern. There are geopolitical ramifications and prophetic ramifications as well.

Why would they do that? I think a few things are going on here, folks. Number one, since October 7th, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), in particular, and the Israeli Air Force (IAF) have intensified their strikes in Syria against the Iranian regime and Hezbollah assets. The IDF and Israeli intelligence Services have great intel in Lebanon and Syria. There have been a lot of high-value targets linked to the Iranian regime that have been eliminated in the past few months.

Israel is operating more frequently and more powerfully. Many on the ground in Syria who are linked to the Iranian regime have talked about this. Middle East media outlets have taken notice of the intensifying attacks by Israelis—and these are deadly attacks.

Could it be that the Iranian and Assad regimes are essentially calling in backup? I’m not saying Russia is going to militarily get engaged against Israel in this particular situation. However, are Russian Forces trying to send a message to Israel and act as a deterrent?

If Russian forces are in the line of fire when Israel strikes Iran or Hezbollah assets in Syria, things can spiral out of control. It is a tinderbox there right now.

Day 164 — Monday March 18

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) this week after Schumer tried to meddle in Israel’s elections last week.

Netanyahu made the remarks during a Sunday interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” in response to Schumer calling for Netanyahu’s ouster.

“I think what he said is totally inappropriate,” Netanyahu said. “It’s inappropriate for to go to a sister democracy and try to replace the elected leadership there. That’s something that Israel, the Israeli public does on its own, and we’re not a banana republic.”

“I think the only government that we should be working on to bring down now is the terrorist tyranny in Gaza, the Hamas tyranny that murdered over 1,000 Israelis, including some dozens of Americans, and is holding Americans and Israelis hostage. That’s what we should be focused on,” he continued. “And as far as what Senator Schumer said, the majority of Israelis support our governments; 82 percent of Americans support Israel, instead of Hamas. But the majority of Israelis support the policies that we’re leading, go into Rafah, destroy the remaining Hamas terrorist battalions, make sure that we don’t put into Gaza, instead of Hamas, the Palestinian Authority that educates their children towards terrorism and the annihilation of Israel.”

“An enormous majority here, including 99 Knesset members to nine, oppose the idea of ramming down a Palestinian state down our throats,” Netanyahu said. “The majority of Israelis support the policies of my government. It’s not a fringe government. It represents the policies supported by the majority of the people. If Senator Schumer opposes these policies, he’s not opposing me. He’s opposing the people of Israel.”

In what was billed as a major address by the Senate majority leader, Schumer declared last week that “the Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after Oct. 7″ and, in an unprecedented move, called for a new election to be held in Israel. “Five months into this conflict, it is clear that Israelis need to take stock of the situation and ask, must we change course?” the Democrat leader said. “At this critical juncture, I believe a new election is the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of Israel.”

Schumer made the remarks as some anti-Israel Democrats have expressed dissatisfaction with the Biden administration’s support of Israel, which has been waning in recent months.

Daily Wire

Day 164 — Monday March 18

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Monday confirmed reports that Israel has killed a top Hamas commander. 

Speaking to reporters, Sullivan said Israel has made “significant progress” against Hamas, having broken battalions and killed thousands of Hamas fighters. 

Among those thousands of fighters was Hamas’ third in command, Marwan Issa, who was killed in an Israeli operation last week. 

Fox news

Day 164 — Monday March 18

Israel Police’s Lowlands division conducted training exercises and security assessments throughout Israel’s Northwest in recent weeks. These precautions are due to the ongoing warnings of possible Palestinian terrorist infiltrations into Jewish settlements within the region.

Since the infiltration of Hamas terrorists into Israeli territory on October 7, police units have been preparing for any possible scenario of high-risk terrorist attacks. This comes following previous reports that under Hamas’s original plan, attacks would occur beyond Gaza but throughout the West Bank as well, perpetrated by local terror cells and allies.

Jenin, located in the northwestern part of the West Bank, has become, in recent years, a hotbed for terrorist activity. The IDF and Shin Bet killed a Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist in Jenin in a drone strike in late February en route to committing a shooting attack likely on Israeli forces.

In January, three Palestinian men were killed in a hospital by Israeli commandos, with one being a member of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. 

As of last week, over 3,500 terror suspects have been arrested or killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank, with many affiliated with Hamas and other terrorist groups, since Operation Swords of Iron began.

Avi Daniel, Commander of Israel Police’s Lowland Region, discussed the readiness of the security forces if a possible infiltration occurs, saying, “We are exceptionally strong and prepared for any scenario and intrusion.”

