LIVE UPDATES — FROM Feb. 8th – 14th
Israel At War: Week Seventy-One Coverage
TRUSTED ANALYSIS
Day 497 — Friday, February 14
Hamas Forced Female Surveillance Troops To Watch Torture Videos Of Male Hostages, Says Mother
The female surveillance soldiers recently freed from Gaza were forced by Hamas to watch videos of male hostages being tortured, according to one of their mothers.
Speaking with Channel 12 news alongside three other mothers of the surveillance troops, Shira Albag quotes her daughter Liri as saying “I got out of the hell that we went through there, but the men, the soldiers, are going through worse than us.’”
“The terrorists also made a point to show them videos and share with them all sorts of things that they [the male hostages] were going through there, that they starved… all sorts of things that are really tough,” Shira Albag says. “Even today when they’re here, we don’t know everything exactly that they went through.”
Day 497 — Friday, February 14
US Sanctions ICC Prosecutor Who Issued Arrest Warrant Against Netanyahu
The US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions today (Thursday) on Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, as part of broader sanctions against the ICC. This was according to a statement from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The announcement comes about a week after President Trump declared sanctions against the ICC itself.
The sanctions on Khan include asset freezes in the US, a ban on American citizens engaging in commercial dealings with him, and a travel ban to the United States, as is customary in cases where individuals are added to the US Treasury Department’s sanctions list. These measures could also affect his immediate family. The executive order also prohibits donations or assistance in any way to help Khan circumvent the sanctions, as anyone involved would face sanctions themselves.
It is important to note that the sanctions were imposed due to the court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Khan, a British citizen, was included in the blacklist that Trump signed last week, and Reuters confirmed that sanctions have been imposed on him. Currently, Khan is the only individual at the ICC who has been sanctioned, but the presidential order is broader in scope, covering anyone involved in the case against Israel.
Last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order allowing sanctions against ICC members and those assisting investigations against the US and its allies. During his previous term, Trump had imposed sanctions on the court, but these were reversed when the Democrats took control of the government.
Day 496 — Thursday, February 13
Hamas Forced Hostage Daniella Gilboa To Stage Her Own Death During Captivity, Mother Says
Released soldier hostage Daniella Gilboa has said she was forced by the Hamas terror group to record a video faking her death while in captivity, a propaganda clip that had indeed led to rumors that she had been killed, her mother said Wednesday.
Orly Gilboa, Daniella’s mother, told Channel 12 news that “one of the captors simply came to her with a camera and told her, ‘Today we are filming you dead.”
“She pleaded for her life and asked they don’t do it,” she said, describing how they covered her in powder and debris to make it look like she had been hit in an Israeli airstrike.
She said that after her release last month as part of a ceasefire deal with Hamas, Daniella apologized for any part she could have played in her parents thinking she was dead.
“When she saw me and my husband for the first time, she apologized for how she caused us to feel this whole time,” she added.
In November, a spokesman for Hamas’s military wing claimed that “one of the enemy’s female prisoners was killed in an area that is under Zionist aggression in the northern Gaza Strip.”
Alongside the statement, Hamas published a blurred picture of a body it claimed belonged to the slain hostage. While it did not identify the woman, the image quickly led to speculation that it could be Daniella Gilboa since it featured a tattoo identical to one she has.
Hamas has often issued propaganda videos of hostages, in what Israel has said is deplorable psychological warfare.
Gilboa is one of the seven female troops abducted from the IDF surveillance unit at the Nahal Oz army base during the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, 2023.
One of the abducted surveillance soldiers, Ori Megidish, was later rescued alive, and the body of a second one, Noa Marciano, was recovered after she was murdered in captivity.
Gilboa and the four remaining captive soldiers — Liri Albag, Naama Levy, Agam Berger and Karina Ariev — were freed in January during the current ceasefire-hostage deal.
The three-stage ceasefire agreement, reached last month, halted some 15 months of fighting triggered by the group’s October 7 invasion of Israel, when Hamas-led terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
Hamas has so far released 21 hostages — civilians, soldiers, and Thai nationals — during the ceasefire that began in January.
Seventy-three hostages kidnapped on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF. The terror group freed 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that.
Day 496 — Thursday, February 13
Analysis — The PA’s ‘Pay For Slay’ Program Showcases The Palestinians' Perpetual Hatred For God’s Chosen People
Are terrorists released from Israeli prisons coming home to millions courtesy of the Palestinian Authority?
