LIVE UPDATES — FROM JUNE 8TH – 14TH
Israel At War: Week Thirty-Six Coverage
TRUSTED ANALYSIS
Day 252 — Friday, June 14
Undercover Israeli Spies Posed As Palestinians And Lived In Gaza Near Hostages To Plot Daring Rescue Mission
Undercover Israeli spies — including women dressed in black dresses and hijabs — rented a house in the Gaza neighborhood where four hostages were stashed, and lived there for days to gain intelligence ahead of the military’s dramatic rescue mission on Saturday, according to a report.
In scenes out of a spy movie, the Israelis posed as wealthy Gaza families displaced from Rafah by the war. They infiltrated the Nuseirat refugee camp in hopes of confirming that 26-year-old Noa Argamani and three men were being held in the area, the Jewish Chronicle reported Thursday.
One group wearing typical Palestinian clothing and using Gazan Arabic accents walked by the home where Argamani was being held while another group secretly scouted out where Almog Meir Jan, 26, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, were detained in a separate nearby building after a few days acclimating to the area, according to the Chronicle.
Once the presence of the hostages was confirmed, 28 commandos from the elite Yamam police counter-terrorism unit begin training for the rescue.
The used two custom-built models that replicated the buildings where the hostages were, the outlet reported.
Most of the undercover agents left the area the night of June 5 and the next day, the mission got underway.
Argamani was smoothly rescued and put on a helicopter back to Israel after the terrorists guarding her were killed. But, retrieving the three men in a separate building ran into complications.
Some commandos used a ladder to reach the exact room the hostages where being held, but about 30 Hamas terrorists in the building armed — with machine guns and grenades — opened fire, catching the Israeli commandos off-guard.
A massive fire-fight ensued while the three hostages were protected in a bathroom, according to the Jewish Chronicle.
During the chaos, Yamam commander Arnon Zamora, 36, was fatally wounded.
As the Israeli operators escorted the trio of hostages from the building, more Hamas terrorists emerged and started shooting toward them with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. Israel firepower from the ground, air and sea quickly arrived to help the rescue mission as hundreds of soldiers fought face-to-face with Hamas.
The reinforcements helped hostages and the rescuers to safely escape the area and fly back to Israel.
Day 252 — Friday, June 14
Analysis — Amir Tsarfati: As The Enemy Takes Aim, God Delivers Miraculously For Israel
You likely know by now that God delivered in a massive way just days ago when four Israeli hostages were rescued alive at the conclusion of an amazing operation carried out by the IDF. Andrey Kozolov, Noa Argamani, Almog Meir, Shlomi Ziv were all rescued as a result of a joint operation by the IDF, Shin Bet, and Yamam (the anti-terror unit of the police). This operation had been in the making for weeks! They were able to rescue four hostages and kill terrorists at the same time. This operation consisted of many moving parts, as well as a host of explosions. The Gazans, including the terrorists, were shocked. The US was even involved in providing intel to make this mission a success. You can learn more about this incredible event in my Breaking News segment.
However, this did not come without the tragic news of the loss of Captain Arnon Zamora – the team commander of the anti-terror unit – who sacrificed his life to bring them home. He will never be forgotten. He was the first person through the door where the hostages were being held. This operation has since been renamed, “Operation Arnon”. Am Yisrael Chai! This means, “The people of Israel live!”
In what’s not a surprise, Hamas has increased its phycological warfare ever since, threatening to make the living conditions of the other hostages even worse. We’re not finished. As Netanyahu said, our troops are going to bring everyone home. Given that Hamas rejected our most recent offer, we’re here to stay. By the way, the leader of Hamas even voiced that he believes civilian deaths are “necessary sacrifices”. He believes Gazans need to die. Israel is trying to spare as many as possible.
As the IDF continues to purge this lump of evil called Hamas from our midst, the depravity of these animals seems to be bottomless. Aside from the other grotesque things I’ve shared, the IDF is finding terror tunnel shafts in bedrooms belonging to girls. This is how these cowards operate. On a positive note, the IDF has seized full control of Philadelphi Axis and reached the Mediterranean Sea near Rafah. Hamas is now cut off from all sides. Now we have to purge them from the main city that’s dozens of feet underground. That said, nearly 40% of Rafah is now in our hands, but not at the cost of nothing. Tragically, an explosive-rigged building collapsed on Monday, resulting in the deaths and injuries of IDF soldiers.
Our military remains active in Judea & Samaria on a daily basis as well. These terrorists are everywhere.
Day 252 — Friday, June 14
Analysis — To America’s Detriment, The Biden Administration Is Actively Stabbing Israel In The Back
Lately, the Biden administration seems more interested in appeasing their anti-Israel left-wing base than standing with Israel, and in doing so, they are doing nothing more than stabbing Israel in the back.
Under Biden, the Democrats’ support for Israel has been wavering. One minute, they’re with Israel, supporting their right to defend themselves against the terrorist group Hamas, and the next minute, the Democrats under Biden are telling Israel to end the war and not to go into Rafah, leaving Hamas a victory and to live another day.
If you remember, in early May, Biden told Netanyahu that if Israel entered Rafah, the US would block specific weapons from being sent to the Jewish State. Then, at the end of May, Biden released a three-phase plan that he falsely claimed Israel had accepted.
Israel has to come to a complete ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas. Hamas is going to release a few hostages—in exchange, by the way, for hundreds of terrorist prisoners, all with blood on their hands. Then, the Gazans can return to their homes in all areas, and Israel is supposed to sit down with Hamas and negotiate on how to get to “phase two.”
You have got to be kidding me! Negotiate with terrorists whose charter is to destroy you. Has Biden gone mad? Apparently so.
Instead of pressuring Hamas to release the hostages and surrender to end this war, it’s all on Israel to surrender, which gives Hamas the victory. All I can say is, woe unto America! That is not going to bring blessing to your country. I can guarantee you that.
Israel has a better way: Finish off Hamas and rescue the hostages.
Day 251 — Thursday, June 13
Freed Israeli Hostages Suffered Punishment, Psychological Abuse During Gaza Captivity
Israeli special forces rescued the Israeli hostages Almog Meir Jan (21), Andrei Kozlov (27) and Shlomi Ziv (40), as well as female hostage Noa Argamani (25) who was kept in a separate building on Saturday.
For six long months, Jan, Kozlov and Ziv suffered punishments, fear and isolation from the outside world, according to a Wall Street Journal report. During the difficult months of captivity, the three men were reportedly forced to live in a single dark room while sleeping on mattresses on the floor.
The guards, who were the hostages’ only connection to the outside world, gave them some food and delivered punishments whenever they felt that the hostages did not follow their strict rules. Punishments reportedly included being locked up in the bathroom or deliberately placing blankets on the hostages during hot days.
Furthermore, the captors also allegedly abused the hostages psychologically by threatening to kill them. In addition, the hostages were told that nobody cared about them anymore.
Dr. Itai Pessach, who treated the freed hostages at Sheba Medical Center, revealed that the hostages were beaten physically “almost every day” during their long captivity in Gaza.
“We’ve heard stories that are beyond anything you can imagine,” Pessach said.
The three male Israeli hostages supported each other, which helped them endure the long months of isolated captivity.
“They supported one another, even down to the level of telling each other stories and helping each other shave, the little things,” said Geut Elgrabi, the sister of former hostage, Jan.
“Andrey taught them Russian and they learned Arabic together and kept each other busy,” she added.
Kozlov’s father Mikhail said, “Andrey is in relatively good condition; he talks and shares with us what happened,” However, the doctor who has treated other former hostages, noted that most of them went through “physical and mental torture.”
The mental wounds and trauma will take time to heal, according to Pessach. He believes that the temporary adrenaline in their bodies during the escape and the joy of being released likely made the hostages initially appear to be in a better condition than they actually were.
Jan’s uncle, Aviram Meir, noted how pale the three hostages were when they arrived in Israel.
“They hadn’t seen the sun for eight months,” he said.
Following the dramatic rescue operation, the Israeli military revealed that the Gaza-based journalist and Hamas terrorist Abdullah al-Jamal was one of the captors.
“After investigations by the IDF and Shin Bet, it can be confirmed that Abdullah al-Jamal was an operative of the terrorist organization Hamas, who held the abductees Almog Meir, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv in his family home in Nuseirat,” the IDF stated.
“This is further proof that the terrorist organization Hamas uses the civilian population as a human shield,” the military added.
While Israelis celebrate the rescue of four hostages, about 120 Israeli hostages are believed to still be in captivity in Gaza, with their current status unknown.
