LIVE UPDATES — FROM MAY 18TH – 24TH
Israel At War: Week Thirty-Three Coverage
TRUSTED ANALYSIS
Day 231 — Friday, May 24
International Court Of Justice Orders IDF To Halt Rafah Offensive; Israel Says They Will Not Be Stopped From Protecting Its Citizens
The International Court of Justice issued a ruling on Friday ordering Israel to implement a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as the IDF presses on with its offensive in Rafah.
This follows a motion by South Africa seeking that the International Court of Justice order an “immediate” stop to Israel’s war against the Palestinian jihadists of Hamas, including in the southernmost city of Rafah, where Israel believes Hamas’s remaining battalions to be located, along with many of the Israeli hostages.
An Israeli government spokesperson said on Thursday that “no force on the face of the earth will prevent Israel from defending its citizens and pursuing Hamas in Gaza.” Accordingly, since Israel is not expected to comply with the court order, the Security Council is expected to convene within a few days to discuss the matter.
It should be noted that this time, unlike the previous time when orders were given to Israel in June – at the head of the panel of judges stands a judge who does not support Israel, the Lebanese judge Nawaf Salam.
The Israeli representative, judge Aharon Barak, is also on the panel of judges.
Day 231 — Friday, May 24
Bodies of Three More Israeli Hostages Found By The IDF In Gaza
The bodies of Orión Hernández Radoux (30), Hanan Yablonka (42) and Michel Nisenbaum (59), who had been held hostage by Hamas terrorists since Oct. 7, were recovered by the IDF in northern Gaza on Thursday.
According to “reliable intelligence,” the three were murdered during the Hamas massacre on Oct. 7, and their bodies were subsequently taken to the Gaza Strip by the terrorists, IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Daniel Hagari announced Friday.
IDF representatives informed their families on Thursday who, until today, had not received any indication that the bodies of their loved ones had been found and identified by medical officials at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police.
Radoux, a Mexican-French citizen, was the boyfriend of the late Shani Louk, whose body was recovered last week together with three others. They attended the Nova Musical Festival near Kibbutz Re’im the weekend of the attack, along with Yablonka, a resident of Tel Aviv.
Nisenbaum was from Sderot and drove to the IDF Gaza Division base on the morning of the attack to rescue his 4-year-old granddaughter, whose father was stationed there.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his condolences to the families, stating, “Together with Israel, my wife Sarah and I bow our heads in deep sorrow, and embrace the grieving families in their difficult time.”
“We have a national and moral duty to do everything we can to return our abducted – the live ones and the fallen – and that is what we are doing. I praise the IDF forces and the security forces who acted with great courage in the heart of enemy territory, in order to return them to their families and to a burial in Israel.”
According to reports, on the morning of Oct. 7, the three victims were ambushed by terrorists at a road junction near Kibbutz Mefalsim, where they fled.
“The sad return of Michel, Hanan and Orión is another heartbreak for the 125 families of the abductees, who share the pain, sorrow and never-ending worry,” stated the Hostage and Missing Families Forum.
“The rescue of their bodies is a silent but firm reminder that the State of Israel is obligated to send out the negotiation teams today with a clear demand to bring about a deal that will bring all the hostages home quickly: The living for rehabilitation and the murdered for burial,” the forum stated.
The IDF confirmed that only in the last week did they receive intelligence information indicating both the deaths and the locations where the bodies were being held.
IDF soldiers of the 7th Armored Brigade discovered the tunnel shaft based on intelligence guidance after a gun battle in the northern Gaza town of Jabaliya, Subsequently, elite forces of the combat engineering commando Yahalom and the intelligence service Shin Bet arrived to retrieve the bodies from the underground location.
No casualties to Israeli forces were reported during the operation to retrieve the bodies. The IDF added that the underground compound is close to the site where four other hostage bodies were recovered last week.
The IDF has so far succeeded in retrieving 16 bodies of Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip.
There now remain 125 Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, of whom 40 have already been declared deceased by Israeli authorities.
Day 231 — Friday, May 24
Israel Slams Germany For Saying It Would Arrest, Deport Netanyahu If ICC Issues Warrant
Israel on Thursday slammed a statement from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s office that Berlin would arrest and deport Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if the International Criminal Court implements a warrant for his arrest.
“I am old enough to remember the German leader coming here days after October 7, and stating that Hamas are the new Nazis. They seek a genocide against the Jews. Many in the world need to check their moral compass and be on the right side of history,” government spokesman Avi Hyman told Fox News.
When asked on Wednesday whether Berlin would execute a potential ICC arrest order, German spokesman Steffen Hebestreit responded, “Of course. Yes, we abide by the law.”
Prosor added that Germany’s “Staatsräson,” a term that refers to ensuring Israel’s security as one of the European country’s “reason of state,” was “being put to the test.”
International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan “equates a democratic government with Hamas, thereby demonizing and delegitimizing Israel and the Jewish people. He has completely lost his moral compass. Germany has a responsibility to readjust this compass,” Prosor added.
Khan announced earlier this week that he was seeking arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for “causing extermination, causing starvation as a method of war including the denial of humanitarian relief supplies, deliberately targeting civilians in conflict.”
In the same announcement, Khan said he was seeking warrants for Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s ruler in Gaza; the terror group’s military chief, Mohammed Deif; and the leader of the organization, Ismail Haniyeh. He said they would be charged with extermination, murder, hostage-taking, rape, and sexual assault.
Israel has strongly rejected the charges, denouncing the court for implicitly comparing Israeli leaders to Hamas terrorists.
Day 231 — Friday, May 24
UAV From The East Successfully Intercepted By IAF Fighter Jet Outside Of Israeli Territory
A UAV that approached northern Israel from the east was successfully intercepted by an IAF fighter jet outside of Israeli territory early Friday morning, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said.
During the interception attempts, shrapnel fell in northern Israel, causing a fire in the area of Tzfat. No injuries were reported, and the incident is under review.
Following the interception, the pro-Iranian militias in Iraq claimed to have fired a UAV towards the Port of Haifa.
On Thursday evening, two suspicious aerial targets that approached the city of Eilat from the east were successfully intercepted by IAF fighter jets.
The targets did not cross into Israeli territory, and no sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol.
Before that, sirens sounded in northern Israel regarding a hostile aircraft infiltration.
The IDF said that two UAVs were identified crossing from Lebanese territory. IAF fighter jets successfully intercepted one of the UAVs, and the other fell in the area of Kiryat Shmona. No injuries were reported.
Day 230 — Thursday, May 23
'Rewarding Terrorism': PM Blasts Norway, Ireland, And Spain For Plans To Recognize 'Palestine'
Plans by Ireland, Norway and Spain to recognize “Palestine” only seven months after Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre constitute a reward for terrorism, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday night.
“Eighty percent of the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria support the terrible massacre of Oct. 7. This evil cannot be given a state,” Netanyahu stressed in a Hebrew-language video statement posted to social media.
“This would be a terrorist state. It will try to repeat the massacre of Oct. 7 again and again,” he said, stressing that Israel “will not consent to this.”
The premier concluded: “Rewarding terrorism will not bring peace and neither will it stop us from defeating Hamas.”
Netanyahu spoke after Norway, Ireland and Spain announced their recognition of a Palestinian state, in decisions that the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority and the Hamas terrorist organization lauded.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry denounced the move as a reward for the atrocities Hamas committed on Oct. 7, including the murder of some 1,200 people. “Today’s decision sends a message to the Palestinians and the world: Terrorism pays,” tweeted top diplomat Israel Katz.
According to Palestinian polls, 89% of Palestinians support establishing a government that includes or is led by Hamas. Only around 8.5% said they favor an authority controlled exclusively by Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas’s ruling Fatah faction.
Day 230 — Thursday, May 23
Israel Shocked By Release Of Video Showing 5 Female IDF Captives From October 7
Trigger alert – The video below contains graphic content that may be disturbing for some viewers.