The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) highlighted a recent report from Palestinian Media Watch, which “posted a list of all 734 terrorists scheduled for release from Israeli prisons in the first phase of the hostages-for-ceasefire agreement with Hamas, together with their ‘salaries’—the dollar amounts each terrorist received from the Palestinian Authority’s so-called Martyrs’ Fund while incarcerated.”
“In total,” JNS underscored, “the terrorists received $141,837,087, or more than half a billion shekels. Of those, 316, or nearly half, received more than a million shekels.”
Itamar Marcus, the founder and director of Palestinian Media Watch, told JNS that this report “signals to Palestinians that these terrorists weren’t working in a vacuum, but were acting in the name of the P.A.”
He further explained that “the wealth places the terrorists in an honored position in Palestinian society, in fact, Palestinian terrorists are the most honored people in Palestinian society.”
“In another society, if a criminal goes to jail for murdering someone, he’s ashamed about it,” Marcus explained. “In the Palestinian Authority, they go around with a crown on their heads.”
JNS further reported that the decree by the Palestinian Authority on Monday “that it has restructured its terrorist payment program has been widely misrepresented as signaling the end of its pay-for-slay program.”
Marcus underscored that the PA has no intention of ending its ‘Pay For Slay’ program: “The full news states that the salaries of the martyrs and printers have not and will not be affected, as all families that previously benefited from the law, regulations and systems will continue to be subject to the same standards.”
“Translation: the P.A. continues to fund and reward terrorism,” he warned.
Let me reiterate: “Palestinian terrorists are the most honored people in Palestinian Society.” Yet, this is who the world is forcing Israel to make peace with. That’s not only wrong, it’s downright disgusting and evil.
Recently, Amir Tsarfati posted a video of Saudi author and media personality Rawaf al-Saeen dropping some facts about Israel and the Palestinians. Al-Saeen called into question the Palestinian claims of ownership over Israel and the Temple Mount, emphasizing that they “have no land and no case.”
“There is no such thing as ‘Al-Aqsa,’” he stressed. “There is only Alquds (Jerusalem). The Al-Aqsa Mosque mentioned in the Quran is located in Ju’arana, 29 km from the city of Tai. There were two mosques there: The Al-Aqsa (the further) and the Al-Adna (the closer). Your Al-Aqsa Mosque was built by Hisham in the year 682 AD. How could Muhammad visit a structure which was built in the year 682, 60 years after Muhammad has died? Who are you trying to fool? You have no land and no case.”
“The land belongs to Israel,” he insisted, calling the Palestinian history of terrorism and indoctrination of children against the Jews “despicable.”
“You Palestinians are evil in any country you step foot on,” the Saudi commentator blasted. “Pure evil!”
While I do not agree with the entirety of al-Saeen’s three-and-a-half-minute video message, he is correct about who the land of Israel rightfully belongs to and the grief and chaos that follows Palestinians.
Day 495 — Wednesday, February 12
Netanyahu: Unless Hamas Returns Our Hostages By Saturday, 'IDF Will Resume Intensive Fighting'
Unless Hamas returns Israeli hostages by noon on Saturday, Feb. 15, the ceasefire will expire and the Israel Defense Forces will resume fighting until it defeats Hamas totally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday.
The statement by Netanyahu announcing the ultimatum followed remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, who also named Saturday, Feb. 15 at noon as the time after which “all hell will break loose” unless Hamas frees all hostages.
Netanyahu addressed Trump’s demand and credited him for his “revolutionary vision for the future of Gaza, which we all welcomed,” he said, referencing the security cabinet. Netanyahu’s ultimatum followed an “in-depth, four-hour discussion” by the cabinet, he wrote.
“We all expressed outrage at the shocking state of our three hostages who were freed last Saturday. We all also welcomed President Trump’s demand for the release of our hostages by noon on Saturday,” the prime minister wrote.
He has ordered the IDF to amass forces in and around the Gaza Strip “in light of Hamas’s statement about its decision to violate the [ceasefire] agreement,” Netanyahu said.
This action is being carried out and would be completed shortly, he added.
“Unless Hamas returns our hostages by noon on Saturday, the ceasefire will end and the IDF will resume intensive fighting until Hamas is totally defeated,” his statement concluded.
Day 494 — Tuesday, February 11
Trump Says Ceasefire Should Be Canceled If Hostages Are not Released By Saturday: 'Let All Hell Break Out'
President Donald Trump said if Hamas does not return all hostages by noon on Saturday, he will call for the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to be canceled and “let all hell break out.”