Middle East political analyst Younis Al-Zuraie believes Hamas will likely increase its security procedures regarding the remaining hostages.
“They will likely ensure that no more than one hostage is in the same location and will move hostages frequently to avoid detection. Their security apparatus will manage these arrangements,” Al-Zuraie noted.
Also, the New York Times reported on Monday that Hamas guards have been ordered to kill hostages if an IDF rescue attempt detected.
According to Israeli officials cited in the report, terrorist leaders have told their operatives guarding hostages that “if they think Israeli forces are coming, the first thing they should do is shoot the captives.”
All Israel News
Day 251 — Thursday, June 13
Jewish Leaders Call For New NYC Mask Ban After Explosion Of Antisemitic Protests By Mobs With Hidden Faces
It’s time to unmask hate.
An explosion of blatant antisemitism by anti-Israel protesters in New York — nearly all of whom cover their faces to avoid being publicly identified — is leading some Jewish leaders to call for the return of an anti-mask law that was previously used to fight the hoods of the Ku Klux Klan.
In one shocking incident Monday, protesters took over a New York City subway train, all wearing Covid masks, keffiyehs, balaclavas or sunglasses to obscure their faces, and demanded that “Zionists” raise their hands — then warned, “this is your chance to get out.”
Earlier in the day at Union Square, two protesters — faces also covered — unfurled a banner that read “Long Live October 7.”
“A mask law will make a difference,” Scott Richman, regional director for the Anti-Defamation League, told The Post on Wednesday.
The group first championed similar laws around the country in the 1950s, and should back them again, Richman said.
“It effectively tanked the Ku Klux Klan. Nobody wanted their face to be seen,” he said.
New York’s law was on the books for nearly 200 years until it was repealed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The call for action comes as protests against Israel this week curdled into overt displays of hate that evoked uncomfortable echoes of Germany in the 1930s to many Jewish New Yorkers.
A mob ghoulishly gathered outside an exhibit memorializing the victims of the Oct. 7 Nova Music Festival and chanted “Long live the Intifada” on Monday, a display that sent survivors of the attack, who happened to be inside, into panic.
Video from the Union Square protest that same day showed one anti-Israel agitator telling Jews that he wished “Hitler was still here” so the Nazi leader would have “wiped all you out.”
And New Yorkers awoke Wednesday to find that vandals tossed red paint at the homes of the Brooklyn Museum’s director and Jewish board members.
“We are experiencing and seeing the Nazi playbook come to life in 2024,” Mark Treyger, head of the Jewish Community Relations Council, told The Post.
“This is a crisis, an emergency. We need a comprehensive plan to stop the rising tide of antisemitism to protect Jewish New Yorkers and all New Yorkers.”
Anti-Jewish hate crimes had been on the rise even before this week, jumping 150% in May from the same month last year, according NYPD crime stats.
Cops so far this year recorded 173 anti-Jewish hate crimes, compared to 101 in the same period in 2023, data shows.
But Brooklyn Republican Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, a Ukrainian-born Jew, said the NYPD needs to step up during this “scary time.”
“We hit a crisis point for antisemitism a long time ago,” she said.
“What’s next? We’re going to see Jews killed in the streets?”
The swirling antisemitism has renewed interest in the state’s anti-mask law. Restoring the law would strip violent protesters’ ability to operate anonymously — and unpunished just as it did for the Klan, a recent Manhattan Institute brief argued.
Assemblyman Michael Reilly (R-Staten Island), already introduced legislation last month to reinstate the mask ban.
He said the bill didn’t get any traction but will revisit it next year, and was pleased to hear Jewish leaders rallying behind the mask ban.
Reilly said antisemites are no different than the KKK.
“They’re a large mob wearing masks to scare and incite people. Doesn’t that sound like the Klu Klux Klan?” he said.
He added: “The ban on masks should have never been repealed.”
Day 250 — Wednesday, June 12
215 Rockets Fired At North After IDF Killing Of ‘Most Senior’ Hezbollah Officer Yet
Hezbollah launched some 215 rockets and several more missiles and drones at northern Israel on Wednesday, in what it said was a response to the killing of a senior commander in the terror group by an Israeli airstrike a night earlier.
The barrages marked the largest attack carried out by Hezbollah during ongoing fighting on the Lebanon border amid the war in the Gaza Strip.
And the terror group vowed to ramp up its attacks in retaliation for Israel’s elimination of top commander Taleb Abdullah. At a funeral procession in Beirut, senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine said the group would increase the intensity, force and quantity of its operations against Israel.
“If the enemy is screaming and moaning about what happened to it in northern Palestine, let him prepare himself to cry and wail,” Safieddine said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a security assessment Wednesday evening “in light of the developments in the north,” his office said.
The successive Hezbollah attacks began on Wednesday morning with a barrage of at least 90 rockets fired at several areas in northern Israel, including Tiberias — for the first time amid the war — Safed and Rosh Pina, sending tens of thousands of people to shelters, as Jewish Israelis celebrated the Shavuot holiday.
The Israel Defense Forces said another 70 rockets were then launched at the Mount Meron area, home to a sensitive air traffic control base. Ten more rockets were fired at the northern community of Zar’it, and an anti-tank guided missile struck a factory of the Plasan armored vehicle manufacturer in Kibbutz Sasa, causing damage.
Later in the morning, a drone launched from Lebanon detonated in an open area near the northern community of Zivon, local authorities said.
Several more rockets were fired in the afternoon hours at the upper and western Galilee areas.
Many of the rockets were shot down by air defenses, the military said.
There were no injuries in the attacks, but several rocket impacts sparked fires in northern Israel.
Some 25 firefighting teams and eight planes were working to extinguish fires near Amiad, in the Ein Zeitim forest, and near Beit Jann, the Fire and Rescue Service said.
Day 250 — Wednesday, June 12
‘Intifada Revolution’: Mob Converges On NYC Exhibit For Oct. 7 Victims
A mob of protesters chanting “intifada revolution” on Monday night rallied outside a New York city exhibit memorializing the hundreds of victims of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im in southern Israel.
The crowd lit flares and waved Palestinian flags, along with one associated with the Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah, in front of the Nova Music Festival Exhibition on Wall Street during what was billed by organizers as a “citywide day of rage for Gaza,” according to video from the scene.
The demonstration, organized by the pro-Palestinian group Within Our Lifetime, began in the city’s Union Square, where some protesters unfurled a “Long live October 7th” banner, referring to the Hamas massacre that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw about 250 others abducted to Gaza.
One of the exhibit’s organizers, music mogul Scooter Braun, condemned the demonstration.
“I don’t understand why protesting a memorial for innocent music lovers who were raped and butchered and kidnapped helps,” he wrote on social media. “Go see the @novaexhibition and see the truth instead of standing outside listening to yourself.”
The exhibition, which honors the memory of the 364 people killed at the festival, will run until June 22.
Day 249 — Tuesday, June 11
UN Security Council Approves 'Problematic' US Resolution Calling For A Ceasefire In Gaza And Hostage Release
The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution on Monday calling for a ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages.
The resolution was drafted by the United States, based on the outline that was put forward by President Joe Biden in a televised speech in late May, dubbed as a ‘Three-phase proposal for durable peace in the Middle East.’
The resolution passed with 14 member-states voting in favor and none against. Russia abstained, in a de-facto support of the measure.
According to Israeli media report, the U.S. likely changed the original draft of the resolution to avoid a Russian or a Chinese veto. The adopted text urged both Israel and Hamas to “fully implement its terms without delay and without condition.”
Hamas has welcomed the Security Council’s decision, saying in an official statement that they are “willing to cooperate with mediators regarding the implementation of the ceasefire proposal’s terms.”
However, Israeli officials defined the resolution as “problematic,” according to YNET. Israel reportedly told the U.S. administration that the resolution does not accurately reflect its offer for a hostage release deal.
The Biden administration is pushing for an immediate and complete end to the war in Gaza in exchange for a gradual release of all hostages. The deal would also include the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Yet Jerusalem insists that a permanent ceasefire will only take place after Hamas is no longer in control.
Israeli media outlets quoted an unnamed Israeli official claiming that various reports about Israel’s offered outline are “misleading.”
“Our outline determines that beginning no later than day 16 of the deal, Israel will present its conditions for ending the war in indirect negotiation,” the official asserted. “These conditions haven’t changed: To dismantle Hamas’s military and governing capabilities, to bring back all of our hostage and ensure that Gaza will never pose a threat to Israel again. Claims that Israel has agreed to a permanent ceasefire without our conditions being met are incorrect.”
