LIVE UPDATES — FROM March 15th – 21st
Israel At War: Week Seventy-Six Coverage
TRUSTED ANALYSIS
Day 532 — Friday, March 21
Eli Sharabi, 53, a former hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday that the terror group exploits aid from the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees for its own enrichment.
“I saw Hamas terrorists carrying boxes with the U.N. and UNRWA emblems on them into the tunnel,” Sharabi told the global body. “Dozens and dozens of boxes, paid by your government, feeding terrorists who tortured me and murdered my family.”
“They would eat many meals a day from the U.N. aid in front of us, and we never received any of it,” he testified. “When you speak of humanitarian aid, remember this. Hamas eats like kings while hostages starve.”
Hamas terrorists brutalized hostages in captivity, according to Sharabi.
“I have come back from hell,” he said. “I have returned to tell my story. For 491 days, I was kept underground in Hamas terror tunnels, chained, starved, beaten and humiliated.”
“The chains they kept me in tore into my skin from the moment I entered until the moment I was released,” he told the Security Council. “I was treated worse than an animal. I had to beg for food, beg to use the bathroom.”
“Begging became my existence,” he said.
Sharabi lost more than 66 pounds in captivity in Gaza and weighed just 97 pounds upon his release on Feb. 8. His wife, Lianne, and their daughters, Yahel and Noiya, were murdered in Kibbutz Be’eri during the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, criticized the international organization for enabling the Gazan terror group’s abuse of international aid.
“The cruelty here is not just from Hamas,” he told the Security Council. “It is also from the silence of the world. Since Oct. 7, you have passed 77 resolutions in this room. Yet you have not passed a single resolution condemning Hamas.”
“For 530 days, you have erased the hostages and you have spoken about Gaza without mentioning the crimes of Hamas,” he said. “You have debated humanitarian assistance without acknowledging the humanitarian catastrophe Hamas is deliberately inflicting on the hostages.”
Danon told the Security Council cannot that “no one can dispute the testimony of a hostage survivor, who saw with his own eyes Hamas benefiting from U.N. humanitarian aid.”
“You can no longer turn a blind eye,” he said. “UNRWA supports Hamas’s murderous terror enterprise that is starving our hostages and perpetuating the humanitarian disaster in Gaza.”
Dorothy Shea, acting U.S. representative to the United Nations, said at the Security Council meeting that the Trump administration will continue to pressure Hamas to release the remaining 59 hostages being held in Gaza.
“It is important for the council to hear directly from hostages who were kept in Hamas captivity,” she said. “They are witnesses and they are survivors, whose testimony provides evidence of the barbarity of Hamas.”
“President Trump has been clear that Hamas must release all 59 hostages immediately—including American citizens Edan Alexander, Itay Chen, Judith Weinstein, Gad Haggai and Omer Neutra—or pay a steep price,” she said.
Day 532 — Friday, March 21
The BBC has apologized after making a clear request to interview Israeli military personnel who are “critical of Netanyahu” and the Israeli ground offensive against the Hamas terror group in Gaza.
The incident occurred when Orly Goldschmidt, spokeswoman for the Israeli Embassy in the UK, had shared a screenshot of a message she received from the British corporation and wrote, “Today, my team received this remarkable message from a BBC producer. They don’t want to interview someone knowledgeable, nor someone relevant, just someone who fits the predetermined narrative. There is nothing balanced or impartial about this.”
The message, which was sent via WhatsApp, stated that the BBC presenter was seeking to interview an “Israeli military voice” critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the ground offensive. The message also provided examples of the types of criticism they were looking for, such as “concern about remaining hostages, stretching IDF capacity, destruction of Gaza or any other reason.”
The screenshot blurred the names of the BBC producer, presenter, and the intended recipient.
Jonathan Conricus, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former spokesperson for the IDF, shared Goldschmidt’s post and wrote, “This explains why the BBC and several other major networks won’t have me on anymore. I’m not willing to trash Israeli decisions or do my dirty laundry to feed their hatred of Israel.”
Eylon Levy, former spokesman for the State of Israel, responded to the exchange with one word, “Wow.”
The BBC later issued an “unreserved apology” to the Israeli Embassy in London over the bizarre request, saying it was a “serious mistake” that “clearly falls well below our standards.”