Trump made the comments after signing executive orders in the Oval Office Monday evening.
When asked if he felt the ceasefire deal should be canceled, the president said that is “Israel’s decision.”
“If all the Gaza hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 p.m., I would say cancel the ceasefire,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “Let all hell break out; Israel can override it.”
Trump stressed that Hamas needs to release “all of them—not in drips and drabs.”
“Saturday at 12pm and after that, I would say, all hell is going to break out,” Trump said.
A Hamas spokesperson said Monday that the terrorist group will delay the next planned release of hostages in the Gaza Strip after accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement.
Israel and Hamas are in the midst of a six-week ceasefire, during which Hamas has committed to releasing 33 hostages captured in its Oct. 7, 2023 attack in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The sides have carried out five swaps since the ceasefire went into effect last month, freeing 21 hostages and more than 730 Palestinian prisoners. The next exchange, scheduled for next Saturday, calls for three more Israeli hostages to be freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas released three gaunt, frail-looking Israeli hostages – civilians Eli Sharabi, 52; Or Levy, 34, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56 – last Saturday after forcing them to speak at a handover ceremony. Israel in turn freed 183 Palestinian prisoners that day.
On Sunday, Trump commented on the conditions of the released Israeli hostages, saying they “looked like Holocaust survivors” and “like they haven’t had a meal in a month.”
“I don’t know how much longer we can take that,” Trump said, referring to the treatment of the hostages, adding, “You know, at some point, we’re gonna lose our patience.
Day 494 — Tuesday, February 11
Hostage Shlomo Mansour, 86, Killed In Hamas Captivity, Kibbutz Announces
Kibbutz Kissufim on Tuesday announced the death in Hamas captivity of hostage Shlomo Mansour, 86.
Mansour was abducted from his home during the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.
The kibbutz described his death as a profound loss, calling him the “beating heart of Kissufim.”
Details on when or how he was killed remain unclear. Mansour was to have been among the 33 hostages released by Hamas during the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. However, according to Israel, while the hostage list provided by the terrorist group indicated that eight of the 33 were already deceased, it did not identify them.
Mansour, who was the oldest hostage in Hamas captivity, was born in Iraq in 1938 and is recognized as a Holocaust survivor. When he was three years old, he experienced the 1941 Farhud massacre in Baghdad, during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot.
Day 494 — Tuesday, February 11
IDF Postpones Leave For Combat Soldiers, Increases Readiness In South
The IDF has decided to raise the level of readiness in the Southern Command and has postponed leave for combat soldiers and operational units following a situational assessment in the area, the military announced Monday night.
The area has also been significantly reinforced with additional units for defensive purposes, the IDF further noted.
In addition, the military said the planting of the Swords of Iron Forest near the Be’eri forest scheduled for Tuesday had been postponed following a situational assessment.
Day 493 — Monday, February 10
Hamas has announced that it is suspending the release of hostages planned for Saturday until further notice due to “Israeli violations“.
Israel has rejected the accusations, stating, “The one who committed the violations is the terrorist organization. Members of the delegation who returned this morning from Qatar claimed that Hamas’ conduct endangers the continuation of the deal.”
The Prime Minister has convened a situational assessment to review the implications of the announcement, with the participation of Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and incoming Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. Egyptian sources commented to Reuters that they believe the deal is in danger of collapse.
Defense Minister Israel Katz responded to Hamas’ announcement of the cessation of the release of the hostages and said that it was a complete violation of the ceasefire agreement and the deal for their release.
“Hamas’s announcement of the cessation of the release of Israeli hostages is a complete violation of the ceasefire agreement. I have ordered the IDF to prepare at the highest level of readiness for any possible scenario in Gaza and for the defense of the communities near Gaza. We will not allow a return to the reality of the 7th of October.”
The Prime Minister’s Office responded to Hamas as well. “All families of the hostages were updated this evening following Hamas’ announcement. It was emphasized to the families that the State of Israel stands by the agreement in its entirety and views any breach of it with severity.”
Day 493 — Monday, February 10
US President Donald Trump said Sunday that the three Israeli hostages who were released by Hamas a day earlier looking gaunt and frail resembled Jews under Nazi Germany, warning that “at some point, we’re gonna lose our patience.”
Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami “looked like Holocaust survivors,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to New Orleans to attend the Super Bowl. “They were in horrible condition, they were emaciated… and I don’t know how much longer we can take that.”