The parents of the five female IDF spotters who were abducted from the Nahal Oz base and are still in Hamas captivity released a video to media and the public showing scenes from the girls’ abduction on October 7.
Naama Levy, Liri Elbag, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, and Agam Berger were all spotters, working at Nahal Oz, where they remotely observed the security fence via cameras. After reporting shooting at the base before 7:00 AM, the girls received no further contact from the military.
The video has been edited and censored by the parents and the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate and runs for a little over three minutes. It has many difficult parts removed, including parts which showed murdered soldiers in the base.
In the video, which was filmed by one of the terrorists involved in the raid on Nahal Oz on October 7, the female spotters can be seen handcuffed, bleeding, and answering questions from their Hamas captors. At points the terrorists shout at the girls, threaten to hit them or kill them, before questioning them and leading them into vehicles for transport to Gaza. The video was compiled from footage seized by IDF and Shin Bet soldiers during an operation in Gaza.
Trigger alert –
The video of the female observers’ abduction, is a wake-up call to the civilized world. We must condemn those actions and we can not abandon the hostages held captive for 229 days.
This video, captured by the body cameras of Hamas terrorists on October 7th,… pic.twitter.com/wuRxpsTBtA
— Bring Them Home Now (@bringhomenow) May 22, 2024
The girls have not been heard from since the hostage release in November, 2023, when a few of the girls passed messages to their families via the released hostages.
After the original video as discovered and examined by the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate, the parents of the girls were summoned to see the footage. At their request, the edited video was given to the cabinet for viewing, although some ministers refused to watch the video.
Recently, the families of the female hostages requested to show the video to the public. After the video was reviewed again by the Intelligence Directorate, it was approved by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi to be handed over.
A security source told Maariv Online that the full, unedited film was difficult to watch, however contrary to rumors, it contained no physical sexual assaults on female soldiers.
The released version of the video does contain statements in Arabic from the Hamas terrorists referring to the girls with a word meaning sex slave. At one point one of the terrorists is heard saying, “Here are the sex slaves.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several other Israeli politicians posted their reactions to the video on social media.
“I am shocked by the video documenting the abduction of our dear female observers. We will continue to do everything to bring them home,” Netanyahu posted to X.
“The world must look at this cruel atrocity,” wrote President Isaac Herzog. “Those who care about women’s rights must speak out. All those who believe in freedom must speak out, and do everything possible to bring all of the hostages home now.”
Day 229 — Wednesday, May 22
No Aid From US Pier Has Reached Civilians In Gaza; Much Of It Stolen
None of the aid that President Joe Biden has sent to Gaza via a floating pier that the U.S. Military constructed has reached the Palestinian people, a U.S. official said this week.
Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said on Tuesday that none of the 569 tons of aid transported to Gaza since last week has reached the Palestinian people.
“The U.S. military is delivering [the aid] to the causeway. It’s then taken by non-U.S. contractors, driven over onto shore, put into an assembly area, which is where the NGOs that are supporting this effort pick it up and take it for onward distribution,” he said. “But as I mentioned, you know, via some discussions that have happened, again, as we work out processes and procedures, alternative routes for the safe movement of that cargo have been established, and aid is now being taken from those assembly areas to warehouses for further distribution throughout Gaza.”
Reuters reported that on Saturday, 16 trucks were en route to the warehouse when 11 were overrun and “were cleaned out by Palestinians during the journey through an area that a U.N. official said has been hard to access with humanitarian aid.”
Ryder acknowledged during the press conference that the aid was “intercepted by some people who took that aid off those vehicles.”
He said that while aid was making it in, none of the aid that has come in from the pier has been distributed to civilians in Gaza.
Biden’s $320 million pier for Gaza is at risk of becoming yet another failure for the 81-year-old president as the U.N. World Food Program said it may fail because conditions on the ground in Gaza were not allowing the food to be distributed because the majority of it was being stolen.
Day 228 — Tuesday, May 21
IDF Successfully Evacuates Nearly 1 Million People From Rafah In Two Weeks; 30-40% Of City Under IDF Control
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have successfully evacuated approximately 950,000 Palestinian civilians from Rafah in the Gaza Strip in just two weeks since May 6, the military revealed on Monday.
This large-scale evacuation was part of the ongoing Israeli military operations aimed at dismantling Hamas’ control in the region.
According to the IDF, around 30 to 40 percent of Rafah is now under IDF control, while 60 to 70 percent of the city has been completely evacuated. The remaining civilians, estimated at 300,000-400,000, are concentrated near the Tel al-Sultan area along the Gaza coast.
This evacuation was achieved despite earlier U.S. predictions that such a large-scale movement could not be accomplished without significant casualties or a lengthy timeframe of about four months. The majority of those evacuated have relocated to the northwest region of al-Muwasi, with smaller numbers moving to central Gaza and Khan Yunis.
The IDF has reported significant progress in its military operations.
Despite facing resistance from the four Hamas battalions in Rafah, Israeli forces have managed to take them by surprise.
Initial resistance was more unified, but it appears that the battalions are now either dispersing, fleeing, or preparing for guerrilla warfare at a later stage. There is a possibility that Hamas may mount stronger resistance in the Tel al-Sultan area.
There have been no violent incidents between the two sides, and only a minimal number of Palestinians have crossed into Egypt, addressing one of Cairo’s primary concerns.
The IDF has also noted that no significant updates are available regarding the hostages held in Rafah or the whereabouts of Gaza Chief Yahya Sinwar. It is possible that the hostages and Sinwar may have been moved out of Rafah amidst the large civilian exodus.
Day 228 — Tuesday, May 21
Analysis — Amir Tsarfati: If You Stand With God’s Biblical Promises For Israel… Congratulations, You’re A Zionist
We hear so much about the zionists and Zionism these days. Let’s break it down—The good, the bad, and the Zionist.
The term “Zionism” stems from the concept of Zion, “Ṣīyyōn” in Hebrew, the hill upon which the city of Jerusalem is built. For 2,000 years, after being exiled from their ancestral Homeland, Jews around the world yearned and prayed towards Zion, pleading with God to allow them to return to Jerusalem.
We hear this heart cry of our people in Psalm 137:1, “By the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.”
How truly prophetic those words are!
The Zionist movement initiated the realization of the long-awaited dream of reestablishing a Jewish Homeland in the land of Israel. It is clear to us, now more than ever, that the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 was the fulfillment of God’s promise to gather His people back to Zion.
This miracle was described in Ezekiel 36:24, “For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.”
However, opponents of the biblical vision of the Jewish return have often used the term “the Zionist entity” to deny the rights and historical connection of the Jewish people to the land. This narrative portrays Zionism as an illegitimate Colonial project.
Figures such as Osama Bin Laden adopted this rhetoric. For example, in his 1996 FATWA, which was his Manifesto of war against the West, Bin Laden frequently condemned the zionists rather than mentioning the name Israel.
Despite this hostility, it’s important to recognize that Israel’s modern rebirth is intertwined with the Zionist vision grounded in God’s biblical promises.
Day 228 — Tuesday, May 21
Analysis — A Tyrant Who Threatened Israel With Annihilation: Was Raisi’s Death An Act Of God?
It really makes you wonder when you look back at Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s statement of April 23rd, less than a month ago, as he threatened Israel with annihilation. It was during a visit to Pakistan that Raisi referred to Israel as the “Zionist regime,” whose destruction he promised if they would dare to attack Iran.
Because when thinking about the Biblical accounts of cause and effect, it’s only natural to make the comparison of someone who, after threatening the Jews, ended up hanging on his own gallows. But who was Ebrahim Raisi, and is it possible to connect his sudden and unexpected demise to a sovereign act of God – even in the year 2024?