Nevertheless, the text of the American resolution stated that Israel had already accepted the ceasefire terms. It also reiterated the United Nations’ commitment to a two-state solution to the conflict and rejected “any attempt at demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip, including any actions that reduce the territory of Gaza.”
This principle goes against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan for Gaza in the day after Hamas. Netanyahu believes that Israel will have to maintain “security responsibility” over the Gaza Strip and in a security buffer-zine along the border to guarantee that it can operate against a potential resurgence of terrorism.
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after the vote that the security council “voted for peace.”
“The cease-fire deal would pave the way toward an enduring cessation of hostilities and a better future for all. This is an opportunity to chart a different course,” she said.
In a rare move, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan did not speak during the Security Council’s session. Local media suggested that Erdan chose not to appear and send a substitute in his place to avoid highlighting evident gaps between Jerusalem and Washington.
Day 248 — Monday, June 10
Kamala Harris Sparks Backlash For Speech Mourning ‘Innocent’ Palestinians Killed In Hostage Rescue
Speaking at a Michigan Democratic Party fundraiser, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said on Saturday that she mourns the Palestinians killed during Israel’s raid that freed four hostages.
“Before I begin, I just say a few words about the morning which I know weighs heavily on all of our hearts,” Harris said, per Fox News.
“On Oct. 7, Hamas committed a brutal massacre of 1,200 innocent people and abducted 250 hostages,” she said. “Thankfully, four of those hostages were reunited with their families tonight. And we mourn all of the innocent lives that have been lost in Gaza, including those tragically killed today.”
A state with a large Muslim population, Michigan is reportedly a concern for the Biden campaign in the upcoming election.
“Hamas-run authorities in Gaza claim over 270 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli operation, though they make no distinction between militants and innocents,” Fox News reported. “Israeli forces claim the number was fewer than 100.”
“Kamala Harris mourns the terrorist hostage takers,” wrote the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
The Republican Jewish Coalition asked, “Why is it so hard for the Biden administration to stand with Israel in its fight to defeat Hamas terrorists and rescue the remaining hostages?”
Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security advisor, also said that innocent people were killed. “The exact number we don’t know, but innocent people were killed,” he told CNN. “Every day that we see more innocent people lost is another horrible, awful, tragic day.”
The U.S. vice president was briefly heckled during her remarks.
Day 248 — Monday, June 10
Israel Nominates MK Danny Danon As United Nations Ambassador
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Israel Katz have announced the nomination of MK Danny Danon as Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations.
With Danon’s extensive experience in international relations, the decision is seen as a strategic maneuver to navigate mounting diplomatic challenges.
The nomination, subject to government approval, reflects Israel’s determination to strengthen its diplomatic presence amidst increasing tensions.
If confirmed, this appointment will mark Danon’s return to the role, underscoring his proven track record in advocating for Israel’s interests at the United Nations.
Danon, known for his proactive approach to diplomacy, emphasized his dedication to promoting Israel’s position during a time of heightened global scrutiny. He cited recent high-profile visits, including hosting former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, as evidence of Israel’s commitment to engaging with key international stakeholders.
In accepting the nomination, Danon reaffirmed his resolve to confront diplomatic challenges head-on, emphasizing the importance of upholding truth and transparency in Israel’s interactions with the international community.
Day 247 — Sunday, June 9
'Operation Arnon': All The Details About The Heroic Operation That Freed 4 Israeli Hostages From The Heart Of Gaza
After the dramatic announcement that four Israeli hostages were freed from the clutches of the Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, the Israel Defense Force censor allowed the gradual release of many details of the heroic operation throughout Saturday.
After first being called “Seeds of Summer,” the IDF later said that the mission would be known as “Operation Arnon,” in honor of the late Arnon Zamora, a soldier in the police commando Yamam, who died of wounds sustained during the rescue mission.
Israel’s intelligence services had prepared the operation for weeks, carrying out specific raids to raise more intelligence regarding the exact location of the four hostages in the heart of the populated Nuseirat camp, an area that hasn’t been evacuated of its residents.
The forces trained for multiple scenarios, and the IDF Intelligence Branch even developed new technological tools especially to aid the forces during the operation.
The final plan was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant on Thursday evening, Channel 13 reported.
The details, including the risks and broader implications, were presented to the political echelon by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar, who later commanded the operation together from the Shin Bet headquarters.
On Saturday morning, Netanyahu arrived at the headquarters and followed the operation with the heads of Israel’s security services.
“There was enormous tension both before and during the event,” an official who was present told Channel 13.
“There were difficult risks, and even after the Prime Minister and Shin Bet approved the raid, it was clear that this was a complex and challenging operation,” he added.
The operation hung in the balance all morning, until finally, the prime minister gave the go-ahead at 11 am, a time chosen by the Shin Bet to maximize the surprise, as similar operations usually take place during nighttime.
“I approved the operation without hesitation despite the risks. I trust the IDF, the Shin Bet, the Israel Police, and the heroic warriors,” Netanyahu stated later.
The operational spearhead was led by the Shin Bet commando and the Israel Police’s elite Yamam unit, both highly respected commandos specialized in hostage rescue operations.
They were supported by hundreds of IDF soldiers of the 98th Division, including the Navy Commando Shayetet 13 and the Paratrooper, Kfir, and 7th Armored Brigades, while being accompanied by supportive fire by the Navy and the Air Force.
Noa Argamani (25), Almog Meir Jan (21), Andrey Kozlov (27), and Shlomi Ziv (40) were held above ground, in two buildings around 200 meters apart from each other in a crowded residential area.
They were only lightly guarded by several Hamas operatives and kept in assigned rooms in private apartments, with Noa Argamani being held separately from the three men.
The rescue mission commenced at the two buildings at the same time to prevent the terrorists from detecting the Israeli forces and killing the hostages.
While the raid to rescue Argamani succeeded without disturbances with all the terrorists being quickly eliminated, in the apartment where the three male hostages were kept, a difficult and complex gun battle erupted.
During the fire exchanges, the leader of the force Arnon Zamora, was mortally wounded by terrorist fire after showing exceptional bravery, according to Army Radio.
Each stage of the operation was accompanied by withering gun and RPG fire from surrounding buildings and alleys in the crowded civilian area, leading to many casualties among terrorists and civilians.
During the hour-long extraction phase, one of the rescue vehicles came under heavy fire and got stuck. The Air Force had to launch heavy suppressing fire from the air before a reserve force comprising several battalions of the 98th Division moved into action, creating a fire corridor to rescue the hostages and the troops.
The 98th Division began operating in the nearby camps of al-Bureij and Deir al-Balah only several days ago. Army Radio now reported that the secret main objective of their operations in the area was to create the conditions preparing and enabling the daring rescue mission.
After the successful extraction, Air Force helicopters arrived at the coast to carry the troops and the hostages to safety. Despite heavy fire at the helicopters, including surface-to-air missiles, they managed to evade and reach Israeli territory.
Day 246 — Saturday, June 8
IDF Rescues Four Hostages From Hamas Captivity In Daring Gaza Operation
Four hostages were rescued simultaneously from two separate nearby locations from Nuseirat in central Gaza in a high-risk joint operation by the IDF, Shin Bet, and Yamam and police in broad daylight, the IDF announced in a series of statements on Saturday.
Regarding the third such successful operation to rescue hostages since the war started on October 7, the IDF said that the rescued hostages were Noa Argamani (25,) Almog Meir (21,) Andrey Kozlov (27,) and Shlomi Ziv (40,) all of whom were kidnapped by Hamas to the Gaza Strip from the ‘Nova’ party.
An uncertain number of Palestinian terrorists and civilians were killed during the operation. The IDF implied that dozens of terrorists were killed, but left open the possibility that potentially some dozens of Palestinian civilians might also have been killed.
According to the IDF, around 90 Palestinians were likely killed, but the complexity of the hostages being held in civilian areas and a certain amount of chaos at points of the operation left the breakdown of terrorists to civilians unclear, with Hamas claiming the number was closer to 210, without providing any verifiable evidence.
The heroic operation put a new wind into the sails of the IDF and the Israeli public, but will likely also lead Hamas to improve its guard on other hostages, and it was unclear whether it would impact the broader strategic situation in which Hamas has held huge leverage over Israel by virtue of the around 120 hostages it still holds.
Relating to the operation, the military said, “The hostages were rescued by Shin Bet and Yamam fighters from two different locations in an operation in the heart of Nuseirat. Their medical condition is stable, and they have been transferred for further medical examinations at the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer. Security forces will continue to make every effort to bring back the hostages.”