He went on to say the trio “look like they haven’t had a meal in a month,” and that they are “people that were healthy people a reasonably short number of years ago, and you look at them today, they look like they’ve aged 25 years, they literally look like the old pictures of Holocaust survivors, the same thing. No reason for that.”
Trump noted that according to the current ceasefire and hostage deal, captives are supposed to “keep drippling in,” but added: “They are in really bad shape, they have been treated brutally, horribly. Even the ones that came out earlier, they were in a little bit better shape, but mentally they were treated so badly. Who could take that?
“You know, at some point, we’re gonna lose our patience.”
Day 492 — Sunday, February 9
Eli Sharabi, who was released on Saturday morning after 491 days in Hamas captivity, was reportedly unaware that his wife and two daughters were murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7 upon his release from Gaza.
Furthermore, Hamas informed Sharabi of the death of his brother, Yossi, as he was being paraded on stage in Deir el-Baleh in central Gaza. His brother’s body is still being held in Gaza.
A report from Channel 12’s Almog Boker indicated that Sharabi told IDF soldiers he was looking forward to meeting his wife, Leanne, and daughters Noya, 16, and Yahel, 13, unaware that they had been tragically murdered in their home in Be’eri in the October 7 massacre, as Hamas terrorists dragged him to the Gaza Strip.
“Eli is returning from an impossible reality in captivity to a very difficult reality in Israel,” Kibbutz Be’eri said in a statement.
“A reality in which those dearest to him are no longer alive. On October 7, Eli lost his daughters, Noya and Yahel, and his wife, Leanne, who were murdered in their house in Be’eri in the terrible massacre. His brother, the late Yossi Sharabi, was murdered in captivity, and his body is still being held in Gaza. We will embrace him and give him the best possible support.”
Day 492 — Sunday, February 9
The Israel Defense Forces redeployed from the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza to outposts along the perimeter of the Strip as part of the implementation of the hostages-terrorists swap agreement with Hamas.
“Forces from 162nd Division, 143rd Division and 99th Division under the Southern Command have been deployed at several points in the Gaza Strip region to strengthen the defensive layer for the residents of the western Negev and the State of Israel,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said on Friday.
Senior officers of the IDF’s Southern Command held a field assessment along with fighters on the ground in anticipation of the next phase of the release of the Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip, the military said.
The IDF began to withdraw from the Netzarim Corridor in late January, enabling the return of displaced Gaza residents to the northern Strip.
Defense Minister Israel Katz emphasized that Israel will continue to strictly enforce the ceasefires, both with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, warning that any violation will be met with a strong response. Meanwhile, Gazan residents have been cautioned against approaching IDF troops, including near the Rafah Crossing and the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egyptian border.
Day 491 — Saturday, February 8
The Health Ministry says that the three hostages who were freed from Gaza this morning are suffering from severe malnutrition and lost significant body weight during their 491 days in captivity, after initial medical checks in the hours following their release.
“These are difficult scenes,” Health Ministry representative Dr. Hagar Mizrahi says in a press conference from Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, where two of the released hostages are beginning their recovery.
The three hostages freed by Hamas this morning — Eli Sharabi, 52, Or Levy, 34, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56 — looked gaunt and unsteady on their feet as they were released by the terror group, 16 months after they were kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri and the Nova music festival.
But doctors were also “excited to see them walking on their own two feet, upright and proud,” the Health Ministry representative adds.
Day 491 — Saturday, February 8
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave President Donald Trump an unusual gift during his most recent trip to Washington, D.C., this week — a gold-plated pager.
The present was a nod to the controversial mass attack believed to have been carried out by Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency against Hezbollah Sept. 17, 2024, in which thousands of pagers, walkie-talkie-like devices and radios simultaneously exploded across Lebanon and Syria around 3:30 p.m.
A statement from Netanyahu’s office to Fox News Digital said, “The pager symbolizes the prime minister’s decision that led to a turning point in the war and marked the beginning of Hezbollah’s strategic collapse.
“This strategic operation reflects Israel’s strength, technological superiority and tactical ingenuity in confronting its adversaries.”
An image obtained by Fox News Digital showed the pager mounted to a wooden plaque with a message on the device that said, “Press with both hands,” accompanied by a double downward arrow sign, the same message that reportedly showed moments before the devices detonated.
The plaque also came with a message to Trump calling him Israel’s “greatest friend and ally.”