At age 63, Raisi, whose full name was Raisolsadati, was the son-in-law of a prominent Imam. He became Iran’s eighth president in 2021. As a prosecutor and Deputy Chief Justice of Iran, he rose to prominence as the country’s president when appointed by the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Earning for himself a fearsome reputation, he was labeled “The Butcher of Tehran,” “responsible for the execution of thousands of political prisoners, accused of crimes against humanity by international human rights organizations and United Nations special rapporteurs.”
You’d be hard-pressed to find an individual who was more of a hardliner in Iranian politics than Raisi, and, perhaps, that accounts for the remark made by IDF Intelligence Chief Major General Tamir Hayman who commented, upon hearing his demise, that “it would be hard to find someone worse.”
But it wasn’t only in April that Raisi threatened Israel’s existence. He made that same promise back in May 2023 when he, once again, warned Israel not to “launch a direct military strike on his country which would be overwhelmed and destroyed by Iran’s immediate response.”
Always referring to Israel as the “Zionist regime,” it was Raisi’s intent to smear the Jewish homeland as an entity that had no right to exist, due to its foundational belief that there should be a protective refuge for all Jews who, for thousands of years, never had the security of knowing if they’d be banished from their host countries or even worse.
Day 227 — Monday, May 20
ICC Seeks Arrest Of Netanyahu, Gallant, 3 Hamas Leaders; PM: 'Absurd' Decision Is The Latest Example Of ‘The New Antisemitism’
In his first public comments on the arrest warrant sought against him by the International Criminal Court’s top prosecutor, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that the “absurd and false” decision is “directed against the entire State of Israel.”
“It is directed against the IDF soldiers, who are fighting with supreme heroism against the vile Hamas murderers,” he said in a video statement.
Chief prosecutor Karim Khan has not issued arrest warrants, instead announcing his intention to seek them for Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, alongside Hamas’s three top leaders — Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh. It will be up to the court’s pre-trial judges to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to issue warrants.
“With what chutzpah do you dare compare the monsters of Hamas to the soldiers of the IDF, the most moral army in the world?” Netanyahu asked. “With what audacity do you compare between the Hamas that murdered, burned, butchered, raped and kidnapped our brothers and sisters, and the IDF soldiers who are fighting a just war that is unparalleled in its morality?”
Netanyahu said he rejected “with disgust” Khan’s ostensible comparison, and said it is an example of “the new antisemitism” that has moved from college campuses to The Hague. The premier promised the Israeli public that the ICC will not prevent Israel from toppling Hamas and achieving “total victory.”
Israel had been in touch with the ICC chief prosecutor’s office in recent weeks, The Times of Israel learned on Monday, and Israeli officials were expecting to host ICC officials starting this evening for a preliminary visit to plan an official visit by Khan.
Israel was ready to spend time with Khan to show the prosecutor how its decisions are made, where legal experts fit into the decision-making process, how strikes are approved in the IDF, what Israel is doing around humanitarian aid, and more. Instead it was taken totally by surprise by Khan’s announcement on Monday.
Khan made an unofficial visit to Israel after October 7 to meet with the families of hostages and tour some of the hardest-hit border communities.
The fact that Khan made the announcement in front of cameras further frustrated Israeli officials, as it indicated that he was chasing headlines.
Day 227 — Monday, May 20
Moment Of Silence Held At UN Security Council In Honor Of The 'Butcher Of Tehran'; Biden Admin. Stands For Mass Murderer
Members of the United Nations Security Council held a moment of silence for the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
The Russian, Chinese, and Algerian UN missions requested the moment of silence be held during a Security Council session on the prevention of an arms race in outer space and outer space security.
Mozambique Ambassador Pedro Comissario Afonso, who holds the rotating council presidency this month, asked the council members to stand for the moment of silence for Raisi and the others who died in the plane crash.
Raisi was known as the “butcher of Tehran” for his role in the execution of thousands of Iranian protesters in the 1980s. His tenure as President was marked by further protests against the oppressive Iranian regime following the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died in police custody in 2022 after being arrested for allegedly not wearing her hijab correctly.
At least 500 protesters were killed as Iranian authorities suppressed the protests. Tens of thousands of protesters were arrested.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that Raisi was involved in the planning of the October 7 massacre, the largest massacre committed against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. The massacre was carried out by the Hamas terrorist organization, an Iranian proxy group, and resulted in the murder of over 1,200 people and the kidnapping of over 250 hostages who were taken to Gaza.
The US imposed sanctions on Raisi in 2019 for human rights violations, including for the executions he oversaw in the 1980s.
Professor Anne Bayefsky, the Director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and President of Human Rights Voices, spoke to Arutz Sheva – Israel National News about the moment of silence held at the United Nations Security Council today (Monday) in honor of the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the ‘butcher of Tehran,’ who was killed in a helicopter crash yesterday.
Prof. Bayefsky noted that one of the officials who stood for the moment of silence for Raisi was US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood, and connected this to the Biden Administration’s policy of appeasement vis a vis Iran.
“The Biden Administration has continually demonstrated, like the Obama administration before it, an insidious relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran.” She listed, “Pushing an Iran deal guaranteeing the country’s acquisition of nuclear weapons. Refusing to back Iranian demonstrators in their courageous efforts to take back their country. Handing the world’s leading state sponsor of terror enormous sums of money.”
“Today, the Biden Administration managed to take its Iran relationship one step further: by standing up to honor a mass murderer and his associates. The Mozambique President of the Security Council, Pedro Comissario Afonso, asked Council members to rise ‘to present its condolences and sympathy to…the people of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” in addition to family members,” Bayefsky noted.
“Knowing full well that the people of Iran are unable to speak freely and condolences and sympathy for his demise was the opposite of what they thought in silence from their homes and prison cells, the representative of the United States stood up – throwing the Iranian people under the bus yet again.
Day 227 — Monday, May 20
Iranian President 'The Butcher Of Tehran,' Foreign Minister Confirmed Dead After Helicopter Crashes Into Mountain
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash in the country’s northwest on Sunday, Iranian state media agencies and government officials reported on Monday morning.
Raisi’s death was reported along with the deaths of Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, among others. According to Mehr, all passengers on board were killed.
The other officials who were killed include Seyyed Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, the Islamic Republic’s representative to the East Azerbaijan province, and Malek Rahmati, the province’s governor. The aircraft’s pilot and co-pilot were also killed.
The semi-official Iranian Tasnim news agency noted that identification efforts of the bodies found at the crash site were ongoing.
Late on Sunday, a helicopter that carried the Iranian leaders crashed into the mountains by the town of Tavil in Iran.
“President Raisi’s helicopter was completely burned in the crash … unfortunately, all passengers are feared dead,” an official had told Reuters.
“We can see the wreckage, and the situation does not look good,” the head of Iran’s Red Crescent, Pirhossein Kolivand, told state TV late on Sunday. He later added that there was “no sign of life” at the scene of the crash.
Details about the incident remained unclear. Sunday reports said that the president’s helicopter suffered a “hard landing” in foggy weather. As night fell, the search became even more difficult.
Iranian media has reported that heat detection guns were used to attempt to find signs of life.
IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency said emergency services were conducting searches in an attempt to find the helicopter, but the weather and 70-meter tall boulders in the area were complicating the search efforts. Over 40 rescue teams were operating in the area.
Day 226 — Sunday, May 19
Russia And Turkey Sent Reinforcements To Iran To Aid In Finding Crash Site
According to the Jerusalem Post, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered two planes, one helicopter, and 50 personnel to Iran after the helicopter carrying the Iranian President and Foreign Minister reportedly crashed in heavy fog.
The Turkish Defense Ministry additionally sent drones and a helicopter equipped with night vision equipment to assist in the search effort in the mountains of Iran.
The reports of assistance from Russia and Turkey come amid increasing partnership between the three countries.
Robert Gottselig, Executive Director of Friends of Israel Canada, discussed the increased friendship between the countries in his recent article, “Why Students Of God’s Word Aren’t Surprised By Russia, Iran, And Turkey’s Mutual Hatred Of Israel.”