Later, in a televised statement, IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari spoke on the heroic operation, “The IDF and Yamam infiltrated two facilities while under fire by Hamas terrorists. A Yamam soldier was gravely wounded in the operation and has just reached the hospital. We pray for his well-being.”
Ch.-Insp. Arnon Zamora, 36, the Yamam fighter who was wounded in Saturday’s hostage rescue operation, succumbed to his wounds at the hospital, the Israel Police announced later Saturday.
The operation to free Argamani went off without much of a hitch, but the operation to free the other three hostages in a separate building around two meters away led to a significant exchange of gunfire in which Zamora was killed. Both buildings were around three to four stories high.
The operation started to be planned months ago, but was delayed a number of times to improve the exact intelligence about the whereabouts, risks, and security parameters related to rescuing the hostages.
At one point, the operation was going to be only to rescue Argamani, but at a later stage it was decided to carry out a higher risk simultaneous operation in both locations, lest Hamas guards in the second location kill the other three hostages, hearing there was a nearby IDF attack, and not realizing that they were not part of the operation.
Part of the operation was also facilitated by the fact that the hostages were being held in civilian apartments above ground, as opposed to tunnels, where many other hostages are held.
On the other hand, the fact that some of those holding the hostages were not official members of Hamas, but civilians who were paid to supervise them, to better conceal their location, created complications for the entire operation.
The operation was finally approved in principle by the war cabinet, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and National Unity party officials Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot (both former IDF chiefs of staff) on Thursday night.
Around 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar ordered the operation to be executed from a joint operations command center, with a belief that in this specific case, an operation in broad daylight would achieve greater surprise, despite the additional risks of being seen more vividly in daylight than in a nighttime operation.
Further, after all four hostages were taken out of the locations they were being held and brought into a land escape vehicle, the vehicle got stuck.
At this point, the hostages were more exposed and the entire operation could have ended in disaster with at least dozens of terrorists descending on the hostages and IDF rescue forces, with some of the terrorists armed with rocket propelled grenades that could kill both the ground rescue forces and rescue helicopters.
In response, additional forces of IDF division 98 and the air force let loose a massive barrage of fire.
Any Hamas terrorists who tried to attack the hostages and initial IDF rescue force were killed, along with potentially civilians.
Because this part of the operation was not only unplanned, but occurred under tremendous time pressure and in a mixed terrorist-civilian area, the IDF still does not know the exact breakdown of Palestinian terrorists to Palestinian civilians killed.
However, both in this and some past instances, the IDF was suspicious that Hamas was inflating the numbers of civilians to cover up its embarrassing military losses and to try to tar Israel’s legitimacy globally.
Eventually the mix of reinforcements and rescue helicopters successfully evacuated the IDF forces and the hostages.
Incidentally, it turned out that much of the operations that Division 98 has been carrying out in central Gaza and Nuseirat since the middle of last week were part of an elaborate decoy to make the Hamas terrorists feel like the IDF was nearby, but did not know where the hostages were, while allowing security forces to clandestinely setup a close by rescue operation.
In a statement, Hagari said, “This operation was a success in rescuing and returning four hostages. We will continue to do everything to return the 120 hostages still held in Gaza. We are confident that we will reach you, and this operation will not end until you are returned home.”
He added, “We will not give up on a single hostage. I want to say, it is a great pride seeing the security forces working together, shoulder to shoulder, in a vital operation: returning the hostages home. When the operation reached this level of intelligence and was approved [by the relevant bodies] … only then were we permitted to proceed. Hamas intentionally hides the hostages in civilian neighborhoods.”
When asked by KAN 11 if there were other hostages with them, “We cannot answer these intelligence questions about other hostages. We must be careful with information security. This operation could have ended very differently.”
Earlier in the day, the IDF made an announcement that it was attacking terrorist structures in Nuseirat in the Gaza Strip.
Day 246 — Saturday, June 8
Shocked And Disgusted: Israel Livid As It’s Added To UN ‘List Of Shame’
Israel, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad have been added to the United Nations’ so-called “list of shame,” which is attached to an annual report released by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s office that documents alleged rights violations against children in armed conflict, sparking outrage in Jerusalem.
This is the first time that Israel and Hamas have been included on this list, joining the ranks of Russia, the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, Afghanistan, Iraq, Myanmar, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.
Israel is believed to be the first democratic country included on the list. Last year, Russia was added to the list for the first time over its treatment of children in the war against Ukraine.
The report will not be released until next Friday, but Guterres’s office called Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan on Friday to formally inform him of the decision to include Israel in it. The UN Security Council will hold a hearing on June 26 to discuss the report.
Jerusalem fumed over its inclusion on the blacklist with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying, “The UN has put itself on the blacklist of history today when it joined the supporters of the Hamas murderers. The IDF is the most moral army in the world and no delusional decision by the UN will change that.”
The Israeli Mission to the UN filmed Erdan receiving the formal notification on Friday from Guterres’s chief of staff.
“You know that Israel’s army is the most moral army in the world. This immoral decision will only aid the terrorists and reward Hamas. The only one who is blacklisted today is the secretary-general whose decisions since the war started and even before are rewarding terrorists, incentivizing them to use children for terror acts,” the Israeli envoy said.
“Now Hamas will continue even more to use schools and hospitals because this shameful decision of the secretary-general will only give Hamas hope to survive and will only extend the war, and extend the suffering. Shame on him,” Erdan declared.
“I am utterly shocked and disgusted by this shameful decision,” Erdan added in a statement. “Now Hamas will continue even more to use schools and hospitals because this shameful decision of the secretary-general will only give Hamas hope,” he said.
I received the official notification about the Secretary-General’s decision to put the IDF on the “blacklist” of countries and organizations that harm children. This is simply outrageous and wrong because Hamas has been using children for terrorism and uses schools and hospitals… pic.twitter.com/o1civfJFAk
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) June 7, 2024
Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the decision “will have consequences for Israel’s relations with the UN.”
“The shameful decision by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to include the IDF in the blacklist is an act of villainy,” Katz wrote on X.
“Guterres, who stood for a minute of silence in memory of Iran’s president who executed tens of thousands of innocents, will be remembered in history as an antisemitic secretary-general who chose to ignore Hamas’s sexual crimes and Israel’s right to self-defense,” Katz said. “The IDF is the most moral army in the world — and no fictitious report will change that. This step will have consequences for Israel’s relations with the UN.”
Day 246 — Saturday, June 8
IDF Reveals Details Of Strike On UNRWA School Containing Hamas Compound
After Hamas claimed Israel had carried out a “massacre” in a UNRWA school, the IDF revealed more details about the precise, intelligence-based strike targeting dozens of Hamas and Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists hiding inside the Gaza school overnight.
Some of the terrorists eliminated in the attack participated in the Hamas terror attack on Oct. 7.
IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Daniel Hagari emphasized that the strike was based on “concrete intelligence, from multiple sources.” He confirmed that the intel revealed the terrorists “were planning more attacks against Israelis, some of them imminent.”
Hagari noted that intelligence indicated the terrorists were operating from inside three classrooms within the UNRWA school. He said the IDF delayed the strike two times after identifying civilians in the area.
After identifying the school as the location of a Hamas base of operations, the IDF monitored the school through aerial surveillance for several days.
Hagari said the strike was only conducted “once our intelligence and surveillance indicated that there were no women or children inside the Hamas compound, inside those classrooms.”
Due to the complex operational conditions, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) used precise munitions to target the three specific classrooms where the terrorists were hiding.
The IDF spokesman also emphasized that the terrorists killed in the strike were “Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists, some from the ‘Nukhba‘ force, terrorists with blood on their hands.”
The strike on Thursday was “the fifth time we have had to target Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists operating from inside UNRWA facilities,” Hagari stated.
The IDF spokesman remarked that Hamas “hopes that international law and public sympathy will provide a shield for their military activities,” reiterating that this was “the fifth time we are operating against Hamas that is using UNRWA facilities, in the last month alone.”
He slammed many media outlets for falling “for Hamas’ tactics yet again, before checking the facts.”
“While Hamas abuses international law the IDF will continue operating according to international law,” Hagari said. “The systematic abuse of UN facilities is a war crime and it must be stopped by the world.”
Hamas “systematically operates from schools, UN facilities, hospitals and mosques” in violation of international laws of war, he noted.
The IDF will continue operational activities in the areas of eastern Bureij and eastern Deir al Balah, where troops have eliminated dozens of terrorists, located tunnel shafts, and destroyed the terrorist group’s infrastructure.
Israeli forces will continue “intelligence-based, targeted operations” in the Rafah area, the spokesman said. Soldiers located tunnel shafts containing numerous weapons, including firearms, grenades, vests, cartridges, and other military equipment in Rafah.