The statement appears to be the first time Netanyahu’s office has publicly commented on the strike against the terrorist network in the summer.
Day 497 — Friday, February 14
Hamas Forced Female Surveillance Troops To Watch Torture Videos Of Male Hostages, Says Mother
The female surveillance soldiers recently freed from Gaza were forced by Hamas to watch videos of male hostages being tortured, according to one of their mothers.
Speaking with Channel 12 news alongside three other mothers of the surveillance troops, Shira Albag quotes her daughter Liri as saying “I got out of the hell that we went through there, but the men, the soldiers, are going through worse than us.’”
“The terrorists also made a point to show them videos and share with them all sorts of things that they [the male hostages] were going through there, that they starved… all sorts of things that are really tough,” Shira Albag says. “Even today when they’re here, we don’t know everything exactly that they went through.”
Day 497 — Friday, February 14
US Sanctions ICC Prosecutor Who Issued Arrest Warrant Against Netanyahu
The US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions today (Thursday) on Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, as part of broader sanctions against the ICC. This was according to a statement from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The announcement comes about a week after President Trump declared sanctions against the ICC itself.
The sanctions on Khan include asset freezes in the US, a ban on American citizens engaging in commercial dealings with him, and a travel ban to the United States, as is customary in cases where individuals are added to the US Treasury Department’s sanctions list. These measures could also affect his immediate family. The executive order also prohibits donations or assistance in any way to help Khan circumvent the sanctions, as anyone involved would face sanctions themselves.
It is important to note that the sanctions were imposed due to the court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Khan, a British citizen, was included in the blacklist that Trump signed last week, and Reuters confirmed that sanctions have been imposed on him. Currently, Khan is the only individual at the ICC who has been sanctioned, but the presidential order is broader in scope, covering anyone involved in the case against Israel.
Last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order allowing sanctions against ICC members and those assisting investigations against the US and its allies. During his previous term, Trump had imposed sanctions on the court, but these were reversed when the Democrats took control of the government.
Day 496 — Thursday, February 13
Hamas Forced Hostage Daniella Gilboa To Stage Her OWn Death During Captivity, Mother Says
Released soldier hostage Daniella Gilboa has said she was forced by the Hamas terror group to record a video faking her death while in captivity, a propaganda clip that had indeed led to rumors that she had been killed, her mother said Wednesday.
Orly Gilboa, Daniella’s mother, told Channel 12 news that “one of the captors simply came to her with a camera and told her, ‘Today we are filming you dead.”
“She pleaded for her life and asked they don’t do it,” she said, describing how they covered her in powder and debris to make it look like she had been hit in an Israeli airstrike.
She said that after her release last month as part of a ceasefire deal with Hamas, Daniella apologized for any part she could have played in her parents thinking she was dead.
“When she saw me and my husband for the first time, she apologized for how she caused us to feel this whole time,” she added.
In November, a spokesman for Hamas’s military wing claimed that “one of the enemy’s female prisoners was killed in an area that is under Zionist aggression in the northern Gaza Strip.”
Alongside the statement, Hamas published a blurred picture of a body it claimed belonged to the slain hostage. While it did not identify the woman, the image quickly led to speculation that it could be Daniella Gilboa since it featured a tattoo identical to one she has.
Hamas has often issued propaganda videos of hostages, in what Israel has said is deplorable psychological warfare.
Gilboa is one of the seven female troops abducted from the IDF surveillance unit at the Nahal Oz army base during the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, 2023.
One of the abducted surveillance soldiers, Ori Megidish, was later rescued alive, and the body of a second one, Noa Marciano, was recovered after she was murdered in captivity.
Gilboa and the four remaining captive soldiers — Liri Albag, Naama Levy, Agam Berger and Karina Ariev — were freed in January during the current ceasefire-hostage deal.
The three-stage ceasefire agreement, reached last month, halted some 15 months of fighting triggered by the group’s October 7 invasion of Israel, when Hamas-led terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
Hamas has so far released 21 hostages — civilians, soldiers, and Thai nationals — during the ceasefire that began in January.
Seventy-three hostages kidnapped on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF. The terror group freed 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that.
Day 496 — Thursday, February 13
Analysis — The PA’s ‘Pay For Slay’ Program Showcases The Palestinians' Perpetual Hatred For God’s Chosen People
Are terrorists released from Israeli prisons coming home to millions courtesy of the Palestinian Authority?