“The Bible, in Ezekiel 38 and 39, tells us that things need to move in this direction. These chapters speak of a future attack on Israel from the north with the three main players—Russia, Iran, and Turkey,” he described. “Friends, Russia, Turkey, and Iran are on Israel’s doorstep and have been developing quite a friendship with one another over the years.”
“Everything that we see happening is setting the stage for this war to be fulfilled, I believe, in the near future,” Gottselig underscored. “Here we are today, reading what the prophet Ezekiel wrote some 2,500 years ago, speaking of the very things we are witnessing. What does that tell me? It tells me that God’s word is powerful—it’s about real people, real places, and real events—therefore, we can trust it with all our hearts.”
“If Iran, Turkey, Russia, and Israel’s enemies really want to come against the Jewish State, they would be better off aiming their weapons at the sun, moon, and stars to try to destroy them,” he highlighted, “because God says in Jeremiah 31:35-36 that as long as they are intact, Israel will not cease from being a nation before God. That means forever—period!”
Earlier this week, Christian leaders such as Franklin Graham, Tony Perkins, and Pastor Jack Hibbs called for a Day of Prayer for Israel, which took place in churches earlier today.
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Day 226 — Sunday, May 19
Rescue Team Search For Signs Of Life After Helicopter Carrying Iranian President, Foreign Minister Reportedly Crashes In Heavy Fog
Iranian authorities have launched a search after a helicopter carrying President Ebrahim Raisi went missing in the country’s northwestern East Azerbaijan province, the Tasnim News Agency reported on Sunday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, the regime’s representative in East Azerbaijan, were reportedly also in the helicopter, which is believed to have crashed.
An Iranian official told the Reuters press agency that the lives of Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian were believed to be “at risk” following a crash.
According to reports, Raisi’s convoy included three helicopters, and the two other choppers arrived safely at their destination. Tasnim cited local sources as saying that the condition of the helicopter carrying Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian was still unknown due to foggy weather.
Iran’s official IRNA news outlet said rescuers arrived in the area 30 minutes after the incident was reported and had started their search.
Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi confirmed on state-run television that Raisi’s chopper made a “hard landing” and that rescue forces were having a hard time reaching the presumed crash site.
Raisi, known as the “butcher of Tehran” after being involved in the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners, was elected president in 2021. The hardline leader has repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel.
Day 226 — Sunday, May 19
51 US Bipartisan Lawmakers Urge Sanctions Against UNRWA Workers Involved In Oct 7 Attack
Fifty-one bipartisan members of the U.S. House of Representatives have expressed “deep concern” over the United States’ delay in sanctioning 12 former employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) who were involved in the Hamas Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200 Israelis and the kidnapping of over 250 hostages.
“We cannot allow these terrorists who masquerade as UNRWA humanitarian aid workers to go unpunished,” the Republican and Democratic lawmakers stated in a joint letter addressed to State Secretary Antony Blinken and Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen.
The lawmakers urged the U.S. government to swiftly designate the concerned individuals as Specially Designed Global Terrorists (SDGTs) and impose sanctions on them, emphasizing the need to take strong action to preserve the integrity of genuine humanitarian aid work.
In late January, the United States and several other governments suspended their financial aid to UNRWA after Israel presented incriminating evidence that revealed several of its employees had participated in the Hamas Oct. 7 atrocities committed against Israeli civilians.
At the time, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller emphasized that the Biden administration is “extremely troubled” by the UNRWA ties to the Hamas terrorist group.
“There must be complete accountability for anyone who participated in the heinous attacks,” Blinken reportedly told UN Sec.-Gen. António Guterres.
In early February, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the UN agency for being closely affiliated with Hamas.
“I think it’s time that the international community and the UN itself understands that UNRWA’s mission has to end,” Netanyahu stated.
“UNRWA is totally infiltrated with Hamas,” the premier said. “It has been in the service of Hamas and its schools, and in many other things,” Netanyahu added.
Later in February, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant revealed the names of 12 UNRWA workers who participated in the attack on Oct. 7. The defense minister noted that he had the names of 30 additional UNRWA workers who assisted Hamas in committing atrocities.
For many years, UNRWA has been accused of advocating terrorism and spreading antisemitism in its school system. The agency largely depends on financial aid from Western donor nations and Japan. Following international pressure and the suspension of aid, the UN promised to implement an impartial and professional inquiry into the conduct of UNRWA and its employees.
However, an UN-appointed panel whitewashed the UNRWA-Hamas terror scandal in an April report.
“The set of rules and the mechanisms and procedures in place [at UNRWA] are the most elaborate within the UN system, precisely because it is such a difficult issue to work in such a complex and sensitive environment,” claimed former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who led the panel.
Furthermore, the panel report claimed that Israel had failed to present evidence linking UNRWA workers to the October 7 terrorist attack.
“Israel made public claims that a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organisations. However, Israel has yet to provide supporting evidence of this,” the report stated.
Following the publication of the controversial report, most Western donor nations decided to restore financial aid to UNRWA without demanding accountability for the UN agency’s problematic links to Hamas and the Oct. 7 attack.
Day 225 — Saturday, May 18
IDF Soldiers Recover Bodies Of Four Hostages In Gaza Amid Intense Fighting
The military announced Friday that soldiers recovered the bodies of three hostages from the Gaza Strip, as intensive fighting raged there between Israeli forces and Hamas.
The three were named as Itzhak Gelerenter, Amit Buskila, and Shani Louk.
In a press statement, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the bodies were recovered in an overnight operation carried out by the military and Shin Bet.
The three were at the Supernova music festival near Re’im on the morning of the Hamas-led October 7 onslaught, where they then fled to the Mefalsim area.
Hagari said they were killed there by Hamas terrorists, and their bodies were then kidnapped to Gaza.
Until recently, both Gelerenter and Buskila were presumed to be alive, while Louk was confirmed dead in late October after a piece of her skull was identified following widely shared footage of terrorists kidnapping her.
The military had initially not planned to make the announcement of the recovery of the bodies on Friday, but rather wait until the operation had concluded. However, due to rumors spreading on social media about the operation, it was decided to release some information, including the names of the three hostages.
“I call on the public — please refrain from spreading rumors and maintain the security of our forces. Keep our forces safe. Listen to the messages of the IDF spokesperson and the official bodies only,” Hagari said. “We will update with any information that is available, transparently, first of all the families and then the public through the media.”
According to Hagari, the recovery efforts have “been going on for a long time already.” He also said some of the intelligence for the operation came from Palestinian terror suspects captured by the IDF and interrogated by the Shin Bet.
“The intense fighting in all parts of the Strip continues, and the task of utmost importance of returning the hostages is [on the mind] of every commander and fighter in the field,” he added.
Shani Louk’s father Nissim later told Channel 12 news while the announcement that the IDF recovered her body was difficult to receive, it was also news that he had been waiting for, since he had been officially informed more than six months ago that Shani was dead.
Gelerenter’s son Ilai said the family was grappling with “difficult feelings” in the wake of the news, after holding out hope for months that Itzhak would return alive.
“This is a second blow, after the first time we heard about what happened [on October 7],” Ilai told the Walla news site, while saying the family took solace that Itzhak can now be buried in Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “heartbroken” by the news and pledged to return the remaining hostages.
“My wife Sara and I grieve with the families,” he said in a statement. “We will return all of our hostages — living and deceased alike.”
The Israel Defense Forces announced on Saturday evening that soldiers had recovered the body of an additional hostage from the Gaza Strip, after the announcement the previous day that three slain captives had been returned in a special mission.
The hostage was named as Ron Benjamin, 53, who was abducted by Hamas terrorists on the morning of October 7 while returning home from a planned bike ride near the Gaza border, which he canceled when rocket sirens sounded at 6:30 a.m. as Hamas’s attack began.