Timur Yagudaev, commander of the Israel Police Special Patrol Unit (Yasam) in the Lowlands district, stated that “following the events on October 7, we learned our lessons and understood that events could be in multiple locations with many injured with Magen David Adom (MDA) not being able to reach them.

By building a week of operational and tactical medicine capabilities, we will be able to save the lives of wounded soldiers and civilians until their evacuation to a hospital.”

These exercise drills are held to ensure the readiness of all security and healthcare personnel in case of a possible attack on a Jewish settlement while being prepared for the worst-case scenario.

Yasam district fighters from the Valleys, Sharon, and Tel Aviv regions took part in the exercise drill, as did members from MDA, the emergency standby squad of the Gadish settlement, and the sabotage unit of the Israeli police. One of the possible scenarios conducted in the exercises included an infiltration into an Israeli settlement along the Green Line with the possibility of taking control over Israeli citizens.

Jerusalem post 

Day 163 — Sunday March 17

Ezekiel 37:11-12 KJV – “Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.”

Ezekiel was told to preach to a bunch of people in graves—talk about a dead audience. They come alive, and God says, this is my people coming back to their land again.

It is interesting how they will say, “Our hope is lost.” One of the greatest tragedies in human history was the Holocaust, which took place during World War II. I don’t know if the United States understood the full impact of what was happening to the Jewish people throughout Europe.

Hitler had come up with this idea, which was implemented by those who assisted him, men like Adolf Eichmann, Heinrich Himmler, and others, to bring about what they called the “final solution.” And this “final solution” was the complete eradication of the Jewish race from Europe.

They wanted to kill as many Jewish people as possible. They thought of them as subhuman. At first, they had German soldiers shoot them, but they didn’t have the stomach for it. They needed a more, shall we say, efficient way of doing it. Then, they came up with the horrific death camps—these concentration camps with names like Treblinka, Ravensbruck, and, of course, the famed Auschwitz, where 6 million Jewish men, women, and children were gassed, shot, tortured, experimented on, and put to death.

This was devastating for the Jewish people globally. But an amazing thing began to happen.

Despite this horrible tragedy, Jewish people began to realize, perhaps for the first time collectively, “we cannot expect others to protect us. No one will stand up for us. We need to get back to our land.” And the Jews began to return to Israel on May 14, 1948.

History was made when Israel became a nation.

That was not the first time Israel was a nation; she had been a nation for thousands of years, but she was born again as a nation, reunified as a people, and the prophetic time clock started to tick. It was a very significant moment.

Day 163 — Sunday March 17

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi warned Israel is in a multi-front war and that incidents on one front can impact others, with the military fighting in Gaza, the West Bank, and along the northern borders.

Speaking Friday to Border Police officers in the West Bank, Halevi noted security forces were on heightened alert due to the Muslim month of Ramadan, with Hamas trying to stoke unrest in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

“We are more alert this month. Really be very vigilant, very careful, with very good security,” Halevi said in a video released Saturday by the IDF. “We are in a multi-front war, Lebanon, Syria, Judea and Samaria [West Bank], and Gaza, and more distant things.”

“Everyone, every soldier… has responsibility for all the arenas, because every incident that happens in one of the arenas really affects and can cause [developments] in other areas as well,” he added.

War erupted when Hamas-led terrorists rampaged through southern communities on October 7, slaughtering some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 253 captives to Gaza, where over half remain. The devastating onslaught and the resulting Israeli offensive — aimed at eliminating Hamas and returning the hostages — have sparked fears of a regional conflagration.

The IDF said Saturday that the Nahal Infantry Brigade killed more than 250 Hamas operatives in the central Gaza Strip over the past two weeks, in gun battles and by calling in strikes by tanks and aircraft.

The Nahal Brigade is operating in the so-called Netzarim Corridor, which crosses Gaza from the Kibbutz Be’eri area to the coast. The corridor has enabled the IDF to carry out raids in northern and central Gaza.
Nahal troops with the 601st Combat Engineering Battalion have destroyed numerous Hamas assets in the area in recent weeks, including rockets, launchers, and weapons depots, the IDF said.

The IDF also said some 15 terror operatives holed up in a Hamas site in central Gaza’s Nuseirat were killed in an airstrike Friday.

The airstrike was directed by the 215th Artillery Regiment, following intelligence information about the operatives. The IDF said the regiment directed a separate airstrike, killing a Hamas sniper squad commander and another operative.

In central Gaza, the IDF said the Nahal Brigade killed some 10 gunmen over the past day.

Meanwhile, in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, the IDF said fighter jets struck and destroyed a Hamas weapons depot spotted by the 7th Armored Brigade.

Also in Khan Younis, the Givati Brigade directed strikes on two Hamas operatives spotted entering and exiting a site known to be used by the terror group, the IDF said.