The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) highlighted a recent report from Palestinian Media Watch, which “posted a list of all 734 terrorists scheduled for release from Israeli prisons in the first phase of the hostages-for-ceasefire agreement with Hamas, together with their ‘salaries’—the dollar amounts each terrorist received from the Palestinian Authority’s so-called Martyrs’ Fund while incarcerated.”
“In total,” JNS underscored, “the terrorists received $141,837,087, or more than half a billion shekels. Of those, 316, or nearly half, received more than a million shekels.”
Itamar Marcus, the founder and director of Palestinian Media Watch, told JNS that this report “signals to Palestinians that these terrorists weren’t working in a vacuum, but were acting in the name of the P.A.”
He further explained that “the wealth places the terrorists in an honored position in Palestinian society, in fact, Palestinian terrorists are the most honored people in Palestinian society.”
“In another society, if a criminal goes to jail for murdering someone, he’s ashamed about it,” Marcus explained. “In the Palestinian Authority, they go around with a crown on their heads.”
JNS further reported that the decree by the Palestinian Authority on Monday “that it has restructured its terrorist payment program has been widely misrepresented as signaling the end of its pay-for-slay program.”
Marcus underscored that the PA has no intention of ending its ‘Pay For Slay’ program: “The full news states that the salaries of the martyrs and printers have not and will not be affected, as all families that previously benefited from the law, regulations and systems will continue to be subject to the same standards.”
“Translation: the P.A. continues to fund and reward terrorism,” he warned.
Let me reiterate: “Palestinian terrorists are the most honored people in Palestinian Society.” Yet, this is who the world is forcing Israel to make peace with. That’s not only wrong, it’s downright disgusting and evil.
Recently, Amir Tsarfati posted a video of Saudi author and media personality Rawaf al-Saeen dropping some facts about Israel and the Palestinians. Al-Saeen called into question the Palestinian claims of ownership over Israel and the Temple Mount, emphasizing that they “have no land and no case.”
“There is no such thing as ‘Al-Aqsa,’” he stressed. “There is only Alquds (Jerusalem). The Al-Aqsa Mosque mentioned in the Quran is located in Ju’arana, 29 km from the city of Tai. There were two mosques there: The Al-Aqsa (the further) and the Al-Adna (the closer). Your Al-Aqsa Mosque was built by Hisham in the year 682 AD. How could Muhammad visit a structure which was built in the year 682, 60 years after Muhammad has died? Who are you trying to fool? You have no land and no case.”
“The land belongs to Israel,” he insisted, calling the Palestinian history of terrorism and indoctrination of children against the Jews “despicable.”
“You Palestinians are evil in any country you step foot on,” the Saudi commentator blasted. “Pure evil!”
While I do not agree with the entirety of al-Saeen’s three-and-a-half-minute video message, he is correct about who the land of Israel rightfully belongs to and the grief and chaos that follows Palestinians.
Day 495 — Wednesday, February 12
Netanyahu: Unless Hamas Returns Our Hostages By Saturday, 'IDF Will Resume Intensive Fighting'
Unless Hamas returns Israeli hostages by noon on Saturday, Feb. 15, the ceasefire will expire and the Israel Defense Forces will resume fighting until it defeats Hamas totally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday.
The statement by Netanyahu announcing the ultimatum followed remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, who also named Saturday, Feb. 15 at noon as the time after which “all hell will break loose” unless Hamas frees all hostages.
Netanyahu addressed Trump’s demand and credited him for his “revolutionary vision for the future of Gaza, which we all welcomed,” he said, referencing the security cabinet. Netanyahu’s ultimatum followed an “in-depth, four-hour discussion” by the cabinet, he wrote.
“We all expressed outrage at the shocking state of our three hostages who were freed last Saturday. We all also welcomed President Trump’s demand for the release of our hostages by noon on Saturday,” the prime minister wrote.
He has ordered the IDF to amass forces in and around the Gaza Strip “in light of Hamas’s statement about its decision to violate the [ceasefire] agreement,” Netanyahu said.
This action is being carried out and would be completed shortly, he added.
“Unless Hamas returns our hostages by noon on Saturday, the ceasefire will end and the IDF will resume intensive fighting until Hamas is totally defeated,” his statement concluded.
Day 494 — Tuesday, February 11
Trump Says Ceasefire Should Be Canceled If Hostages Are not Released By Saturday: 'Let All Hell Break Out'
President Donald Trump said if Hamas does not return all hostages by noon on Saturday, he will call for the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to be canceled and “let all hell break out.”