This incident comes as the BBC has repeatedly been criticized for the blatant anti-Israel bias in its reporting. This criticism has increased since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and the war in Gaza which followed.
In November of 2023, the corporation published an apology after falsely claiming that IDF troops were targeting medical teams in battles in and around the Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
Before that, the BBC falsely accused Israel of being responsible for an explosion at a hospital in Gaza, which the IDF proved was caused by an Islamic Jihad rocket. The network later acknowledged that “it was false to speculate” on the explosion.
In September, a report found that the BBC violated its own editorial guidelines more than 1,500 times during the first four months of the war between Israel and Hamas, and noted “deeply worrying pattern of bias” against the Jewish state during that period.
More recently, the BBC was criticized for using the son of a senior Hamas official as a narrator in its documentary “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone.”
The BBC has acknowledged that there were “serious flaws” in the program. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer later said he is “concerned” by the documentary.
Last week, the British corporation issued an apology after using footage of the Israeli city of Tiberias – located well within Israel’s internationally recognized borders – while discussing “settlements” in the Golan Heights.
Day 531 — Thursday, March 20
“The leftist Deep State weaponizes the justice system to thwart the people’s will,” according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who warned that such tactics are being used against right-wing leaders in both Israel and the United States.
In a post shared on X on Wednesday, the Israeli Premier suggested that judicial institutions are no longer acting independently but are instead being manipulated to serve a political agenda.
“In America and in Israel, when a strong right-wing leader wins an election, the leftist Deep State weaponizes the justice system to thwart the people’s will,” Netanyahu declared, emphasizing that such tactics are being used both in Israel and the United States.
“They won’t win in either place! We stand strong together,” he added, reinforcing solidarity between right-wing movements in both nations.
Netanyahu’s remarks slamming the use of legal institutions to target political opponents rather than uphold justice come as he faces ongoing legal battles in Israel, along with clashes with the Attorney General and the head of Israel’s internal security service, whom he seeks to dismiss over a lack of confidence.
His comments, comparing his legal troubles and struggles against entrenched bureaucracies in Israel, and President Trump’s legal battles in the U.S., also align with a broader sentiment among conservatives concerned over judicial and bureaucratic institutions being co-opted to stifle right-wing political leaders.
In response, billionaire tech entrepreneur and X owner Elon Musk appeared to support Netanyahu’s message, replying with a simple “100” emoji.
Musk has previously voiced concerns about government overreach and political weaponization of institutions.
Day 531 — Thursday, March 20
For the first time in two months, sirens were sounded early Thursday morning in central Israel, the Shfela region, and in Jerusalem and the surrounding area, following the firing of a missile from Yemen.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said that a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF prior to crossing into Israeli territory. The sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol.
Magen David Adom reported that at this stage, no reports of impacts or physical injuries have been received.
It added that MDA medics and paramedics provided medical treatment to approximately 13 people injured while heading to shelter and to three individuals suffering from anxiety.
During the sirens, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was evacuated from the Knesset plenum, where discussions on the Arrangements Law were taking place overnight, to the Knesset shelter.
The Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for launching the missile toward Israel, asserting they fired a missile at Ben Gurion Airport.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said the attack was carried out in response to “massacres against our brothers in the Gaza Strip.”
For the first time in two months, sirens were sounded early Thursday morning in central Israel, the Shfela region, and in Jerusalem and the surrounding area, following the firing of a missile from Yemen.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said that a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF prior to crossing into Israeli territory. The sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol.
Magen David Adom reported that at this stage, no reports of impacts or physical injuries have been received.
It added that MDA medics and paramedics provided medical treatment to approximately 13 people injured while heading to shelter and to three individuals suffering from anxiety.
During the sirens, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was evacuated from the Knesset plenum, where discussions on the Arrangements Law were taking place overnight, to the Knesset shelter.
The Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for launching the missile toward Israel, asserting they fired a missile at Ben Gurion Airport.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said the attack was carried out in response to “massacres against our brothers in the Gaza Strip.”
The sirens were heard in Be’er Sheva, Dimona, Yeruham, Nevatim, Segev Shalom, Tel Sheva, and other nearby localities.
The IDF stated, “Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in central and southern Negev, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF prior to crossing into Israeli territory. Sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol.”
Day 530 — Wednesday, March 19
Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday night blasted UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres over his latest criticism of Israel’s strikes in the Gaza Strip.