Day 252 — Friday, June 14
Undercover Israeli Spies Posed As Palestinians And Lived In Gaza Near Hostages To Plot Daring Rescue Mission
Undercover Israeli spies — including women dressed in black dresses and hijabs — rented a house in the Gaza neighborhood where four hostages were stashed, and lived there for days to gain intelligence ahead of the military’s dramatic rescue mission on Saturday, according to a report.
In scenes out of a spy movie, the Israelis posed as wealthy Gaza families displaced from Rafah by the war. They infiltrated the Nuseirat refugee camp in hopes of confirming that 26-year-old Noa Argamani and three men were being held in the area, the Jewish Chronicle reported Thursday.
One group wearing typical Palestinian clothing and using Gazan Arabic accents walked by the home where Argamani was being held while another group secretly scouted out where Almog Meir Jan, 26, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, were detained in a separate nearby building after a few days acclimating to the area, according to the Chronicle.
Once the presence of the hostages was confirmed, 28 commandos from the elite Yamam police counter-terrorism unit begin training for the rescue.
The used two custom-built models that replicated the buildings where the hostages were, the outlet reported.
Most of the undercover agents left the area the night of June 5 and the next day, the mission got underway.
Argamani was smoothly rescued and put on a helicopter back to Israel after the terrorists guarding her were killed. But, retrieving the three men in a separate building ran into complications.
Some commandos used a ladder to reach the exact room the hostages where being held, but about 30 Hamas terrorists in the building armed — with machine guns and grenades — opened fire, catching the Israeli commandos off-guard.
A massive fire-fight ensued while the three hostages were protected in a bathroom, according to the Jewish Chronicle.
During the chaos, Yamam commander Arnon Zamora, 36, was fatally wounded.
As the Israeli operators escorted the trio of hostages from the building, more Hamas terrorists emerged and started shooting toward them with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. Israel firepower from the ground, air and sea quickly arrived to help the rescue mission as hundreds of soldiers fought face-to-face with Hamas.
The reinforcements helped hostages and the rescuers to safely escape the area and fly back to Israel.
Day 252 — Friday, June 14
Analysis — Amir Tsarfati: As The Enemy Takes Aim, God Delivers Miraculously For Israel
You likely know by now that God delivered in a massive way just days ago when four Israeli hostages were rescued alive at the conclusion of an amazing operation carried out by the IDF. Andrey Kozolov, Noa Argamani, Almog Meir, Shlomi Ziv were all rescued as a result of a joint operation by the IDF, Shin Bet, and Yamam (the anti-terror unit of the police). This operation had been in the making for weeks! They were able to rescue four hostages and kill terrorists at the same time. This operation consisted of many moving parts, as well as a host of explosions. The Gazans, including the terrorists, were shocked. The US was even involved in providing intel to make this mission a success. You can learn more about this incredible event in my Breaking News segment.
However, this did not come without the tragic news of the loss of Captain Arnon Zamora – the team commander of the anti-terror unit – who sacrificed his life to bring them home. He will never be forgotten. He was the first person through the door where the hostages were being held. This operation has since been renamed, “Operation Arnon”. Am Yisrael Chai! This means, “The people of Israel live!”
In what’s not a surprise, Hamas has increased its phycological warfare ever since, threatening to make the living conditions of the other hostages even worse. We’re not finished. As Netanyahu said, our troops are going to bring everyone home. Given that Hamas rejected our most recent offer, we’re here to stay. By the way, the leader of Hamas even voiced that he believes civilian deaths are “necessary sacrifices”. He believes Gazans need to die. Israel is trying to spare as many as possible.
As the IDF continues to purge this lump of evil called Hamas from our midst, the depravity of these animals seems to be bottomless. Aside from the other grotesque things I’ve shared, the IDF is finding terror tunnel shafts in bedrooms belonging to girls. This is how these cowards operate. On a positive note, the IDF has seized full control of Philadelphi Axis and reached the Mediterranean Sea near Rafah. Hamas is now cut off from all sides. Now we have to purge them from the main city that’s dozens of feet underground. That said, nearly 40% of Rafah is now in our hands, but not at the cost of nothing. Tragically, an explosive-rigged building collapsed on Monday, resulting in the deaths and injuries of IDF soldiers.
Our military remains active in Judea & Samaria on a daily basis as well. These terrorists are everywhere.
Day 252 — Friday, June 14
Analysis — To America’s Detriment, The Biden Administration Is Actively Stabbing Israel In The Back
Lately, the Biden administration seems more interested in appeasing their anti-Israel left-wing base than standing with Israel, and in doing so, they are doing nothing more than stabbing Israel in the back.
Under Biden, the Democrats’ support for Israel has been wavering. One minute, they’re with Israel, supporting their right to defend themselves against the terrorist group Hamas, and the next minute, the Democrats under Biden are telling Israel to end the war and not to go into Rafah, leaving Hamas a victory and to live another day.
If you remember, in early May, Biden told Netanyahu that if Israel entered Rafah, the US would block specific weapons from being sent to the Jewish State. Then, at the end of May, Biden released a three-phase plan that he falsely claimed Israel had accepted.
Israel has to come to a complete ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas. Hamas is going to release a few hostages—in exchange, by the way, for hundreds of terrorist prisoners, all with blood on their hands. Then, the Gazans can return to their homes in all areas, and Israel is supposed to sit down with Hamas and negotiate on how to get to “phase two.”
You have got to be kidding me! Negotiate with terrorists whose charter is to destroy you. Has Biden gone mad? Apparently so.
Instead of pressuring Hamas to release the hostages and surrender to end this war, it’s all on Israel to surrender, which gives Hamas the victory. All I can say is, woe unto America! That is not going to bring blessing to your country. I can guarantee you that.
Israel has a better way: Finish off Hamas and rescue the hostages.
Day 251 — Thursday, June 13
Freed Israeli Hostages Suffered Punishment, Psychological Abuse During Gaza Captivity
Israeli special forces rescued the Israeli hostages Almog Meir Jan (21), Andrei Kozlov (27) and Shlomi Ziv (40), as well as female hostage Noa Argamani (25) who was kept in a separate building on Saturday.
For six long months, Jan, Kozlov and Ziv suffered punishments, fear and isolation from the outside world, according to a Wall Street Journal report. During the difficult months of captivity, the three men were reportedly forced to live in a single dark room while sleeping on mattresses on the floor.
The guards, who were the hostages’ only connection to the outside world, gave them some food and delivered punishments whenever they felt that the hostages did not follow their strict rules. Punishments reportedly included being locked up in the bathroom or deliberately placing blankets on the hostages during hot days.
Furthermore, the captors also allegedly abused the hostages psychologically by threatening to kill them. In addition, the hostages were told that nobody cared about them anymore.
Dr. Itai Pessach, who treated the freed hostages at Sheba Medical Center, revealed that the hostages were beaten physically “almost every day” during their long captivity in Gaza.
“We’ve heard stories that are beyond anything you can imagine,” Pessach said.
The three male Israeli hostages supported each other, which helped them endure the long months of isolated captivity.
“They supported one another, even down to the level of telling each other stories and helping each other shave, the little things,” said Geut Elgrabi, the sister of former hostage, Jan.
“Andrey taught them Russian and they learned Arabic together and kept each other busy,” she added.
Kozlov’s father Mikhail said, “Andrey is in relatively good condition; he talks and shares with us what happened,” However, the doctor who has treated other former hostages, noted that most of them went through “physical and mental torture.”
The mental wounds and trauma will take time to heal, according to Pessach. He believes that the temporary adrenaline in their bodies during the escape and the joy of being released likely made the hostages initially appear to be in a better condition than they actually were.
Jan’s uncle, Aviram Meir, noted how pale the three hostages were when they arrived in Israel.
“They hadn’t seen the sun for eight months,” he said.
Following the dramatic rescue operation, the Israeli military revealed that the Gaza-based journalist and Hamas terrorist Abdullah al-Jamal was one of the captors.
“After investigations by the IDF and Shin Bet, it can be confirmed that Abdullah al-Jamal was an operative of the terrorist organization Hamas, who held the abductees Almog Meir, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv in his family home in Nuseirat,” the IDF stated.
“This is further proof that the terrorist organization Hamas uses the civilian population as a human shield,” the military added.
While Israelis celebrate the rescue of four hostages, about 120 Israeli hostages are believed to still be in captivity in Gaza, with their current status unknown.
Middle East political analyst Younis Al-Zuraie believes Hamas will likely increase its security procedures regarding the remaining hostages.