Times Of Israel 

Day 162 — Saturday March 16

The IDF announced that it has uncovered and destroyed a 200-meter-long terror tunnel underneath a bell pepper field in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

The tunnel was found near a residential complex in the Hamad neighborhood.

Inside the tunnel, IDF forces found weapons belonging to Hamas terrorists, including grenades, RPG missiles, explosives, rocket launchers, combat vests, and cameras.

The tunnel was destroyed by a Combat Engineering squad.

Arutz Sheva

Day 162 — Saturday March 16

Senior figures from Hamas and Yemen’s Houthi rebels held a rare meeting to discuss coordinating their actions against Israel, according to a Western report citing Palestinian sources.

This comes as Houthi spokesman Nasr Al-Din Amer announced Hamas is holding the crew of a ship seized by Yemenite jihadis in November.

The Galaxy Leader cargo ship was hijacked the Red Sea 116 days ago with the jihadists having laid siege to the ship and taken hostage the ship’s crew of 17 Filipinos, two Bulgarians, three Ukrainians, two Mexicans and a Romanian.

Hamas, a Palestinian terror group committed to Israel’s destruction, and the Yemen’s Houthi jihadists belong to the so-called “axis of resistance,” a collection of antisemitic Iran proxies hostile that also includes Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iraqi militias.

The Houthis have attacked Red Sea shipping for months since the Israel-Hamas war was triggered by the Palestinian terror group’s October 7 atrocities, saying they are targeting Israeli-linked vessels “in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.”

i24 News

Day 168 — Friday, March 22

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer was interviewed today (Thursday) on Dan Senior’s ‘Call Me Back’ podcast and said that the IDF will enter Rafah even if it comes at the cost of harming relations with the US.

“What you saw on October 7th was a genocidal force that wants to wipe out all the Jews, and it’s the first pogrom that we’ve had since the birth of the State of Israel,” Dermer said. “The fundamental promise of this country, in my view is not just that Jews return to their ancestral homeland, it’s that we have the ability to defend ourselves.”

“In a fundamental way, that promise was broken on October 7, and I think our job is to restore that promise,” he said. “That means utterly dismantling the terror organization of Hamas in Gaza.”

“It’s gonna happen. And it will happen even if Israel is forced to fight alone, even if the entire world turns on Israel, including the United States,” Dermer declared.

According to Dermer, “There’s only one possible force that could stop Israel, and that’ the Israeli people.”

Dermer emphasized that there is no way to end the war without entering Rafah, where a quarter of the military strength Hamas had before the war is currently based.

“We’ll go into Rafah because we have to dismantle Hamas’s’ military capabilities. If you leave four battalions in Rafah. you’ve lost the war. And Israel’s not going to lose the war. With or without the United States, we’re not gonna do it (lose the war).

“We have no choice. I think what people don’t understand is that October 7th is an existential moment for Israel,” he said.

Arutz Sheva

Day 167 — Thursday March 21

While Hamas has experienced major disappointments at home, they’re encouraged by what they are seeing overseas. The Canadian government announced Tuesday that it will halt future arms exports to Israel. While disappointing, it is not surprising. With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in charge, it was not a matter of “if” but “when”. The sentiments of much of Western Europe are trending strongly in the same direction as Canada.

Of greatest concern is the intentional drift of the United States from Israel, led by the woke liberal left. Last week, in a speech highly critical of Israel’s handling of the war, US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he better straighten up his act. Otherwise, “the United States will have no choice but to play a more active role in shaping Israeli policy by using our leverage to change the present course.” He also included in his speech a call for early elections in Israel. This prompted Netanyahu to remind the senator that Israeli elections fall under the purview of the Israeli people, adding, “We’re not a banana republic.”

But it is not just Schumer who is trying to insert the United States into critical Israeli decision-making. Both President Joe Biden and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made it clear that the IDF going into Rafah would be a big mistake. Biden even went so far as to call it a “red line” before backtracking and saying, “So there is no red line…”, and then adding, “But there’s red lines….” Um, thanks for the clarification. Netanyahu responded by assuring the US administration and the Israeli people that Israel will be going into Rafah. He added, “You know, I have a red line. You know what the red line is? That October 7 doesn’t happen again. Never happens again.”

Day 167 — Thursday March 21

Antisemitism in European cities is reaching 1930s levels and London is the worst of them all, an Israeli government minister says, warning of mass migration, radicalisation, and the hard left coming together and “serious consequences” for inaction.