Trump made the comments after signing executive orders in the Oval Office Monday evening.
When asked if he felt the ceasefire deal should be canceled, the president said that is “Israel’s decision.”
“If all the Gaza hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 p.m., I would say cancel the ceasefire,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “Let all hell break out; Israel can override it.”
Trump stressed that Hamas needs to release “all of them—not in drips and drabs.”
“Saturday at 12pm and after that, I would say, all hell is going to break out,” Trump said.
A Hamas spokesperson said Monday that the terrorist group will delay the next planned release of hostages in the Gaza Strip after accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement.
Israel and Hamas are in the midst of a six-week ceasefire, during which Hamas has committed to releasing 33 hostages captured in its Oct. 7, 2023 attack in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The sides have carried out five swaps since the ceasefire went into effect last month, freeing 21 hostages and more than 730 Palestinian prisoners. The next exchange, scheduled for next Saturday, calls for three more Israeli hostages to be freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas released three gaunt, frail-looking Israeli hostages – civilians Eli Sharabi, 52; Or Levy, 34, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56 – last Saturday after forcing them to speak at a handover ceremony. Israel in turn freed 183 Palestinian prisoners that day.
On Sunday, Trump commented on the conditions of the released Israeli hostages, saying they “looked like Holocaust survivors” and “like they haven’t had a meal in a month.”
“I don’t know how much longer we can take that,” Trump said, referring to the treatment of the hostages, adding, “You know, at some point, we’re gonna lose our patience.
Day 494 — Tuesday, February 11
Hostage Shlomo Mansour, 86, Killed In Hamas Captivity, Kibbutz Announces
Kibbutz Kissufim on Tuesday announced the death in Hamas captivity of hostage Shlomo Mansour, 86.
Mansour was abducted from his home during the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.
The kibbutz described his death as a profound loss, calling him the “beating heart of Kissufim.”
Details on when or how he was killed remain unclear. Mansour was to have been among the 33 hostages released by Hamas during the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. However, according to Israel, while the hostage list provided by the terrorist group indicated that eight of the 33 were already deceased, it did not identify them.
Mansour, who was the oldest hostage in Hamas captivity, was born in Iraq in 1938 and is recognized as a Holocaust survivor. When he was three years old, he experienced the 1941 Farhud massacre in Baghdad, during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot.
Day 494 — Tuesday, February 11
IDF Postpones Leave For Combat Soldiers, Increases Readiness In South
The IDF has decided to raise the level of readiness in the Southern Command and has postponed leave for combat soldiers and operational units following a situational assessment in the area, the military announced Monday night.
The area has also been significantly reinforced with additional units for defensive purposes, the IDF further noted.
In addition, the military said the planting of the Swords of Iron Forest near the Be’eri forest scheduled for Tuesday had been postponed following a situational assessment.
Day 493 — Monday, February 10
Hamas has announced that it is suspending the release of hostages planned for Saturday until further notice due to “Israeli violations“.
Israel has rejected the accusations, stating, “The one who committed the violations is the terrorist organization. Members of the delegation who returned this morning from Qatar claimed that Hamas’ conduct endangers the continuation of the deal.”
The Prime Minister has convened a situational assessment to review the implications of the announcement, with the participation of Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and incoming Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. Egyptian sources commented to Reuters that they believe the deal is in danger of collapse.
Defense Minister Israel Katz responded to Hamas’ announcement of the cessation of the release of the hostages and said that it was a complete violation of the ceasefire agreement and the deal for their release.
“Hamas’s announcement of the cessation of the release of Israeli hostages is a complete violation of the ceasefire agreement. I have ordered the IDF to prepare at the highest level of readiness for any possible scenario in Gaza and for the defense of the communities near Gaza. We will not allow a return to the reality of the 7th of October.”
The Prime Minister’s Office responded to Hamas as well. “All families of the hostages were updated this evening following Hamas’ announcement. It was emphasized to the families that the State of Israel stands by the agreement in its entirety and views any breach of it with severity.”
Day 493 — Monday, February 10
US President Donald Trump said Sunday that the three Israeli hostages who were released by Hamas a day earlier looking gaunt and frail resembled Jews under Nazi Germany, warning that “at some point, we’re gonna lose our patience.”
Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami “looked like Holocaust survivors,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to New Orleans to attend the Super Bowl. “They were in horrible condition, they were emaciated… and I don’t know how much longer we can take that.”