It is now known that Benjamin was killed near Kibbutz Mefalsim on the day of the attack, and his body was taken to Gaza, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a statement to the press.
Day 231 — Friday, May 24
International Court Of Justice Orders IDF To Halt Rafah Offensive; Israel Says They Will Not Be Stopped From Protecting Its Citizens
The International Court of Justice issued a ruling on Friday ordering Israel to implement a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as the IDF presses on with its offensive in Rafah.
This follows a motion by South Africa seeking that the International Court of Justice order an “immediate” stop to Israel’s war against the Palestinian jihadists of Hamas, including in the southernmost city of Rafah, where Israel believes Hamas’s remaining battalions to be located, along with many of the Israeli hostages.
An Israeli government spokesperson said on Thursday that “no force on the face of the earth will prevent Israel from defending its citizens and pursuing Hamas in Gaza.” Accordingly, since Israel is not expected to comply with the court order, the Security Council is expected to convene within a few days to discuss the matter.
It should be noted that this time, unlike the previous time when orders were given to Israel in June – at the head of the panel of judges stands a judge who does not support Israel, the Lebanese judge Nawaf Salam.
The Israeli representative, judge Aharon Barak, is also on the panel of judges.
Day 231 — Friday, May 24
Bodies of Three More Israeli Hostages Found By The IDF In Gaza
The bodies of Orión Hernández Radoux (30), Hanan Yablonka (42) and Michel Nisenbaum (59), who had been held hostage by Hamas terrorists since Oct. 7, were recovered by the IDF in northern Gaza on Thursday.
According to “reliable intelligence,” the three were murdered during the Hamas massacre on Oct. 7, and their bodies were subsequently taken to the Gaza Strip by the terrorists, IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Daniel Hagari announced Friday.
IDF representatives informed their families on Thursday who, until today, had not received any indication that the bodies of their loved ones had been found and identified by medical officials at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police.
Radoux, a Mexican-French citizen, was the boyfriend of the late Shani Louk, whose body was recovered last week together with three others. They attended the Nova Musical Festival near Kibbutz Re’im the weekend of the attack, along with Yablonka, a resident of Tel Aviv.
Nisenbaum was from Sderot and drove to the IDF Gaza Division base on the morning of the attack to rescue his 4-year-old granddaughter, whose father was stationed there.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his condolences to the families, stating, “Together with Israel, my wife Sarah and I bow our heads in deep sorrow, and embrace the grieving families in their difficult time.”
“We have a national and moral duty to do everything we can to return our abducted – the live ones and the fallen – and that is what we are doing. I praise the IDF forces and the security forces who acted with great courage in the heart of enemy territory, in order to return them to their families and to a burial in Israel.”
According to reports, on the morning of Oct. 7, the three victims were ambushed by terrorists at a road junction near Kibbutz Mefalsim, where they fled.
“The sad return of Michel, Hanan and Orión is another heartbreak for the 125 families of the abductees, who share the pain, sorrow and never-ending worry,” stated the Hostage and Missing Families Forum.
“The rescue of their bodies is a silent but firm reminder that the State of Israel is obligated to send out the negotiation teams today with a clear demand to bring about a deal that will bring all the hostages home quickly: The living for rehabilitation and the murdered for burial,” the forum stated.
The IDF confirmed that only in the last week did they receive intelligence information indicating both the deaths and the locations where the bodies were being held.
IDF soldiers of the 7th Armored Brigade discovered the tunnel shaft based on intelligence guidance after a gun battle in the northern Gaza town of Jabaliya, Subsequently, elite forces of the combat engineering commando Yahalom and the intelligence service Shin Bet arrived to retrieve the bodies from the underground location.
No casualties to Israeli forces were reported during the operation to retrieve the bodies. The IDF added that the underground compound is close to the site where four other hostage bodies were recovered last week.
The IDF has so far succeeded in retrieving 16 bodies of Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip.
There now remain 125 Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, of whom 40 have already been declared deceased by Israeli authorities.
Day 231 — Friday, May 24
Israel Slams Germany For Saying It Would Arrest, Deport Netanyahu If ICC Issues Warrant
Israel on Thursday slammed a statement from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s office that Berlin would arrest and deport Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if the International Criminal Court implements a warrant for his arrest.
“I am old enough to remember the German leader coming here days after October 7, and stating that Hamas are the new Nazis. They seek a genocide against the Jews. Many in the world need to check their moral compass and be on the right side of history,” government spokesman Avi Hyman told Fox News.
When asked on Wednesday whether Berlin would execute a potential ICC arrest order, German spokesman Steffen Hebestreit responded, “Of course. Yes, we abide by the law.”
Prosor added that Germany’s “Staatsräson,” a term that refers to ensuring Israel’s security as one of the European country’s “reason of state,” was “being put to the test.”
International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan “equates a democratic government with Hamas, thereby demonizing and delegitimizing Israel and the Jewish people. He has completely lost his moral compass. Germany has a responsibility to readjust this compass,” Prosor added.
Khan announced earlier this week that he was seeking arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for “causing extermination, causing starvation as a method of war including the denial of humanitarian relief supplies, deliberately targeting civilians in conflict.”
In the same announcement, Khan said he was seeking warrants for Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s ruler in Gaza; the terror group’s military chief, Mohammed Deif; and the leader of the organization, Ismail Haniyeh. He said they would be charged with extermination, murder, hostage-taking, rape, and sexual assault.
Israel has strongly rejected the charges, denouncing the court for implicitly comparing Israeli leaders to Hamas terrorists.
Day 231 — Friday, May 24
UAV From The East Successfully Intercepted By IAF Fighter Jet Outside Of Israeli Territory
A UAV that approached northern Israel from the east was successfully intercepted by an IAF fighter jet outside of Israeli territory early Friday morning, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said.
During the interception attempts, shrapnel fell in northern Israel, causing a fire in the area of Tzfat. No injuries were reported, and the incident is under review.
Following the interception, the pro-Iranian militias in Iraq claimed to have fired a UAV towards the Port of Haifa.
On Thursday evening, two suspicious aerial targets that approached the city of Eilat from the east were successfully intercepted by IAF fighter jets.
The targets did not cross into Israeli territory, and no sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol.
Before that, sirens sounded in northern Israel regarding a hostile aircraft infiltration.
The IDF said that two UAVs were identified crossing from Lebanese territory. IAF fighter jets successfully intercepted one of the UAVs, and the other fell in the area of Kiryat Shmona. No injuries were reported.
Day 230 — Thursday, May 23
'Rewarding Terrorism': PM Blasts Norway, Ireland, And Spain For Plans To Recognize 'Palestine'
Plans by Ireland, Norway and Spain to recognize “Palestine” only seven months after Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre constitute a reward for terrorism, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday night.
“Eighty percent of the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria support the terrible massacre of Oct. 7. This evil cannot be given a state,” Netanyahu stressed in a Hebrew-language video statement posted to social media.
“This would be a terrorist state. It will try to repeat the massacre of Oct. 7 again and again,” he said, stressing that Israel “will not consent to this.”
The premier concluded: “Rewarding terrorism will not bring peace and neither will it stop us from defeating Hamas.”
Netanyahu spoke after Norway, Ireland and Spain announced their recognition of a Palestinian state, in decisions that the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority and the Hamas terrorist organization lauded.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry denounced the move as a reward for the atrocities Hamas committed on Oct. 7, including the murder of some 1,200 people. “Today’s decision sends a message to the Palestinians and the world: Terrorism pays,” tweeted top diplomat Israel Katz.
According to Palestinian polls, 89% of Palestinians support establishing a government that includes or is led by Hamas. Only around 8.5% said they favor an authority controlled exclusively by Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas’s ruling Fatah faction.
Day 230 — Thursday, May 23
Israel Shocked By Release Of Video Showing 5 Female IDF Captives From October 7
Trigger alert – The video below contains graphic content that may be disturbing for some viewers.