The growth of antisemitism in Britain is “terrifying”, says Israeli government figure Amichai Chikli, who warns freedom of speech is being extinguished in the old “beacon of light and democracy”. “Wokeism”-infected London is now the “most antisemitic place in the West”, the Diaspora and Antisemitism Minister said, counselling the United Kingdom and other Western nations to take another look at their open borders polities and soft-touch approach to extremism.

London has become particularly hard-hit by hate, Chikli said, because the “radicalised Islamist” minority has coalesced with the hard left, reports The Jewish Chronicle. He told a meeting of visiting European journalists in Israel: “The anti-Semitism we see today in the West is the worst since the 1930s and it is because of a ‘red and green’ alliance – the combination of the radical Left and the radical Islam groups that work together.”

He went on to say that while London is “a centre of Western civilisation, the country of the Magna Carta and one of the leading democracies of the West with a rich legacy of freedom of speech, of human rights. But it seems what is happening now in Britain is that freedom of speech no longer exists.” Jews in London hide their faith for fear of attacks, he said, while reflecting on the febrile atmosphere in the city in recent months and years, and particularly since Hamas launched a massive terrorist attack on Israel last year.

Chikli’s comments follow others by the UK’s Commissioner for Countering Extremism Robin Simcox, who said London became a “no-go zone for Jews every weekend” because of the attitudes and aggression on display at the weekly anti-Israel protests in Westminster. He said earlier this month: “Anti-Semitism skyrocketing… Protests [are] becoming ever more vociferous, with “from the river to the sea” beamed onto the side of Big Ben during a vote on Gaza.”

The Community Security Trust, a Jewish charity in the United Kingdom, said it has been told by many British Jews that they now avoid central London while demonstrations are taking place. A spokesman for the group said he was one of those who felt he couldn’t be in London’s capital because of the environment, saying: “I don’t go into town when there’s these demonstrations… We hear all about the right of protesters to demonstrate, but God forbid anybody say anything against them. Then you will find out about your freedom of speech.”

Chikli urged the United Kingdom and other Western states to take action towards the key contributing factors of rising antisemitism. While he emphasised most Muslims “have nothing to do with hard-line Islamism”, nevertheless he said “the dangers of open immigration [is] allowing extremism to build up”. This is in part down to a failure of integration, Chikli said, continuing that: “If you think that anyone who is coming now from Algeria or Iraq or Syria can be part of Western liberal society just by crossing the border – you need to understand that it is not that simple… It is extremely dangerous for Western countries to have this approach. Many organisations can take advantage of it… What is happening in the mosques? In the schools?”.

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan hit back at the Israeli government man’s comments through a representative, reports GB News, which recorded him as saying that while rising antisemitism is a problem, so is anti-Muslim hate. The spokesman said: “The Mayor speaks with members of the Jewish community regularly, and despite their ongoing and real concerns, most don’t agree with the extent of the language used by the minister.”

The remarks from Israeli minister Chikli are not by far his first on the subject, and British establishment news outlets have generally described him as “controversial” and “inflammatory” for his past comments. As previously reported, Chikli has called on Jews worldwide to proudly display articles of their faith in public and not be afraid, and has affirmed his view that “the overwhelming majority” of antisemitism spread online by the pro-Palestine left.

Breitbart

Day 167 — Thursday March 21

A Palestinian Arab man who was planning a suicide bombing attack in the “immediate time-frame” was arrested near Jericho, security officials announced this evening (Thursday).

Border Police officers acting on intelligence provided by the Shin Bet carried out the arrest before the bombing plot could be carried out.

An undercover force operated in the Aqbat Jabr camp near Jericho. The officers approached the suspect’s home. Upon seeing them, the suspect attempted to flee and was apprehended after a brief pursuit.

During the operation, gunmen opened fire on and threw explosives at the police forces, prompting them to return fire. Three terrorists were neutralized and one was reportedly killed.

This is the second time this month that a terrorist plot to carry out a suicide bombing in the near future was stopped. Ten days ago, it was reported that Muhammad Jabar, a resident of Jenin, was eliminated in the town of Zeita while on his way to Israel in order to carry out a suicide attack.

Arutz Sheva

Day 167 — Thursday March 21

The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had conducted an airstrike against Palestinian terrorists in Jenin, the northern West Bank, killing four terrorists.

They were hit while driving a car in Jenin’s refugee camp.

One of those killed was identified as Ahmed Barakat, the commander of the Jenin Battalion, who was responsible for perpetrating the terrorist attack that killed Meir Tamari last year.

Muhammad Hawashin, a senior commander in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad responsible for the organization’s infrastructure in the Jenin area, also died in the attack.

The two other terrorists were behind a thwarted attack planning in Israel on March 11, and another bombing attack against IDF forces on March 8 that wounded seven soldiers in the West Bank.