Guterres had written in a post on X, “I am outraged by the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. I strongly appeal for the ceasefire to be respected, for unimpeded humanitarian assistance to be reestablished and for the remaining hostages to be released unconditionally.”
In response, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein wrote, “We are outraged that you, Antonio Guterres, are the Secretary-General of the UN.”
“Not a word about the fact that Hamas rejected two American proposals to extend the ceasefire and release more hostages—two proposals that Israel accepted,” added Marmorstein.
“Not a word about the fact that Hamas exploits the transfer of goods to Gaza to rebuild its war machine in order to further attack Israel.”
“Not a word about UNRWA, which, under your leadership, employs Hamas terrorists, and whose facilities were used by Hamas to hold hostages. Indeed, we are outraged by your moral bankruptcy,” the Foreign Ministry spokesperson concluded.
Israel launched the surprise strikes early Tuesday morning after Hamas refused to release more hostages and rejected US envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the nation on Tuesday evening following the surprise strikes, saying, “We returned to fighting with strength, on the recommendation of security officials.”
“This is just the beginning. We will continue to fight to achieve the goals of the war and the promise that Gaza will not pose a threat to Israel,” he said. “From now on, negotiations will only take place under fire.”
“We extended the ceasefire in the weeks in which we did not receive any hostages, we sent delegations to Doha, we accepted the proposal of US envoy Witkoff, but in contrast, Hamas rejected every proposal. I accepted the recommendation of the IDF and the security establishment to return to fighting,” Netanyahu added.
Day 530 — Wednesday, March 19
The Israel Defense Forces shot down a missile fired by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists from Yemen on Tuesday night, triggering air-raid sirens in the south of the country, according to an IDF statement.
The incident marked the first time that the Jewish state’s air defenses were activated against a threat from Yemen since the start of the ceasefire with Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Jan. 19.
Sirens sounded following “projectile fire from Yemen,” the IDF said in the statement, confirming that alerts were triggered in the Negev area.
“The Air Force intercepted one missile launched from Yemen,” added the military in Hebrew. “The missile was intercepted before it crossed into the country’s territory; alerts were activated according to policy.”
Israel’s Magen David Adom medical response group said it did not receive any calls about shrapnel impacts or casualties in the missile assault, “with the exception of isolated [cases of] panic victims.”
Following the attempted strike, Houthi official Hazam al-Asad tweeted in Hebrew, “The Yemeni people will not leave Gaza alone! The Zionists will pay for their crimes against children, women, and civilians.”
Since Hamas initiated the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel’s south, Yemen’s Houthis have supported the terror organization, firing more than 350 drones and missiles at the Jewish state, in addition to countless attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea area.
Day 529 — Tuesday, March 18
The Israeli military conducted “extensive” strikes against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip overnight Monday, the Israel Defense Forces announced early on Tuesday morning.
“This follows Hamas’s repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals it has received from U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators,” the Israeli prime minister’s office stated.
The IDF is “attacking targets of the Hamas terrorist organization throughout the Gaza Strip in order to achieve the objectives of the war as they have been determined by the political echelon including the release of all of our hostages, the living and the deceased,” the statement continued. “Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that Jerusalem had consulted the Trump administration before launching the operation.
U.S. President Donald Trump “has made it clear: Hamas, the Houthis, Iran, all those who seek to terrorize not just Israel but also the United States of America will see a price to pay. All hell will break loose,” Leavitt said.
All of “the terrorists in the Middle East” should take Trump “very seriously when he says he is not afraid to stand for law-abiding people … and our friend and our ally Israel,” she added.
Other Arab media reported that Mahmoud Abu Watfa, a deputy minister in Gaza’s Hamas-run Interior Ministry, was among several senior Hamas figures killed in the strikes.
Egyptian television station Sada El-Balad reported that Abu Obeida al-Jamasi, a member of Hamas’s political bureau and head of its emergency committee, was also killed.
Several outlets, including Saudi news channel Al Hadath, reported the death of Bahjat Abu Sultan, head of central operations in the Gaza Interior Ministry.
Meanwhile, the IDF Home Front Command has instructed municipalities near the Gaza border to close schools until further notice.
“Following a situation assessment, it was decided that the Gaza envelope will move from a full activity level to a reduced activity level, which does not allow for educational activities,” according to the statement.