The parents of the five female IDF spotters who were abducted from the Nahal Oz base and are still in Hamas captivity released a video to media and the public showing scenes from the girls’ abduction on October 7.
Naama Levy, Liri Elbag, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, and Agam Berger were all spotters, working at Nahal Oz, where they remotely observed the security fence via cameras. After reporting shooting at the base before 7:00 AM, the girls received no further contact from the military.
The video has been edited and censored by the parents and the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate and runs for a little over three minutes. It has many difficult parts removed, including parts which showed murdered soldiers in the base.
In the video, which was filmed by one of the terrorists involved in the raid on Nahal Oz on October 7, the female spotters can be seen handcuffed, bleeding, and answering questions from their Hamas captors. At points the terrorists shout at the girls, threaten to hit them or kill them, before questioning them and leading them into vehicles for transport to Gaza. The video was compiled from footage seized by IDF and Shin Bet soldiers during an operation in Gaza.
Trigger alert –
The video of the female observers’ abduction, is a wake-up call to the civilized world. We must condemn those actions and we can not abandon the hostages held captive for 229 days.
This video, captured by the body cameras of Hamas terrorists on October 7th,… pic.twitter.com/wuRxpsTBtA
— Bring Them Home Now (@bringhomenow) May 22, 2024
The girls have not been heard from since the hostage release in November, 2023, when a few of the girls passed messages to their families via the released hostages.
After the original video as discovered and examined by the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate, the parents of the girls were summoned to see the footage. At their request, the edited video was given to the cabinet for viewing, although some ministers refused to watch the video.
Recently, the families of the female hostages requested to show the video to the public. After the video was reviewed again by the Intelligence Directorate, it was approved by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi to be handed over.
A security source told Maariv Online that the full, unedited film was difficult to watch, however contrary to rumors, it contained no physical sexual assaults on female soldiers.
The released version of the video does contain statements in Arabic from the Hamas terrorists referring to the girls with a word meaning sex slave. At one point one of the terrorists is heard saying, “Here are the sex slaves.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several other Israeli politicians posted their reactions to the video on social media.
“I am shocked by the video documenting the abduction of our dear female observers. We will continue to do everything to bring them home,” Netanyahu posted to X.
“The world must look at this cruel atrocity,” wrote President Isaac Herzog. “Those who care about women’s rights must speak out. All those who believe in freedom must speak out, and do everything possible to bring all of the hostages home now.”
Day 229 — Wednesday, May 22
No Aid From US Pier Has Reached Civilians In Gaza; Much Of It Stolen
None of the aid that President Joe Biden has sent to Gaza via a floating pier that the U.S. Military constructed has reached the Palestinian people, a U.S. official said this week.
Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said on Tuesday that none of the 569 tons of aid transported to Gaza since last week has reached the Palestinian people.
“The U.S. military is delivering [the aid] to the causeway. It’s then taken by non-U.S. contractors, driven over onto shore, put into an assembly area, which is where the NGOs that are supporting this effort pick it up and take it for onward distribution,” he said. “But as I mentioned, you know, via some discussions that have happened, again, as we work out processes and procedures, alternative routes for the safe movement of that cargo have been established, and aid is now being taken from those assembly areas to warehouses for further distribution throughout Gaza.”
Reuters reported that on Saturday, 16 trucks were en route to the warehouse when 11 were overrun and “were cleaned out by Palestinians during the journey through an area that a U.N. official said has been hard to access with humanitarian aid.”
Ryder acknowledged during the press conference that the aid was “intercepted by some people who took that aid off those vehicles.”
He said that while aid was making it in, none of the aid that has come in from the pier has been distributed to civilians in Gaza.
Biden’s $320 million pier for Gaza is at risk of becoming yet another failure for the 81-year-old president as the U.N. World Food Program said it may fail because conditions on the ground in Gaza were not allowing the food to be distributed because the majority of it was being stolen.
Day 228 — Tuesday, May 21
IDF Successfully Evacuates Nearly 1 Million People From Rafah In Two Weeks; 30-40% Of City Under IDF Control
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have successfully evacuated approximately 950,000 Palestinian civilians from Rafah in the Gaza Strip in just two weeks since May 6, the military revealed on Monday.
This large-scale evacuation was part of the ongoing Israeli military operations aimed at dismantling Hamas’ control in the region.
According to the IDF, around 30 to 40 percent of Rafah is now under IDF control, while 60 to 70 percent of the city has been completely evacuated. The remaining civilians, estimated at 300,000-400,000, are concentrated near the Tel al-Sultan area along the Gaza coast.
This evacuation was achieved despite earlier U.S. predictions that such a large-scale movement could not be accomplished without significant casualties or a lengthy timeframe of about four months. The majority of those evacuated have relocated to the northwest region of al-Muwasi, with smaller numbers moving to central Gaza and Khan Yunis.
The IDF has reported significant progress in its military operations.
Despite facing resistance from the four Hamas battalions in Rafah, Israeli forces have managed to take them by surprise.
Initial resistance was more unified, but it appears that the battalions are now either dispersing, fleeing, or preparing for guerrilla warfare at a later stage. There is a possibility that Hamas may mount stronger resistance in the Tel al-Sultan area.
There have been no violent incidents between the two sides, and only a minimal number of Palestinians have crossed into Egypt, addressing one of Cairo’s primary concerns.
The IDF has also noted that no significant updates are available regarding the hostages held in Rafah or the whereabouts of Gaza Chief Yahya Sinwar. It is possible that the hostages and Sinwar may have been moved out of Rafah amidst the large civilian exodus.
Day 228 — Tuesday, May 21
Analysis — Amir Tsarfati: If You Stand With God’s Biblical Promises For Israel… Congratulations, You’re A Zionist
We hear so much about the zionists and Zionism these days. Let’s break it down—The good, the bad, and the Zionist.
The term “Zionism” stems from the concept of Zion, “Ṣīyyōn” in Hebrew, the hill upon which the city of Jerusalem is built. For 2,000 years, after being exiled from their ancestral Homeland, Jews around the world yearned and prayed towards Zion, pleading with God to allow them to return to Jerusalem.
We hear this heart cry of our people in Psalm 137:1, “By the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.”
How truly prophetic those words are!
The Zionist movement initiated the realization of the long-awaited dream of reestablishing a Jewish Homeland in the land of Israel. It is clear to us, now more than ever, that the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 was the fulfillment of God’s promise to gather His people back to Zion.
This miracle was described in Ezekiel 36:24, “For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.”
However, opponents of the biblical vision of the Jewish return have often used the term “the Zionist entity” to deny the rights and historical connection of the Jewish people to the land. This narrative portrays Zionism as an illegitimate Colonial project.
Figures such as Osama Bin Laden adopted this rhetoric. For example, in his 1996 FATWA, which was his Manifesto of war against the West, Bin Laden frequently condemned the zionists rather than mentioning the name Israel.
Despite this hostility, it’s important to recognize that Israel’s modern rebirth is intertwined with the Zionist vision grounded in God’s biblical promises.
Day 228 — Tuesday, May 21
Analysis — A Tyrant Who Threatened Israel With Annihilation: Was Raisi’s Death An Act Of God?
It really makes you wonder when you look back at Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s statement of April 23rd, less than a month ago, as he threatened Israel with annihilation. It was during a visit to Pakistan that Raisi referred to Israel as the “Zionist regime,” whose destruction he promised if they would dare to attack Iran.
Because when thinking about the Biblical accounts of cause and effect, it’s only natural to make the comparison of someone who, after threatening the Jews, ended up hanging on his own gallows. But who was Ebrahim Raisi, and is it possible to connect his sudden and unexpected demise to a sovereign act of God – even in the year 2024?
At age 63, Raisi, whose full name was Raisolsadati, was the son-in-law of a prominent Imam. He became Iran’s eighth president in 2021. As a prosecutor and Deputy Chief Justice of Iran, he rose to prominence as the country’s president when appointed by the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Earning for himself a fearsome reputation, he was labeled “The Butcher of Tehran,” “responsible for the execution of thousands of political prisoners, accused of crimes against humanity by international human rights organizations and United Nations special rapporteurs.”