“The IDF and the Shin Bet will continue to work to remove any threat and thwart terrorist infrastructures that work to carry out murderous attacks and will also bring to justice those that will harm the citizens of Israel,” a joint statement said.

🔴WATCH: CCTV footage of the Israeli airstrike on a vehicle in the West Bank city of Jenin

📹-27A pic.twitter.com/Kn623NRsK7

— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) March 20, 2024

i24 News

Day 167 — Thursday March 21

A new poll of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza shows that 71% still approve of the terror attack by Hamas on October 7 — a result that is almost unchanged since the same poll was taken late last year, though there have been geographic changes.

The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research Poll conducted a survey among 1580 adults using face-to-face interviews in both the West Bank (830 respondents) and Gaza (750 respondents), with a 3% margin of error.

The results were as follows, according to the pollster (emphasis removed):

As we did in our previous poll three months ago, we asked the respondents in this poll what they thought of Hamas’ decision to launch the October the 7th offensive. A vast majority of 71%, compared to 72% in December 2023, say it was correct. However, despite the stability of the total response, the findings do show significant change when looking at the two areas separately. As the figure below shows, the perception that the decision of the offensive was correct drops in the West Bank by 11 points and increases in the Gaza Strip by 14 points.

The poll found that respondents were unaware of Hamas atrocities:

As we have found in the previous poll, almost all Palestinians think Israel is committing war crimes while almost all believe Hamas is not committing war crimes in the current war. Moreover, more than 90% believe that Hamas did not commit any atrocities against Israel civilians during its October the 7th offensive. Only one in five Palestinians has seen videos showing atrocities committed by Hamas. Only one fifth of those who did not see the videos had access to such videos but decided not to see them; the rest report that the media they watched did not show these videos. The findings show that those who have seen the videos are almost 10 times more likely to think that Hamas men have committed atrocities on October 7.

Other findings are also interesting, such as that a majority of Gaza residents support continued Hamas control of the Gaza Strip.

U.S. President Joe Biden has claimed that the majority of Palestinians are “not Hamas.”

A majority of respondents also expected that Hamas would “win” the war.

breitbart

Day 166 — Wednesday March 20

At the root of the word antisemitism is the word “Semite,” and the Semites were the descendants of Shem, one of Noah’s three sons. Genesis 6:10 tells us, “And Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.” The Semites were the ancestors of both the Jews and the Arabs. If someone is of Semitic descent, it means that they have either Jewish or Arab lineage. It is worth to note that when the word is used as the compound word, “antisemitic,” it never includes the Arabs but just the Jews.

The definition that I have arrived at, after more than two decades in that field, is as follows:” Antisemitism is the irrational and demonic hatred of Israel and the Jewish people, characterized by thoughts, words, and/or deeds against them.” It was satisfactory to me for quite a long time until a few years ago, when I decided to add two words that have become critical to that definition: irrational and demonic.

In all the volumes I own on that topic (more than 400), I have found almost no scholar or theologian mentioning a spiritual component to antisemitism. I have learned much over the years about the history, geography, sociology, and morphing of the oldest hatred, but I extremely rarely see the spiritual aspect of it all being addressed. Yet, we have to recognize that antisemitism is very irrational, and that is because it is from Satan himself.

It is actually not that complicated. I believe that Satan adheres to the pre-tribulational, premillennial view of the end times. He knows the Bible better than most of us, and as a result, he is well aware that, at the end of the tribulation, when surviving Israel calls upon Yeshua, the Messiah returns with the Saints, who would’ve been raptured seven years prior, and this is pretty much the end of Satan’s career. Yes, my friend, Yeshua will not return until Israel calls upon him, according to Zechariah 12:10: “And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn..“

As I have mentioned before, he really doesn’t care for his retirement plan. Simply put, Satan will do everything he can to prevent Yeshua from returning, and since he understands that it is hinging around Israel calling on the Messiah, Satan has worked overtime to destroy the Jews and turn the Church against them. It is fair to say that he has done a lot of damage toward that goal so far, but we would be naive to believe that antisemitism only affects Israel and the Jews.

Antisemitism is now crossing all borders. I believe that not only does antisemitism affect the Jewish people globally, but it is also becoming a threat to the friends and supporters of the Jewish people and of Israel.

Day 166 — Wednesday March 20

Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly declared on Tuesday that Canada would discontinue future arms exports to Israel.

This decision follows the passage of a non-binding motion in the House of Commons urging the cessation of military aid to Israel, as reported by the Toronto Star.

In response to Canada’s announcement, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz expressed regret, condemning the move as undermining Israel’s right to self-defense against Hamas terrorist.