“They will likely ensure that no more than one hostage is in the same location and will move hostages frequently to avoid detection. Their security apparatus will manage these arrangements,” Al-Zuraie noted.
Also, the New York Times reported on Monday that Hamas guards have been ordered to kill hostages if an IDF rescue attempt detected.
According to Israeli officials cited in the report, terrorist leaders have told their operatives guarding hostages that “if they think Israeli forces are coming, the first thing they should do is shoot the captives.”
All Israel News
Day 251 — Thursday, June 13
Jewish Leaders Call For New NYC Mask Ban After Explosion Of Antisemitic Protests By Mobs With Hidden Faces
It’s time to unmask hate.
An explosion of blatant antisemitism by anti-Israel protesters in New York — nearly all of whom cover their faces to avoid being publicly identified — is leading some Jewish leaders to call for the return of an anti-mask law that was previously used to fight the hoods of the Ku Klux Klan.
In one shocking incident Monday, protesters took over a New York City subway train, all wearing Covid masks, keffiyehs, balaclavas or sunglasses to obscure their faces, and demanded that “Zionists” raise their hands — then warned, “this is your chance to get out.”
Earlier in the day at Union Square, two protesters — faces also covered — unfurled a banner that read “Long Live October 7.”
“A mask law will make a difference,” Scott Richman, regional director for the Anti-Defamation League, told The Post on Wednesday.
The group first championed similar laws around the country in the 1950s, and should back them again, Richman said.
“It effectively tanked the Ku Klux Klan. Nobody wanted their face to be seen,” he said.
New York’s law was on the books for nearly 200 years until it was repealed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The call for action comes as protests against Israel this week curdled into overt displays of hate that evoked uncomfortable echoes of Germany in the 1930s to many Jewish New Yorkers.
A mob ghoulishly gathered outside an exhibit memorializing the victims of the Oct. 7 Nova Music Festival and chanted “Long live the Intifada” on Monday, a display that sent survivors of the attack, who happened to be inside, into panic.
Video from the Union Square protest that same day showed one anti-Israel agitator telling Jews that he wished “Hitler was still here” so the Nazi leader would have “wiped all you out.”
And New Yorkers awoke Wednesday to find that vandals tossed red paint at the homes of the Brooklyn Museum’s director and Jewish board members.
“We are experiencing and seeing the Nazi playbook come to life in 2024,” Mark Treyger, head of the Jewish Community Relations Council, told The Post.
“This is a crisis, an emergency. We need a comprehensive plan to stop the rising tide of antisemitism to protect Jewish New Yorkers and all New Yorkers.”
Anti-Jewish hate crimes had been on the rise even before this week, jumping 150% in May from the same month last year, according NYPD crime stats.
Cops so far this year recorded 173 anti-Jewish hate crimes, compared to 101 in the same period in 2023, data shows.
But Brooklyn Republican Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, a Ukrainian-born Jew, said the NYPD needs to step up during this “scary time.”
“We hit a crisis point for antisemitism a long time ago,” she said.
“What’s next? We’re going to see Jews killed in the streets?”
The swirling antisemitism has renewed interest in the state’s anti-mask law. Restoring the law would strip violent protesters’ ability to operate anonymously — and unpunished just as it did for the Klan, a recent Manhattan Institute brief argued.
Assemblyman Michael Reilly (R-Staten Island), already introduced legislation last month to reinstate the mask ban.
He said the bill didn’t get any traction but will revisit it next year, and was pleased to hear Jewish leaders rallying behind the mask ban.
Reilly said antisemites are no different than the KKK.
“They’re a large mob wearing masks to scare and incite people. Doesn’t that sound like the Klu Klux Klan?” he said.
He added: “The ban on masks should have never been repealed.”
Day 250 — Wednesday, June 12
215 Rockets Fired At North After IDF Killing Of ‘Most Senior’ Hezbollah Officer Yet
Hezbollah launched some 215 rockets and several more missiles and drones at northern Israel on Wednesday, in what it said was a response to the killing of a senior commander in the terror group by an Israeli airstrike a night earlier.
The barrages marked the largest attack carried out by Hezbollah during ongoing fighting on the Lebanon border amid the war in the Gaza Strip.
And the terror group vowed to ramp up its attacks in retaliation for Israel’s elimination of top commander Taleb Abdullah. At a funeral procession in Beirut, senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine said the group would increase the intensity, force and quantity of its operations against Israel.
“If the enemy is screaming and moaning about what happened to it in northern Palestine, let him prepare himself to cry and wail,” Safieddine said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a security assessment Wednesday evening “in light of the developments in the north,” his office said.
The successive Hezbollah attacks began on Wednesday morning with a barrage of at least 90 rockets fired at several areas in northern Israel, including Tiberias — for the first time amid the war — Safed and Rosh Pina, sending tens of thousands of people to shelters, as Jewish Israelis celebrated the Shavuot holiday.
The Israel Defense Forces said another 70 rockets were then launched at the Mount Meron area, home to a sensitive air traffic control base. Ten more rockets were fired at the northern community of Zar’it, and an anti-tank guided missile struck a factory of the Plasan armored vehicle manufacturer in Kibbutz Sasa, causing damage.
Later in the morning, a drone launched from Lebanon detonated in an open area near the northern community of Zivon, local authorities said.
Several more rockets were fired in the afternoon hours at the upper and western Galilee areas.
Many of the rockets were shot down by air defenses, the military said.
There were no injuries in the attacks, but several rocket impacts sparked fires in northern Israel.
Some 25 firefighting teams and eight planes were working to extinguish fires near Amiad, in the Ein Zeitim forest, and near Beit Jann, the Fire and Rescue Service said.
Day 250 — Wednesday, June 12
‘Intifada Revolution’: Mob Converges On NYC Exhibit For Oct. 7 Victims
A mob of protesters chanting “intifada revolution” on Monday night rallied outside a New York city exhibit memorializing the hundreds of victims of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im in southern Israel.
The crowd lit flares and waved Palestinian flags, along with one associated with the Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah, in front of the Nova Music Festival Exhibition on Wall Street during what was billed by organizers as a “citywide day of rage for Gaza,” according to video from the scene.
The demonstration, organized by the pro-Palestinian group Within Our Lifetime, began in the city’s Union Square, where some protesters unfurled a “Long live October 7th” banner, referring to the Hamas massacre that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw about 250 others abducted to Gaza.
One of the exhibit’s organizers, music mogul Scooter Braun, condemned the demonstration.
“I don’t understand why protesting a memorial for innocent music lovers who were raped and butchered and kidnapped helps,” he wrote on social media. “Go see the @novaexhibition and see the truth instead of standing outside listening to yourself.”
The exhibition, which honors the memory of the 364 people killed at the festival, will run until June 22.
Day 249 — Tuesday, June 11
UN Security Council Approves 'Problematic' US Resolution Calling For A Ceasefire In Gaza And Hostage Release
The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution on Monday calling for a ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages.
The resolution was drafted by the United States, based on the outline that was put forward by President Joe Biden in a televised speech in late May, dubbed as a ‘Three-phase proposal for durable peace in the Middle East.’
The resolution passed with 14 member-states voting in favor and none against. Russia abstained, in a de-facto support of the measure.
According to Israeli media report, the U.S. likely changed the original draft of the resolution to avoid a Russian or a Chinese veto. The adopted text urged both Israel and Hamas to “fully implement its terms without delay and without condition.”
Hamas has welcomed the Security Council’s decision, saying in an official statement that they are “willing to cooperate with mediators regarding the implementation of the ceasefire proposal’s terms.”
However, Israeli officials defined the resolution as “problematic,” according to YNET. Israel reportedly told the U.S. administration that the resolution does not accurately reflect its offer for a hostage release deal.
The Biden administration is pushing for an immediate and complete end to the war in Gaza in exchange for a gradual release of all hostages. The deal would also include the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Yet Jerusalem insists that a permanent ceasefire will only take place after Hamas is no longer in control.
Israeli media outlets quoted an unnamed Israeli official claiming that various reports about Israel’s offered outline are “misleading.”
“Our outline determines that beginning no later than day 16 of the deal, Israel will present its conditions for ending the war in indirect negotiation,” the official asserted. “These conditions haven’t changed: To dismantle Hamas’s military and governing capabilities, to bring back all of our hostage and ensure that Gaza will never pose a threat to Israel again. Claims that Israel has agreed to a permanent ceasefire without our conditions being met are incorrect.”
Nevertheless, the text of the American resolution stated that Israel had already accepted the ceasefire terms. It also reiterated the United Nations’ commitment to a two-state solution to the conflict and rejected “any attempt at demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip, including any actions that reduce the territory of Gaza.”