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon stated on Monday night in New York that the U.N. Security Council would convene on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Gaza.
“It is time for the countries of the world to take seriously our unwavering commitment to bring back all our hostages home and defeat the enemy,” the Israeli envoy stated. “Nothing will stop us from fighting to free our hostages, who have been held in brutal Hamas captivity for 527 days. We will show no mercy against our enemies while our hostages languish in Hamas terror tunnels.”
An Israeli official “claimed that in recent days during the ceasefire Hamas has been preparing to carry out new attacks against Israel and has taken steps to rearm,” Axios reported. “The official said the IDF kept the operational plan top secret and within a relatively small circle in order to surprise Hamas.”
Day 529 — Tuesday, March 18
As Iran nears the finish line to obtain nuclear weapons, US President Trump is warning that the world is down to its “final moments” to intervene. While expressing his preference for a peace deal over military action, Trump maintained that significant developments are imminent.
“U.S. President Donald Trump hinted [earlier this month] that the United States could take military action against the Iranian nuclear program ‘very soon’ if the Islamic Republic does not strike a deal with the United States,” The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) reported. “Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said that there would be ‘interesting days ahead’ with respect to Iran.”
President Trump went on to tell reporters: “We’re down to final strokes with Iran. We’re down to the final moments. We’re at the final moments. Can’t let them have a nuclear weapon. We have a situation with Iran that something’s going to happen very soon—very, very soon. Hopefully, we could have a peace deal. I’m not speaking out of strength or weakness. I’m just saying, I’d rather see a peace deal than the other, but the other will solve the problem.”
Iran is the main reason for what’s happened in Gaza, Lebanon, and throughout the Middle East. Tehran is the number one state sponsor of terror, which issues an ongoing call for the death of America and the death of Israel.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in a speech last November, insisted: “The enemy did not win in Gaza. The enemy did not win in Lebanon. The enemy will not win in Gaza and Lebanon. What they have done is no victory. It is a war crime. They issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu. This is not enough. [He deserves] the death sentence. A death sentence should be issued for these criminal leaders. As wide as the resistance axis is today, it will expand several times more tomorrow.”
The crowd, which included top Iranian Generals, enthusiastically responded to Khamenei’s statements, repetitively chanting: “Allah Akbar! Khamenei is the Leader! Death to those who oppose the rule of the Jurisprudent! Death to America! Death to England! Death to the hypocrites and the infidels! Death to Israel!”
This is the mindset of this demonic regime. To make matters worse, they are hellbent on their desire to build a nuclear bomb. According to reports, Iran already has enough 60% enriched uranium, which can very quickly be converted to a weapons-grade 90%. They also reportedly have enough of that material to build six nuclear warheads. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump have vowed that that will never happen. It seems the world is witnessing a countdown—to either a peace deal with Iran, which is not likely, or a military strike on their nuclear program.
Israel, with the backing of the United States, can, at the very least, set Iran back decades through military action. Even if Israel doesn’t destroy everything, it can certainly destroy the ability of Iran to access their nuclear facilities, which are all hidden deep underground.
Everything is in order to carry out these military actions—from the bunker-busting bombs that Israel has received from the United States to the planes with refueling capabilities. Most importantly, Israel now has the backing and maybe even the assistance of the United States. The only question remaining is: when?
Day 528 — Monday, March 17
The United States will keep attacking Yemen’s Houthis until they end attacks on shipping, the U.S. defense secretary said on Sunday, as the Iran-aligned group signaled it could escalate in response to deadly U.S. strikes the day before.
The airstrikes, which killed at least 31 people, are the biggest U.S. military operation in the Middle East since President Donald Trump took office in January. One U.S. official told Reuters the campaign might continue for weeks.
The Houthi movement’s political bureau described the attacks as a “war crime” and said Houthi forces were ready to “meet escalation with escalation,” while Moscow urged Washington to cease the strikes.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News: “The minute the Houthis say we’ll stop shooting at your ships, we’ll stop shooting at your drones, this campaign will end, but until then it will be unrelenting.”
“This is about stopping the shooting at assets … in that critical waterway, to reopen freedom of navigation, which is a core national interest of the United States, and Iran has been enabling the Houthis for far too long,” he said. “They better back off.”