Katz emphasized Israel’s ongoing fight against Hamas until the group is eradicated and all abductees are returned home.

“It is unfortunate that the Canadian government is taking a step that undermines Israel’s right to self-defense against the Hamas murderers who have committed terrible crimes against humanity and against innocent Israeli citizens, including the elderly, women and children. History will judge the Canadian government’s current move harshly. The State of Israel will continue to fight until Hamas is destroyed and all abductees are returned home,” Katz stated.

Canada’s parliamentary motion, initially proposed by the left-leaning New Democrats (NDP), called for the international community to pursue a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, last-minute revisions were made to the language, removing explicit support for Palestinian statehood.

After negotiations between the NDP and the ruling Liberal Party, the revised motion passed with a vote of 204 to 117. The amended motion now calls on the international community to work towards the establishment of a Palestinian state within the framework of a two-state solution.

i24 News

Day 165 — Tuesday March 19

“Hamas is ‘pimping’ Palestinians to be ‘implements of war’ against Israel,” California Pastor Jack Hibbs said this weekend, while he criticized Hamas for exploiting Palestinians in their conflict with Israel.

Hibbs argued, in his sermon, published by the Christian Post, and broadcasted on YouTube, that Hamas is using Palestinians as “implements of war” and accuses the group of hiding behind civilians to achieve its goals.

Furthermore, he expressed sympathy for Palestinians caught in this situation and emphasized the importance of Israel in biblical prophecy, suggesting attacks on Israel are akin to challenging God.

The sermon also touched on the recent violence between Hamas and Israel, including a significant number of casualties on both sides and accusations of Hamas using civilians as human shields.

“Hamas is responsible for what’s going on in Israel right now,” he added. 

“Hamas is pimping Palestinians to achieve its goal… Just as it has historically always hidden behind women and children, daycare centers, and hospitals to do what it does, so it’s using Palestinian people today… Tragically, they are being used as pawns and implements of war.”

He added, “Hamas and Hezbollah are ‘poking God in the eye’ when they attack Israel.”

Jerusalem Post

Day 165 — Tuesday March 19

It is a very busy news week in the world’s most chaotic and volatile region—the Middle East.

First and foremost, various media outlets in the region, in particular, Syrian State media run by Bashar al-Assad and also Israel’s Channel 11 broadcaster, report that Russian forces are moving closer to the Israel-Syria border.

Now, a quick reminder: Russian forces have been in Syria since September 2015. They entered the Syrian Civil War basically to save Bashar al-Assad’s hide. Assad eventually prevailed in that Civil War and the Russian incursion into Syria was the game changer.

Well, guess what? Surprise, surprise, Russian forces have not left nearly nine years later. They are still in Syria and are the most powerful force in that country where a number of regional actors have a footprint—the Iranian regime and Hezbollah foremost among them. Turkey is in Syria as well, and in the past, ISIS and Al-Qaeda were also in the region.

Syria has been, as one friend of mine in Israel called it, a Potpourri of rogue regimes and terror groups all stationed in one place—at Israel’s doorstep.

Now, reports that Russia is stationing forces closer along Israel’s border are a cause for great concern. There are geopolitical ramifications and prophetic ramifications as well.

Why would they do that? I think a few things are going on here, folks. Number one, since October 7th, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), in particular, and the Israeli Air Force (IAF) have intensified their strikes in Syria against the Iranian regime and Hezbollah assets. The IDF and Israeli intelligence Services have great intel in Lebanon and Syria. There have been a lot of high-value targets linked to the Iranian regime that have been eliminated in the past few months.

Israel is operating more frequently and more powerfully. Many on the ground in Syria who are linked to the Iranian regime have talked about this. Middle East media outlets have taken notice of the intensifying attacks by Israelis—and these are deadly attacks.

Could it be that the Iranian and Assad regimes are essentially calling in backup? I’m not saying Russia is going to militarily get engaged against Israel in this particular situation. However, are Russian Forces trying to send a message to Israel and act as a deterrent?

If Russian forces are in the line of fire when Israel strikes Iran or Hezbollah assets in Syria, things can spiral out of control. It is a tinderbox there right now.

Day 164 — Monday March 18

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) this week after Schumer tried to meddle in Israel’s elections last week.

Netanyahu made the remarks during a Sunday interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” in response to Schumer calling for Netanyahu’s ouster.

“I think what he said is totally inappropriate,” Netanyahu said. “It’s inappropriate for to go to a sister democracy and try to replace the elected leadership there. That’s something that Israel, the Israeli public does on its own, and we’re not a banana republic.”