This principle goes against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan for Gaza in the day after Hamas. Netanyahu believes that Israel will have to maintain “security responsibility” over the Gaza Strip and in a security buffer-zine along the border to guarantee that it can operate against a potential resurgence of terrorism.
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after the vote that the security council “voted for peace.”
“The cease-fire deal would pave the way toward an enduring cessation of hostilities and a better future for all. This is an opportunity to chart a different course,” she said.
In a rare move, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan did not speak during the Security Council’s session. Local media suggested that Erdan chose not to appear and send a substitute in his place to avoid highlighting evident gaps between Jerusalem and Washington.
Day 248 — Monday, June 10
Kamala Harris Sparks Backlash For Speech Mourning ‘Innocent’ Palestinians Killed In Hostage Rescue
Speaking at a Michigan Democratic Party fundraiser, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said on Saturday that she mourns the Palestinians killed during Israel’s raid that freed four hostages.
“Before I begin, I just say a few words about the morning which I know weighs heavily on all of our hearts,” Harris said, per Fox News.
“On Oct. 7, Hamas committed a brutal massacre of 1,200 innocent people and abducted 250 hostages,” she said. “Thankfully, four of those hostages were reunited with their families tonight. And we mourn all of the innocent lives that have been lost in Gaza, including those tragically killed today.”
A state with a large Muslim population, Michigan is reportedly a concern for the Biden campaign in the upcoming election.
“Hamas-run authorities in Gaza claim over 270 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli operation, though they make no distinction between militants and innocents,” Fox News reported. “Israeli forces claim the number was fewer than 100.”
“Kamala Harris mourns the terrorist hostage takers,” wrote the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
The Republican Jewish Coalition asked, “Why is it so hard for the Biden administration to stand with Israel in its fight to defeat Hamas terrorists and rescue the remaining hostages?”
Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security advisor, also said that innocent people were killed. “The exact number we don’t know, but innocent people were killed,” he told CNN. “Every day that we see more innocent people lost is another horrible, awful, tragic day.”
The U.S. vice president was briefly heckled during her remarks.
Day 248 — Monday, June 10
Israel Nominates MK Danny Danon As United Nations Ambassador
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Israel Katz have announced the nomination of MK Danny Danon as Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations.
With Danon’s extensive experience in international relations, the decision is seen as a strategic maneuver to navigate mounting diplomatic challenges.
The nomination, subject to government approval, reflects Israel’s determination to strengthen its diplomatic presence amidst increasing tensions.
If confirmed, this appointment will mark Danon’s return to the role, underscoring his proven track record in advocating for Israel’s interests at the United Nations.
Danon, known for his proactive approach to diplomacy, emphasized his dedication to promoting Israel’s position during a time of heightened global scrutiny. He cited recent high-profile visits, including hosting former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, as evidence of Israel’s commitment to engaging with key international stakeholders.
In accepting the nomination, Danon reaffirmed his resolve to confront diplomatic challenges head-on, emphasizing the importance of upholding truth and transparency in Israel’s interactions with the international community.
Day 247 — Sunday, June 9
'Operation Arnon': All The Details About The Heroic Operation That Freed 4 Israeli Hostages From The Heart Of Gaza
After the dramatic announcement that four Israeli hostages were freed from the clutches of the Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, the Israel Defense Force censor allowed the gradual release of many details of the heroic operation throughout Saturday.
After first being called “Seeds of Summer,” the IDF later said that the mission would be known as “Operation Arnon,” in honor of the late Arnon Zamora, a soldier in the police commando Yamam, who died of wounds sustained during the rescue mission.
Israel’s intelligence services had prepared the operation for weeks, carrying out specific raids to raise more intelligence regarding the exact location of the four hostages in the heart of the populated Nuseirat camp, an area that hasn’t been evacuated of its residents.
The forces trained for multiple scenarios, and the IDF Intelligence Branch even developed new technological tools especially to aid the forces during the operation.
The final plan was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant on Thursday evening, Channel 13 reported.
The details, including the risks and broader implications, were presented to the political echelon by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar, who later commanded the operation together from the Shin Bet headquarters.
On Saturday morning, Netanyahu arrived at the headquarters and followed the operation with the heads of Israel’s security services.
“There was enormous tension both before and during the event,” an official who was present told Channel 13.
“There were difficult risks, and even after the Prime Minister and Shin Bet approved the raid, it was clear that this was a complex and challenging operation,” he added.
The operation hung in the balance all morning, until finally, the prime minister gave the go-ahead at 11 am, a time chosen by the Shin Bet to maximize the surprise, as similar operations usually take place during nighttime.
“I approved the operation without hesitation despite the risks. I trust the IDF, the Shin Bet, the Israel Police, and the heroic warriors,” Netanyahu stated later.
The operational spearhead was led by the Shin Bet commando and the Israel Police’s elite Yamam unit, both highly respected commandos specialized in hostage rescue operations.
They were supported by hundreds of IDF soldiers of the 98th Division, including the Navy Commando Shayetet 13 and the Paratrooper, Kfir, and 7th Armored Brigades, while being accompanied by supportive fire by the Navy and the Air Force.
Noa Argamani (25), Almog Meir Jan (21), Andrey Kozlov (27), and Shlomi Ziv (40) were held above ground, in two buildings around 200 meters apart from each other in a crowded residential area.
They were only lightly guarded by several Hamas operatives and kept in assigned rooms in private apartments, with Noa Argamani being held separately from the three men.
The rescue mission commenced at the two buildings at the same time to prevent the terrorists from detecting the Israeli forces and killing the hostages.
While the raid to rescue Argamani succeeded without disturbances with all the terrorists being quickly eliminated, in the apartment where the three male hostages were kept, a difficult and complex gun battle erupted.
During the fire exchanges, the leader of the force Arnon Zamora, was mortally wounded by terrorist fire after showing exceptional bravery, according to Army Radio.
Each stage of the operation was accompanied by withering gun and RPG fire from surrounding buildings and alleys in the crowded civilian area, leading to many casualties among terrorists and civilians.
During the hour-long extraction phase, one of the rescue vehicles came under heavy fire and got stuck. The Air Force had to launch heavy suppressing fire from the air before a reserve force comprising several battalions of the 98th Division moved into action, creating a fire corridor to rescue the hostages and the troops.
The 98th Division began operating in the nearby camps of al-Bureij and Deir al-Balah only several days ago. Army Radio now reported that the secret main objective of their operations in the area was to create the conditions preparing and enabling the daring rescue mission.
After the successful extraction, Air Force helicopters arrived at the coast to carry the troops and the hostages to safety. Despite heavy fire at the helicopters, including surface-to-air missiles, they managed to evade and reach Israeli territory.
Day 246 — Saturday, June 8
IDF Rescues Four Hostages From Hamas Captivity In Daring Gaza Operation
Four hostages were rescued simultaneously from two separate nearby locations from Nuseirat in central Gaza in a high-risk joint operation by the IDF, Shin Bet, and Yamam and police in broad daylight, the IDF announced in a series of statements on Saturday.
Regarding the third such successful operation to rescue hostages since the war started on October 7, the IDF said that the rescued hostages were Noa Argamani (25,) Almog Meir (21,) Andrey Kozlov (27,) and Shlomi Ziv (40,) all of whom were kidnapped by Hamas to the Gaza Strip from the ‘Nova’ party.
An uncertain number of Palestinian terrorists and civilians were killed during the operation. The IDF implied that dozens of terrorists were killed, but left open the possibility that potentially some dozens of Palestinian civilians might also have been killed.
According to the IDF, around 90 Palestinians were likely killed, but the complexity of the hostages being held in civilian areas and a certain amount of chaos at points of the operation left the breakdown of terrorists to civilians unclear, with Hamas claiming the number was closer to 210, without providing any verifiable evidence.
The heroic operation put a new wind into the sails of the IDF and the Israeli public, but will likely also lead Hamas to improve its guard on other hostages, and it was unclear whether it would impact the broader strategic situation in which Hamas has held huge leverage over Israel by virtue of the around 120 hostages it still holds.
Relating to the operation, the military said, “The hostages were rescued by Shin Bet and Yamam fighters from two different locations in an operation in the heart of Nuseirat. Their medical condition is stable, and they have been transferred for further medical examinations at the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer. Security forces will continue to make every effort to bring back the hostages.”
Later, in a televised statement, IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari spoke on the heroic operation, “The IDF and Yamam infiltrated two facilities while under fire by Hamas terrorists. A Yamam soldier was gravely wounded in the operation and has just reached the hospital. We pray for his well-being.”