You’d be hard-pressed to find an individual who was more of a hardliner in Iranian politics than Raisi, and, perhaps, that accounts for the remark made by IDF Intelligence Chief Major General Tamir Hayman who commented, upon hearing his demise, that “it would be hard to find someone worse.”
But it wasn’t only in April that Raisi threatened Israel’s existence. He made that same promise back in May 2023 when he, once again, warned Israel not to “launch a direct military strike on his country which would be overwhelmed and destroyed by Iran’s immediate response.”
Always referring to Israel as the “Zionist regime,” it was Raisi’s intent to smear the Jewish homeland as an entity that had no right to exist, due to its foundational belief that there should be a protective refuge for all Jews who, for thousands of years, never had the security of knowing if they’d be banished from their host countries or even worse.
Day 227 — Monday, May 20
ICC Seeks Arrest Of Netanyahu, Gallant, 3 Hamas Leaders; PM: 'Absurd' Decision Is The Latest Example Of ‘The New Antisemitism’
In his first public comments on the arrest warrant sought against him by the International Criminal Court’s top prosecutor, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that the “absurd and false” decision is “directed against the entire State of Israel.”
“It is directed against the IDF soldiers, who are fighting with supreme heroism against the vile Hamas murderers,” he said in a video statement.
Chief prosecutor Karim Khan has not issued arrest warrants, instead announcing his intention to seek them for Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, alongside Hamas’s three top leaders — Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh. It will be up to the court’s pre-trial judges to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to issue warrants.
“With what chutzpah do you dare compare the monsters of Hamas to the soldiers of the IDF, the most moral army in the world?” Netanyahu asked. “With what audacity do you compare between the Hamas that murdered, burned, butchered, raped and kidnapped our brothers and sisters, and the IDF soldiers who are fighting a just war that is unparalleled in its morality?”
Netanyahu said he rejected “with disgust” Khan’s ostensible comparison, and said it is an example of “the new antisemitism” that has moved from college campuses to The Hague. The premier promised the Israeli public that the ICC will not prevent Israel from toppling Hamas and achieving “total victory.”
Israel had been in touch with the ICC chief prosecutor’s office in recent weeks, The Times of Israel learned on Monday, and Israeli officials were expecting to host ICC officials starting this evening for a preliminary visit to plan an official visit by Khan.
Israel was ready to spend time with Khan to show the prosecutor how its decisions are made, where legal experts fit into the decision-making process, how strikes are approved in the IDF, what Israel is doing around humanitarian aid, and more. Instead it was taken totally by surprise by Khan’s announcement on Monday.
Khan made an unofficial visit to Israel after October 7 to meet with the families of hostages and tour some of the hardest-hit border communities.
The fact that Khan made the announcement in front of cameras further frustrated Israeli officials, as it indicated that he was chasing headlines.
Day 227 — Monday, May 20
Moment Of Silence Held At UN Security Council In Honor Of The 'Butcher Of Tehran'; Biden Admin. Stands For Mass Murderer
Members of the United Nations Security Council held a moment of silence for the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
The Russian, Chinese, and Algerian UN missions requested the moment of silence be held during a Security Council session on the prevention of an arms race in outer space and outer space security.
Mozambique Ambassador Pedro Comissario Afonso, who holds the rotating council presidency this month, asked the council members to stand for the moment of silence for Raisi and the others who died in the plane crash.
Raisi was known as the “butcher of Tehran” for his role in the execution of thousands of Iranian protesters in the 1980s. His tenure as President was marked by further protests against the oppressive Iranian regime following the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died in police custody in 2022 after being arrested for allegedly not wearing her hijab correctly.
At least 500 protesters were killed as Iranian authorities suppressed the protests. Tens of thousands of protesters were arrested.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that Raisi was involved in the planning of the October 7 massacre, the largest massacre committed against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. The massacre was carried out by the Hamas terrorist organization, an Iranian proxy group, and resulted in the murder of over 1,200 people and the kidnapping of over 250 hostages who were taken to Gaza.
The US imposed sanctions on Raisi in 2019 for human rights violations, including for the executions he oversaw in the 1980s.
Professor Anne Bayefsky, the Director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and President of Human Rights Voices, spoke to Arutz Sheva – Israel National News about the moment of silence held at the United Nations Security Council today (Monday) in honor of the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the ‘butcher of Tehran,’ who was killed in a helicopter crash yesterday.
Prof. Bayefsky noted that one of the officials who stood for the moment of silence for Raisi was US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood, and connected this to the Biden Administration’s policy of appeasement vis a vis Iran.
“The Biden Administration has continually demonstrated, like the Obama administration before it, an insidious relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran.” She listed, “Pushing an Iran deal guaranteeing the country’s acquisition of nuclear weapons. Refusing to back Iranian demonstrators in their courageous efforts to take back their country. Handing the world’s leading state sponsor of terror enormous sums of money.”
“Today, the Biden Administration managed to take its Iran relationship one step further: by standing up to honor a mass murderer and his associates. The Mozambique President of the Security Council, Pedro Comissario Afonso, asked Council members to rise ‘to present its condolences and sympathy to…the people of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” in addition to family members,” Bayefsky noted.
“Knowing full well that the people of Iran are unable to speak freely and condolences and sympathy for his demise was the opposite of what they thought in silence from their homes and prison cells, the representative of the United States stood up – throwing the Iranian people under the bus yet again.
Day 227 — Monday, May 20
Iranian President 'The Butcher Of Tehran,' Foreign Minister Reportedly Dead After Helicopter Crashes Into Mountain
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash in the country’s northwest on Sunday, Iranian state media agencies and government officials reported on Monday morning.
Raisi’s death was reported along with the deaths of Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, among others. According to Mehr, all passengers on board were killed.
The other officials who were killed include Seyyed Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, the Islamic Republic’s representative to the East Azerbaijan province, and Malek Rahmati, the province’s governor. The aircraft’s pilot and co-pilot were also killed.
The semi-official Iranian Tasnim news agency noted that identification efforts of the bodies found at the crash site were ongoing.
Late on Sunday, a helicopter that carried the Iranian leaders crashed into the mountains by the town of Tavil in Iran.
“President Raisi’s helicopter was completely burned in the crash … unfortunately, all passengers are feared dead,” an official had told Reuters.
“We can see the wreckage, and the situation does not look good,” the head of Iran’s Red Crescent, Pirhossein Kolivand, told state TV late on Sunday. He later added that there was “no sign of life” at the scene of the crash.
Details about the incident remained unclear. Sunday reports said that the president’s helicopter suffered a “hard landing” in foggy weather. As night fell, the search became even more difficult.
Iranian media has reported that heat detection guns were used to attempt to find signs of life.
IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency said emergency services were conducting searches in an attempt to find the helicopter, but the weather and 70-meter tall boulders in the area were complicating the search efforts. Over 40 rescue teams were operating in the area.
Day 226 — Sunday, May 19
Russia And Turkey Sent Reinforcements To Iran To Aid In Finding Crash Site
According to the Jerusalem Post, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered two planes, one helicopter, and 50 personnel to Iran after the helicopter carrying the Iranian President and Foreign Minister reportedly crashed in heavy fog.
The Turkish Defense Ministry additionally sent drones and a helicopter equipped with night vision equipment to assist in the search effort in the mountains of Iran.
The reports of assistance from Russia and Turkey come amid increasing partnership between the three countries.
Robert Gottselig, Executive Director of Friends of Israel Canada, discussed the increased friendship between the countries in his recent article, “Why Students Of God’s Word Aren’t Surprised By Russia, Iran, And Turkey’s Mutual Hatred Of Israel.”