“I think the only government that we should be working on to bring down now is the terrorist tyranny in Gaza, the Hamas tyranny that murdered over 1,000 Israelis, including some dozens of Americans, and is holding Americans and Israelis hostage. That’s what we should be focused on,” he continued. “And as far as what Senator Schumer said, the majority of Israelis support our governments; 82 percent of Americans support Israel, instead of Hamas. But the majority of Israelis support the policies that we’re leading, go into Rafah, destroy the remaining Hamas terrorist battalions, make sure that we don’t put into Gaza, instead of Hamas, the Palestinian Authority that educates their children towards terrorism and the annihilation of Israel.”

“An enormous majority here, including 99 Knesset members to nine, oppose the idea of ramming down a Palestinian state down our throats,” Netanyahu said. “The majority of Israelis support the policies of my government. It’s not a fringe government. It represents the policies supported by the majority of the people. If Senator Schumer opposes these policies, he’s not opposing me. He’s opposing the people of Israel.”

In what was billed as a major address by the Senate majority leader, Schumer declared last week that “the Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after Oct. 7″ and, in an unprecedented move, called for a new election to be held in Israel. “Five months into this conflict, it is clear that Israelis need to take stock of the situation and ask, must we change course?” the Democrat leader said. “At this critical juncture, I believe a new election is the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of Israel.”

Schumer made the remarks as some anti-Israel Democrats have expressed dissatisfaction with the Biden administration’s support of Israel, which has been waning in recent months.

Daily Wire

Day 164 — Monday March 18

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Monday confirmed reports that Israel has killed a top Hamas commander. 

Speaking to reporters, Sullivan said Israel has made “significant progress” against Hamas, having broken battalions and killed thousands of Hamas fighters. 

Among those thousands of fighters was Hamas’ third in command, Marwan Issa, who was killed in an Israeli operation last week. 

Fox news

Day 164 — Monday March 18

Israel Police’s Lowlands division conducted training exercises and security assessments throughout Israel’s Northwest in recent weeks. These precautions are due to the ongoing warnings of possible Palestinian terrorist infiltrations into Jewish settlements within the region.

Since the infiltration of Hamas terrorists into Israeli territory on October 7, police units have been preparing for any possible scenario of high-risk terrorist attacks. This comes following previous reports that under Hamas’s original plan, attacks would occur beyond Gaza but throughout the West Bank as well, perpetrated by local terror cells and allies.

Jenin, located in the northwestern part of the West Bank, has become, in recent years, a hotbed for terrorist activity. The IDF and Shin Bet killed a Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist in Jenin in a drone strike in late February en route to committing a shooting attack likely on Israeli forces.

In January, three Palestinian men were killed in a hospital by Israeli commandos, with one being a member of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. 

As of last week, over 3,500 terror suspects have been arrested or killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank, with many affiliated with Hamas and other terrorist groups, since Operation Swords of Iron began.

Avi Daniel, Commander of Israel Police’s Lowland Region, discussed the readiness of the security forces if a possible infiltration occurs, saying, “We are exceptionally strong and prepared for any scenario and intrusion.”

Timur Yagudaev, commander of the Israel Police Special Patrol Unit (Yasam) in the Lowlands district, stated that “following the events on October 7, we learned our lessons and understood that events could be in multiple locations with many injured with Magen David Adom (MDA) not being able to reach them.

By building a week of operational and tactical medicine capabilities, we will be able to save the lives of wounded soldiers and civilians until their evacuation to a hospital.”

These exercise drills are held to ensure the readiness of all security and healthcare personnel in case of a possible attack on a Jewish settlement while being prepared for the worst-case scenario.

Yasam district fighters from the Valleys, Sharon, and Tel Aviv regions took part in the exercise drill, as did members from MDA, the emergency standby squad of the Gadish settlement, and the sabotage unit of the Israeli police. One of the possible scenarios conducted in the exercises included an infiltration into an Israeli settlement along the Green Line with the possibility of taking control over Israeli citizens.

Jerusalem post 

Day 163 — Sunday March 17

Ezekiel 37:11-12 KJV – “Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.”

Ezekiel was told to preach to a bunch of people in graves—talk about a dead audience. They come alive, and God says, this is my people coming back to their land again.

It is interesting how they will say, “Our hope is lost.” One of the greatest tragedies in human history was the Holocaust, which took place during World War II. I don’t know if the United States understood the full impact of what was happening to the Jewish people throughout Europe.

Hitler had come up with this idea, which was implemented by those who assisted him, men like Adolf Eichmann, Heinrich Himmler, and others, to bring about what they called the “final solution.” And this “final solution” was the complete eradication of the Jewish race from Europe.