Ch.-Insp. Arnon Zamora, 36, the Yamam fighter who was wounded in Saturday’s hostage rescue operation, succumbed to his wounds at the hospital, the Israel Police announced later Saturday.
The operation to free Argamani went off without much of a hitch, but the operation to free the other three hostages in a separate building around two meters away led to a significant exchange of gunfire in which Zamora was killed. Both buildings were around three to four stories high.
The operation started to be planned months ago, but was delayed a number of times to improve the exact intelligence about the whereabouts, risks, and security parameters related to rescuing the hostages.
At one point, the operation was going to be only to rescue Argamani, but at a later stage it was decided to carry out a higher risk simultaneous operation in both locations, lest Hamas guards in the second location kill the other three hostages, hearing there was a nearby IDF attack, and not realizing that they were not part of the operation.
Part of the operation was also facilitated by the fact that the hostages were being held in civilian apartments above ground, as opposed to tunnels, where many other hostages are held.
On the other hand, the fact that some of those holding the hostages were not official members of Hamas, but civilians who were paid to supervise them, to better conceal their location, created complications for the entire operation.
The operation was finally approved in principle by the war cabinet, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and National Unity party officials Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot (both former IDF chiefs of staff) on Thursday night.
Around 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar ordered the operation to be executed from a joint operations command center, with a belief that in this specific case, an operation in broad daylight would achieve greater surprise, despite the additional risks of being seen more vividly in daylight than in a nighttime operation.
Further, after all four hostages were taken out of the locations they were being held and brought into a land escape vehicle, the vehicle got stuck.
At this point, the hostages were more exposed and the entire operation could have ended in disaster with at least dozens of terrorists descending on the hostages and IDF rescue forces, with some of the terrorists armed with rocket propelled grenades that could kill both the ground rescue forces and rescue helicopters.
In response, additional forces of IDF division 98 and the air force let loose a massive barrage of fire.
Any Hamas terrorists who tried to attack the hostages and initial IDF rescue force were killed, along with potentially civilians.
Because this part of the operation was not only unplanned, but occurred under tremendous time pressure and in a mixed terrorist-civilian area, the IDF still does not know the exact breakdown of Palestinian terrorists to Palestinian civilians killed.
However, both in this and some past instances, the IDF was suspicious that Hamas was inflating the numbers of civilians to cover up its embarrassing military losses and to try to tar Israel’s legitimacy globally.
Eventually the mix of reinforcements and rescue helicopters successfully evacuated the IDF forces and the hostages.
Incidentally, it turned out that much of the operations that Division 98 has been carrying out in central Gaza and Nuseirat since the middle of last week were part of an elaborate decoy to make the Hamas terrorists feel like the IDF was nearby, but did not know where the hostages were, while allowing security forces to clandestinely setup a close by rescue operation.
In a statement, Hagari said, “This operation was a success in rescuing and returning four hostages. We will continue to do everything to return the 120 hostages still held in Gaza. We are confident that we will reach you, and this operation will not end until you are returned home.”
He added, “We will not give up on a single hostage. I want to say, it is a great pride seeing the security forces working together, shoulder to shoulder, in a vital operation: returning the hostages home. When the operation reached this level of intelligence and was approved [by the relevant bodies] … only then were we permitted to proceed. Hamas intentionally hides the hostages in civilian neighborhoods.”
When asked by KAN 11 if there were other hostages with them, “We cannot answer these intelligence questions about other hostages. We must be careful with information security. This operation could have ended very differently.”
Earlier in the day, the IDF made an announcement that it was attacking terrorist structures in Nuseirat in the Gaza Strip.
Day 246 — Saturday, June 8
Shocked And Disgusted: Israel Livid As It’s Added To UN ‘List Of Shame’
Israel, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad have been added to the United Nations’ so-called “list of shame,” which is attached to an annual report released by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s office that documents alleged rights violations against children in armed conflict, sparking outrage in Jerusalem.
This is the first time that Israel and Hamas have been included on this list, joining the ranks of Russia, the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, Afghanistan, Iraq, Myanmar, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.
Israel is believed to be the first democratic country included on the list. Last year, Russia was added to the list for the first time over its treatment of children in the war against Ukraine.
The report will not be released until next Friday, but Guterres’s office called Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan on Friday to formally inform him of the decision to include Israel in it. The UN Security Council will hold a hearing on June 26 to discuss the report.
Jerusalem fumed over its inclusion on the blacklist with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying, “The UN has put itself on the blacklist of history today when it joined the supporters of the Hamas murderers. The IDF is the most moral army in the world and no delusional decision by the UN will change that.”
The Israeli Mission to the UN filmed Erdan receiving the formal notification on Friday from Guterres’s chief of staff.
“You know that Israel’s army is the most moral army in the world. This immoral decision will only aid the terrorists and reward Hamas. The only one who is blacklisted today is the secretary-general whose decisions since the war started and even before are rewarding terrorists, incentivizing them to use children for terror acts,” the Israeli envoy said.
“Now Hamas will continue even more to use schools and hospitals because this shameful decision of the secretary-general will only give Hamas hope to survive and will only extend the war, and extend the suffering. Shame on him,” Erdan declared.
“I am utterly shocked and disgusted by this shameful decision,” Erdan added in a statement. “Now Hamas will continue even more to use schools and hospitals because this shameful decision of the secretary-general will only give Hamas hope,” he said.
I received the official notification about the Secretary-General’s decision to put the IDF on the “blacklist” of countries and organizations that harm children. This is simply outrageous and wrong because Hamas has been using children for terrorism and uses schools and hospitals… pic.twitter.com/o1civfJFAk
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) June 7, 2024
Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the decision “will have consequences for Israel’s relations with the UN.”
“The shameful decision by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to include the IDF in the blacklist is an act of villainy,” Katz wrote on X.
“Guterres, who stood for a minute of silence in memory of Iran’s president who executed tens of thousands of innocents, will be remembered in history as an antisemitic secretary-general who chose to ignore Hamas’s sexual crimes and Israel’s right to self-defense,” Katz said. “The IDF is the most moral army in the world — and no fictitious report will change that. This step will have consequences for Israel’s relations with the UN.”
Day 246 — Saturday, June 8
IDF Reveals Details Of Strike On UNRWA School Containing Hamas Compound
After Hamas claimed Israel had carried out a “massacre” in a UNRWA school, the IDF revealed more details about the precise, intelligence-based strike targeting dozens of Hamas and Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists hiding inside the Gaza school overnight.
Some of the terrorists eliminated in the attack participated in the Hamas terror attack on Oct. 7.
IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Daniel Hagari emphasized that the strike was based on “concrete intelligence, from multiple sources.” He confirmed that the intel revealed the terrorists “were planning more attacks against Israelis, some of them imminent.”
Hagari noted that intelligence indicated the terrorists were operating from inside three classrooms within the UNRWA school. He said the IDF delayed the strike two times after identifying civilians in the area.
After identifying the school as the location of a Hamas base of operations, the IDF monitored the school through aerial surveillance for several days.
Hagari said the strike was only conducted “once our intelligence and surveillance indicated that there were no women or children inside the Hamas compound, inside those classrooms.”
Due to the complex operational conditions, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) used precise munitions to target the three specific classrooms where the terrorists were hiding.
The IDF spokesman also emphasized that the terrorists killed in the strike were “Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists, some from the ‘Nukhba‘ force, terrorists with blood on their hands.”
The strike on Thursday was “the fifth time we have had to target Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists operating from inside UNRWA facilities,” Hagari stated.
The IDF spokesman remarked that Hamas “hopes that international law and public sympathy will provide a shield for their military activities,” reiterating that this was “the fifth time we are operating against Hamas that is using UNRWA facilities, in the last month alone.”
He slammed many media outlets for falling “for Hamas’ tactics yet again, before checking the facts.”
“While Hamas abuses international law the IDF will continue operating according to international law,” Hagari said. “The systematic abuse of UN facilities is a war crime and it must be stopped by the world.”
Hamas “systematically operates from schools, UN facilities, hospitals and mosques” in violation of international laws of war, he noted.
The IDF will continue operational activities in the areas of eastern Bureij and eastern Deir al Balah, where troops have eliminated dozens of terrorists, located tunnel shafts, and destroyed the terrorist group’s infrastructure.
Israeli forces will continue “intelligence-based, targeted operations” in the Rafah area, the spokesman said. Soldiers located tunnel shafts containing numerous weapons, including firearms, grenades, vests, cartridges, and other military equipment in Rafah.