“The Bible, in Ezekiel 38 and 39, tells us that things need to move in this direction. These chapters speak of a future attack on Israel from the north with the three main players—Russia, Iran, and Turkey,” he described. “Friends, Russia, Turkey, and Iran are on Israel’s doorstep and have been developing quite a friendship with one another over the years.”
“Everything that we see happening is setting the stage for this war to be fulfilled, I believe, in the near future,” Gottselig underscored. “Here we are today, reading what the prophet Ezekiel wrote some 2,500 years ago, speaking of the very things we are witnessing. What does that tell me? It tells me that God’s word is powerful—it’s about real people, real places, and real events—therefore, we can trust it with all our hearts.”
“If Iran, Turkey, Russia, and Israel’s enemies really want to come against the Jewish State, they would be better off aiming their weapons at the sun, moon, and stars to try to destroy them,” he highlighted, “because God says in Jeremiah 31:35-36 that as long as they are intact, Israel will not cease from being a nation before God. That means forever—period!”
Earlier this week, Christian leaders such as Franklin Graham, Tony Perkins, and Pastor Jack Hibbs called for a Day of Prayer for Israel, which took place in churches earlier today.
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Day 226 — Sunday, May 19
Rescue Team Search For Signs Of Life After Helicopter Carrying Iranian President, Foreign Minister Reportedly Crashes In Heavy Fog
Iranian authorities have launched a search after a helicopter carrying President Ebrahim Raisi went missing in the country’s northwestern East Azerbaijan province, the Tasnim News Agency reported on Sunday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, the regime’s representative in East Azerbaijan, were reportedly also in the helicopter, which is believed to have crashed.
An Iranian official told the Reuters press agency that the lives of Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian were believed to be “at risk” following a crash.
According to reports, Raisi’s convoy included three helicopters, and the two other choppers arrived safely at their destination. Tasnim cited local sources as saying that the condition of the helicopter carrying Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian was still unknown due to foggy weather.
Iran’s official IRNA news outlet said rescuers arrived in the area 30 minutes after the incident was reported and had started their search.
Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi confirmed on state-run television that Raisi’s chopper made a “hard landing” and that rescue forces were having a hard time reaching the presumed crash site.
Raisi, known as the “butcher of Tehran” after being involved in the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners, was elected president in 2021. The hardline leader has repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel.
Day 226 — Sunday, May 19
51 US Bipartisan Lawmakers Urge Sanctions Against UNRWA Workers Involved In Oct 7 Attack
Fifty-one bipartisan members of the U.S. House of Representatives have expressed “deep concern” over the United States’ delay in sanctioning 12 former employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) who were involved in the Hamas Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200 Israelis and the kidnapping of over 250 hostages.
“We cannot allow these terrorists who masquerade as UNRWA humanitarian aid workers to go unpunished,” the Republican and Democratic lawmakers stated in a joint letter addressed to State Secretary Antony Blinken and Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen.
The lawmakers urged the U.S. government to swiftly designate the concerned individuals as Specially Designed Global Terrorists (SDGTs) and impose sanctions on them, emphasizing the need to take strong action to preserve the integrity of genuine humanitarian aid work.
In late January, the United States and several other governments suspended their financial aid to UNRWA after Israel presented incriminating evidence that revealed several of its employees had participated in the Hamas Oct. 7 atrocities committed against Israeli civilians.
At the time, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller emphasized that the Biden administration is “extremely troubled” by the UNRWA ties to the Hamas terrorist group.
“There must be complete accountability for anyone who participated in the heinous attacks,” Blinken reportedly told UN Sec.-Gen. António Guterres.
In early February, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the UN agency for being closely affiliated with Hamas.
“I think it’s time that the international community and the UN itself understands that UNRWA’s mission has to end,” Netanyahu stated.
“UNRWA is totally infiltrated with Hamas,” the premier said. “It has been in the service of Hamas and its schools, and in many other things,” Netanyahu added.
Later in February, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant revealed the names of 12 UNRWA workers who participated in the attack on Oct. 7. The defense minister noted that he had the names of 30 additional UNRWA workers who assisted Hamas in committing atrocities.
For many years, UNRWA has been accused of advocating terrorism and spreading antisemitism in its school system. The agency largely depends on financial aid from Western donor nations and Japan. Following international pressure and the suspension of aid, the UN promised to implement an impartial and professional inquiry into the conduct of UNRWA and its employees.
However, an UN-appointed panel whitewashed the UNRWA-Hamas terror scandal in an April report.
“The set of rules and the mechanisms and procedures in place [at UNRWA] are the most elaborate within the UN system, precisely because it is such a difficult issue to work in such a complex and sensitive environment,” claimed former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who led the panel.
Furthermore, the panel report claimed that Israel had failed to present evidence linking UNRWA workers to the October 7 terrorist attack.
“Israel made public claims that a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organisations. However, Israel has yet to provide supporting evidence of this,” the report stated.
Following the publication of the controversial report, most Western donor nations decided to restore financial aid to UNRWA without demanding accountability for the UN agency’s problematic links to Hamas and the Oct. 7 attack.
Day 225 — Saturday, May 18
IDF Soldiers Recover Bodies Of Four Hostages In Gaza Amid Intense Fighting
The military announced Friday that soldiers recovered the bodies of three hostages from the Gaza Strip, as intensive fighting raged there between Israeli forces and Hamas.
The three were named as Itzhak Gelerenter, Amit Buskila, and Shani Louk.
In a press statement, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the bodies were recovered in an overnight operation carried out by the military and Shin Bet.
The three were at the Supernova music festival near Re’im on the morning of the Hamas-led October 7 onslaught, where they then fled to the Mefalsim area.
Hagari said they were killed there by Hamas terrorists, and their bodies were then kidnapped to Gaza.
Until recently, both Gelerenter and Buskila were presumed to be alive, while Louk was confirmed dead in late October after a piece of her skull was identified following widely shared footage of terrorists kidnapping her.
The military had initially not planned to make the announcement of the recovery of the bodies on Friday, but rather wait until the operation had concluded. However, due to rumors spreading on social media about the operation, it was decided to release some information, including the names of the three hostages.
“I call on the public — please refrain from spreading rumors and maintain the security of our forces. Keep our forces safe. Listen to the messages of the IDF spokesperson and the official bodies only,” Hagari said. “We will update with any information that is available, transparently, first of all the families and then the public through the media.”
According to Hagari, the recovery efforts have “been going on for a long time already.” He also said some of the intelligence for the operation came from Palestinian terror suspects captured by the IDF and interrogated by the Shin Bet.
“The intense fighting in all parts of the Strip continues, and the task of utmost importance of returning the hostages is [on the mind] of every commander and fighter in the field,” he added.
Shani Louk’s father Nissim later told Channel 12 news while the announcement that the IDF recovered her body was difficult to receive, it was also news that he had been waiting for, since he had been officially informed more than six months ago that Shani was dead.
Gelerenter’s son Ilai said the family was grappling with “difficult feelings” in the wake of the news, after holding out hope for months that Itzhak would return alive.
“This is a second blow, after the first time we heard about what happened [on October 7],” Ilai told the Walla news site, while saying the family took solace that Itzhak can now be buried in Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “heartbroken” by the news and pledged to return the remaining hostages.
“My wife Sara and I grieve with the families,” he said in a statement. “We will return all of our hostages — living and deceased alike.”
The Israel Defense Forces announced on Saturday evening that soldiers had recovered the body of an additional hostage from the Gaza Strip, after the announcement the previous day that three slain captives had been returned in a special mission.
The hostage was named as Ron Benjamin, 53, who was abducted by Hamas terrorists on the morning of October 7 while returning home from a planned bike ride near the Gaza border, which he canceled when rocket sirens sounded at 6:30 a.m. as Hamas’s attack began.
It is now known that Benjamin was killed near Kibbutz Mefalsim on the day of the attack, and his body was taken to Gaza, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a statement to the press.