The Houthis, who have taken control of most of Yemen over the past decade, said last week they would resume attacks on Israeli ships passing through the Red Sea if Israel did not lift a block on aid entering Gaza.
They had launched scores of attacks on shipping after Israel’s war with Hamas began in late 2023, saying they were acting in solidarity with Gaza’s Palestinians.
Trump also told Iran, the Houthis’ main backer, to stop supporting the group immediately. He said if Iran threatened the United States, “America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it!”
Day 527 — Sunday, March 16
President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, according to a fiery Truth Social post published on Saturday.
In the post, Trump wrote that he had “ordered the United States Military to launch decisive and powerful Military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen.”
“They have waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones,” Trump wrote.
Trump also criticized his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, writing that the Democratic president’s response to the terrorist group “was pathetically weak, so the unrestrained Houthis just kept going.”
“It has been over a year since a U.S.-flagged commercial ship safely sailed through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, or the Gulf of Aden,” Trump continued. “The last American Warship to go through the Red Sea, four months ago, was attacked by the Houthis over a dozen times….These relentless assaults have cost the U.S. and World Economy many BILLIONS of Dollars while, at the same time, putting innocent lives at risk.”
“To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!” HIS POST CONCLUDED.”
The latest military action comes three weeks after the Houthis fired surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) at a U.S. F-16 fighter jet. Three senior U.S. defense officials told Fox News that the Feb. 19 incident marked the first time the Houthis had fired SAMs at a U.S. jet.
The missiles did not impact the F-16, and the Houthis unsuccessfully fired another SAM at an American MQ-9 Reaper drone on the same day.
In January, Trump re-designated the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), four years after his first administration made an identical move that the Biden administration later reversed.
“Supported by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF), which arms and trains terrorist organizations worldwide, the Houthis have fired at U.S. Navy warships dozens of times since 2023, endangering American men and women in uniform,” the order noted.
Day 527 — Sunday, March 16
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday slammed as “nuts” the terms being demanded by Hamas in hostage-ceasefire negotiations, while insisting the Trump administration was committed to freeing all of the 59 captives held by the Palestinian terrorist group in Gaza.
“We care about all the hostages, we want all the hostages released. … But we’re also talking about bodies. And these trades that are being made, they’re ridiculous trades—400 people for three. These are nuts,” Rubio said at a press conference during the G7 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Charlevoix, Quebec.
“On top of that, you see the condition these people are being released in. … We’re sitting around as the world, sort of accepting that it’s normal and okay for you to go into a place, kidnap babies, kidnap teenagers, kidnap people who have nothing to do with any wars, that are not soldiers … and taking them and putting them in tunnels for almost a year and a half,” he continued.
“The whole world should continue to say that what Hamas has done is outrageous, it’s ridiculous, it’s sick, it’s disgusting. … We’re just dealing with some savages. That’s it. These are bad people, terrible people, and we need to treat them as such,” added Rubio.
Day 526 — Saturday, March 15
US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces eliminated ISIS’s second-in-command Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, also known by his alias “Abu Khadijah,” on Thursday in western Iraq, the organization announced in a post on X/Twitter on Saturday morning.
Khadijah was the group’s Chief of Global Operations in Iraq.
CENTCOM conducted the strike in cooperation with Iraqi intelligence; US President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that it was also done in coordination with the Kurdish Regional Government. Another ISIS terrorist was killed in the strike.
Khadijah was responsible for ISIS’s operations, logistics, and planning conducted by the terrorist organization globally, according to CENTCOM.
Trump spoke about Khadijah in his post, stating that he was “relentlessly hunted down by our intrepid warfighters. His miserable life was terminated, along with another member of ISIS. PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!”
CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said that “Abu Khadijah was one of the most important ISIS members in the entire global ISIS organization.
“We will continue to kill terrorists and dismantle their organizations that threaten our homeland and US, allied and partner personnel in the region and beyond.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani initially announced al-Rifai’s death in a statement on Friday, noting that he was “one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world.”
Both Iraqi and CENTCOM forces arrived at the site after it was struck. The team used the ISIS leader’s DNA to confirm his death, which they had previously collected on a different high-stakes mission.
They found his body and the body of the other ISIS terrorist; both were killed wearing unexploded “suicide vests” and had multiple weapons.
Day 526 — Saturday, March 15
Ebrahim Rasool, the South African ambassador to the United States, is persona non grata in Washington, and “we have nothing to discuss with him,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Friday.