He went on to say the trio “look like they haven’t had a meal in a month,” and that they are “people that were healthy people a reasonably short number of years ago, and you look at them today, they look like they’ve aged 25 years, they literally look like the old pictures of Holocaust survivors, the same thing. No reason for that.”
Trump noted that according to the current ceasefire and hostage deal, captives are supposed to “keep drippling in,” but added: “They are in really bad shape, they have been treated brutally, horribly. Even the ones that came out earlier, they were in a little bit better shape, but mentally they were treated so badly. Who could take that?
“You know, at some point, we’re gonna lose our patience.”
Day 492 — Sunday, February 9
Eli Sharabi, who was released on Saturday morning after 491 days in Hamas captivity, was reportedly unaware that his wife and two daughters were murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7 upon his release from Gaza.
Furthermore, Hamas informed Sharabi of the death of his brother, Yossi, as he was being paraded on stage in Deir el-Baleh in central Gaza. His brother’s body is still being held in Gaza.
A report from Channel 12’s Almog Boker indicated that Sharabi told IDF soldiers he was looking forward to meeting his wife, Leanne, and daughters Noya, 16, and Yahel, 13, unaware that they had been tragically murdered in their home in Be’eri in the October 7 massacre, as Hamas terrorists dragged him to the Gaza Strip.
“Eli is returning from an impossible reality in captivity to a very difficult reality in Israel,” Kibbutz Be’eri said in a statement.
“A reality in which those dearest to him are no longer alive. On October 7, Eli lost his daughters, Noya and Yahel, and his wife, Leanne, who were murdered in their house in Be’eri in the terrible massacre. His brother, the late Yossi Sharabi, was murdered in captivity, and his body is still being held in Gaza. We will embrace him and give him the best possible support.”
Day 492 — Sunday, February 9
The Israel Defense Forces redeployed from the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza to outposts along the perimeter of the Strip as part of the implementation of the hostages-terrorists swap agreement with Hamas.
“Forces from 162nd Division, 143rd Division and 99th Division under the Southern Command have been deployed at several points in the Gaza Strip region to strengthen the defensive layer for the residents of the western Negev and the State of Israel,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said on Friday.
Senior officers of the IDF’s Southern Command held a field assessment along with fighters on the ground in anticipation of the next phase of the release of the Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip, the military said.
The IDF began to withdraw from the Netzarim Corridor in late January, enabling the return of displaced Gaza residents to the northern Strip.
Defense Minister Israel Katz emphasized that Israel will continue to strictly enforce the ceasefires, both with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, warning that any violation will be met with a strong response. Meanwhile, Gazan residents have been cautioned against approaching IDF troops, including near the Rafah Crossing and the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egyptian border.
Day 491 — Saturday, February 8
The Health Ministry says that the three hostages who were freed from Gaza this morning are suffering from severe malnutrition and lost significant body weight during their 491 days in captivity, after initial medical checks in the hours following their release.
“These are difficult scenes,” Health Ministry representative Dr. Hagar Mizrahi says in a press conference from Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, where two of the released hostages are beginning their recovery.
The three hostages freed by Hamas this morning — Eli Sharabi, 52, Or Levy, 34, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56 — looked gaunt and unsteady on their feet as they were released by the terror group, 16 months after they were kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri and the Nova music festival.
But doctors were also “excited to see them walking on their own two feet, upright and proud,” the Health Ministry representative adds.
Day 491 — Saturday, February 8
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave President Donald Trump an unusual gift during his most recent trip to Washington, D.C., this week — a gold-plated pager.
The present was a nod to the controversial mass attack believed to have been carried out by Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency against Hezbollah Sept. 17, 2024, in which thousands of pagers, walkie-talkie-like devices and radios simultaneously exploded across Lebanon and Syria around 3:30 p.m.
A statement from Netanyahu’s office to Fox News Digital said, “The pager symbolizes the prime minister’s decision that led to a turning point in the war and marked the beginning of Hezbollah’s strategic collapse.
“This strategic operation reflects Israel’s strength, technological superiority and tactical ingenuity in confronting its adversaries.”
An image obtained by Fox News Digital showed the pager mounted to a wooden plaque with a message on the device that said, “Press with both hands,” accompanied by a double downward arrow sign, the same message that reportedly showed moments before the devices detonated.
The plaque also came with a message to Trump calling him Israel’s “greatest friend and ally.”
The statement appears to be the first time Netanyahu’s office has publicly commented on the strike against the terrorist network in the summer.