They wanted to kill as many Jewish people as possible. They thought of them as subhuman. At first, they had German soldiers shoot them, but they didn’t have the stomach for it. They needed a more, shall we say, efficient way of doing it. Then, they came up with the horrific death camps—these concentration camps with names like Treblinka, Ravensbruck, and, of course, the famed Auschwitz, where 6 million Jewish men, women, and children were gassed, shot, tortured, experimented on, and put to death.

This was devastating for the Jewish people globally. But an amazing thing began to happen.

Despite this horrible tragedy, Jewish people began to realize, perhaps for the first time collectively, “we cannot expect others to protect us. No one will stand up for us. We need to get back to our land.” And the Jews began to return to Israel on May 14, 1948.

History was made when Israel became a nation.

That was not the first time Israel was a nation; she had been a nation for thousands of years, but she was born again as a nation, reunified as a people, and the prophetic time clock started to tick. It was a very significant moment.

Day 163 — Sunday March 17

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi warned Israel is in a multi-front war and that incidents on one front can impact others, with the military fighting in Gaza, the West Bank, and along the northern borders.

Speaking Friday to Border Police officers in the West Bank, Halevi noted security forces were on heightened alert due to the Muslim month of Ramadan, with Hamas trying to stoke unrest in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

“We are more alert this month. Really be very vigilant, very careful, with very good security,” Halevi said in a video released Saturday by the IDF. “We are in a multi-front war, Lebanon, Syria, Judea and Samaria [West Bank], and Gaza, and more distant things.”

“Everyone, every soldier… has responsibility for all the arenas, because every incident that happens in one of the arenas really affects and can cause [developments] in other areas as well,” he added.

War erupted when Hamas-led terrorists rampaged through southern communities on October 7, slaughtering some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 253 captives to Gaza, where over half remain. The devastating onslaught and the resulting Israeli offensive — aimed at eliminating Hamas and returning the hostages — have sparked fears of a regional conflagration.

The IDF said Saturday that the Nahal Infantry Brigade killed more than 250 Hamas operatives in the central Gaza Strip over the past two weeks, in gun battles and by calling in strikes by tanks and aircraft.

The Nahal Brigade is operating in the so-called Netzarim Corridor, which crosses Gaza from the Kibbutz Be’eri area to the coast. The corridor has enabled the IDF to carry out raids in northern and central Gaza.
Nahal troops with the 601st Combat Engineering Battalion have destroyed numerous Hamas assets in the area in recent weeks, including rockets, launchers, and weapons depots, the IDF said.

The IDF also said some 15 terror operatives holed up in a Hamas site in central Gaza’s Nuseirat were killed in an airstrike Friday.

The airstrike was directed by the 215th Artillery Regiment, following intelligence information about the operatives. The IDF said the regiment directed a separate airstrike, killing a Hamas sniper squad commander and another operative.

In central Gaza, the IDF said the Nahal Brigade killed some 10 gunmen over the past day.

Meanwhile, in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, the IDF said fighter jets struck and destroyed a Hamas weapons depot spotted by the 7th Armored Brigade.

Also in Khan Younis, the Givati Brigade directed strikes on two Hamas operatives spotted entering and exiting a site known to be used by the terror group, the IDF said.

Times Of Israel 

Day 162 — Saturday March 16

The IDF announced that it has uncovered and destroyed a 200-meter-long terror tunnel underneath a bell pepper field in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

The tunnel was found near a residential complex in the Hamad neighborhood.

Inside the tunnel, IDF forces found weapons belonging to Hamas terrorists, including grenades, RPG missiles, explosives, rocket launchers, combat vests, and cameras.

The tunnel was destroyed by a Combat Engineering squad.

Arutz Sheva

Day 162 — Saturday March 16

Senior figures from Hamas and Yemen’s Houthi rebels held a rare meeting to discuss coordinating their actions against Israel, according to a Western report citing Palestinian sources.

This comes as Houthi spokesman Nasr Al-Din Amer announced Hamas is holding the crew of a ship seized by Yemenite jihadis in November.

The Galaxy Leader cargo ship was hijacked the Red Sea 116 days ago with the jihadists having laid siege to the ship and taken hostage the ship’s crew of 17 Filipinos, two Bulgarians, three Ukrainians, two Mexicans and a Romanian.

Hamas, a Palestinian terror group committed to Israel’s destruction, and the Yemen’s Houthi jihadists belong to the so-called “axis of resistance,” a collection of antisemitic Iran proxies hostile that also includes Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iraqi militias.

The Houthis have attacked Red Sea shipping for months since the Israel-Hamas war was triggered by the Palestinian terror group’s October 7 atrocities, saying they are targeting Israeli-linked vessels “in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.”

i24 News