The South African envoy said at a seminar earlier in the day that U.S. President Donald Trump is leading a white supremacist movement, Breitbart reported. “What Donald Trump is launching is an assault on incumbency, those who are in power, by mobilizing a supremacism against the incumbency, at home,” Rasool told attendees at the event.
“South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States is no longer welcome in our great country,” Rubio stated. “Ebrahim Rasool is a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates President Trump.”
“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Ebrahim,” wrote Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wisc.).
South Africa has led international efforts accusing Israel of genocide, and its envoy has praised Hamas.
“Worth noting Rasool owns a keffiyeh signed by the late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was indicted by the U.S. government on terrorism charges,” wrote Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran.
Rasool’s social media account refers to him as “ex-South African ambassador to United States of America.”
In 2018, he wrote that “I do not support Israel as ‘Jewish’ just as I do not support any religiously exclusive state. Zionism is in danger of making itself a pejorative term through its morality-free unconditional support for any and all actions by Israel.”
That same year, he wrote that “all justice-loving people must enforce over all Jews a distinction between the noble religion of Judaism and the cruel ideology of Zionism, for their own dignity and our own humanity.”
Day 532 — Friday, March 21
Eli Sharabi, 53, a former hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday that the terror group exploits aid from the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees for its own enrichment.
“I saw Hamas terrorists carrying boxes with the U.N. and UNRWA emblems on them into the tunnel,” Sharabi told the global body. “Dozens and dozens of boxes, paid by your government, feeding terrorists who tortured me and murdered my family.”
“They would eat many meals a day from the U.N. aid in front of us, and we never received any of it,” he testified. “When you speak of humanitarian aid, remember this. Hamas eats like kings while hostages starve.”
Hamas terrorists brutalized hostages in captivity, according to Sharabi.
“I have come back from hell,” he said. “I have returned to tell my story. For 491 days, I was kept underground in Hamas terror tunnels, chained, starved, beaten and humiliated.”
“The chains they kept me in tore into my skin from the moment I entered until the moment I was released,” he told the Security Council. “I was treated worse than an animal. I had to beg for food, beg to use the bathroom.”
“Begging became my existence,” he said.
Sharabi lost more than 66 pounds in captivity in Gaza and weighed just 97 pounds upon his release on Feb. 8. His wife, Lianne, and their daughters, Yahel and Noiya, were murdered in Kibbutz Be’eri during the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, criticized the international organization for enabling the Gazan terror group’s abuse of international aid.
“The cruelty here is not just from Hamas,” he told the Security Council. “It is also from the silence of the world. Since Oct. 7, you have passed 77 resolutions in this room. Yet you have not passed a single resolution condemning Hamas.”
“For 530 days, you have erased the hostages and you have spoken about Gaza without mentioning the crimes of Hamas,” he said. “You have debated humanitarian assistance without acknowledging the humanitarian catastrophe Hamas is deliberately inflicting on the hostages.”
Danon told the Security Council cannot that “no one can dispute the testimony of a hostage survivor, who saw with his own eyes Hamas benefiting from U.N. humanitarian aid.”
“You can no longer turn a blind eye,” he said. “UNRWA supports Hamas’s murderous terror enterprise that is starving our hostages and perpetuating the humanitarian disaster in Gaza.”
Dorothy Shea, acting U.S. representative to the United Nations, said at the Security Council meeting that the Trump administration will continue to pressure Hamas to release the remaining 59 hostages being held in Gaza.
“It is important for the council to hear directly from hostages who were kept in Hamas captivity,” she said. “They are witnesses and they are survivors, whose testimony provides evidence of the barbarity of Hamas.”
“President Trump has been clear that Hamas must release all 59 hostages immediately—including American citizens Edan Alexander, Itay Chen, Judith Weinstein, Gad Haggai and Omer Neutra—or pay a steep price,” she said.
Day 532 — Friday, March 21
The BBC has apologized after making a clear request to interview Israeli military personnel who are “critical of Netanyahu” and the Israeli ground offensive against the Hamas terror group in Gaza.
The incident occurred when Orly Goldschmidt, spokeswoman for the Israeli Embassy in the UK, had shared a screenshot of a message she received from the British corporation and wrote, “Today, my team received this remarkable message from a BBC producer. They don’t want to interview someone knowledgeable, nor someone relevant, just someone who fits the predetermined narrative. There is nothing balanced or impartial about this.”
The message, which was sent via WhatsApp, stated that the BBC presenter was seeking to interview an “Israeli military voice” critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the ground offensive. The message also provided examples of the types of criticism they were looking for, such as “concern about remaining hostages, stretching IDF capacity, destruction of Gaza or any other reason.”
The screenshot blurred the names of the BBC producer, presenter, and the intended recipient.
Jonathan Conricus, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former spokesperson for the IDF, shared Goldschmidt’s post and wrote, “This explains why the BBC and several other major networks won’t have me on anymore. I’m not willing to trash Israeli decisions or do my dirty laundry to feed their hatred of Israel.”
Eylon Levy, former spokesman for the State of Israel, responded to the exchange with one word, “Wow.”
The BBC later issued an “unreserved apology” to the Israeli Embassy in London over the bizarre request, saying it was a “serious mistake” that “clearly falls well below our standards.”
This incident comes as the BBC has repeatedly been criticized for the blatant anti-Israel bias in its reporting. This criticism has increased since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and the war in Gaza which followed.
In November of 2023, the corporation published an apology after falsely claiming that IDF troops were targeting medical teams in battles in and around the Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
Before that, the BBC falsely accused Israel of being responsible for an explosion at a hospital in Gaza, which the IDF proved was caused by an Islamic Jihad rocket. The network later acknowledged that “it was false to speculate” on the explosion.
In September, a report found that the BBC violated its own editorial guidelines more than 1,500 times during the first four months of the war between Israel and Hamas, and noted “deeply worrying pattern of bias” against the Jewish state during that period.
More recently, the BBC was criticized for using the son of a senior Hamas official as a narrator in its documentary “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone.”
The BBC has acknowledged that there were “serious flaws” in the program. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer later said he is “concerned” by the documentary.
Last week, the British corporation issued an apology after using footage of the Israeli city of Tiberias – located well within Israel’s internationally recognized borders – while discussing “settlements” in the Golan Heights.
Day 531 — Thursday, March 20
“The leftist Deep State weaponizes the justice system to thwart the people’s will,” according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who warned that such tactics are being used against right-wing leaders in both Israel and the United States.
In a post shared on X on Wednesday, the Israeli Premier suggested that judicial institutions are no longer acting independently but are instead being manipulated to serve a political agenda.
“In America and in Israel, when a strong right-wing leader wins an election, the leftist Deep State weaponizes the justice system to thwart the people’s will,” Netanyahu declared, emphasizing that such tactics are being used both in Israel and the United States.
“They won’t win in either place! We stand strong together,” he added, reinforcing solidarity between right-wing movements in both nations.
Netanyahu’s remarks slamming the use of legal institutions to target political opponents rather than uphold justice come as he faces ongoing legal battles in Israel, along with clashes with the Attorney General and the head of Israel’s internal security service, whom he seeks to dismiss over a lack of confidence.
His comments, comparing his legal troubles and struggles against entrenched bureaucracies in Israel, and President Trump’s legal battles in the U.S., also align with a broader sentiment among conservatives concerned over judicial and bureaucratic institutions being co-opted to stifle right-wing political leaders.
In response, billionaire tech entrepreneur and X owner Elon Musk appeared to support Netanyahu’s message, replying with a simple “100” emoji.
Musk has previously voiced concerns about government overreach and political weaponization of institutions.
Day 531 — Thursday, March 20
For the first time in two months, sirens were sounded early Thursday morning in central Israel, the Shfela region, and in Jerusalem and the surrounding area, following the firing of a missile from Yemen.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said that a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF prior to crossing into Israeli territory. The sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol.
Magen David Adom reported that at this stage, no reports of impacts or physical injuries have been received.
It added that MDA medics and paramedics provided medical treatment to approximately 13 people injured while heading to shelter and to three individuals suffering from anxiety.
During the sirens, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was evacuated from the Knesset plenum, where discussions on the Arrangements Law were taking place overnight, to the Knesset shelter.
The Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for launching the missile toward Israel, asserting they fired a missile at Ben Gurion Airport.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said the attack was carried out in response to “massacres against our brothers in the Gaza Strip.”
For the first time in two months, sirens were sounded early Thursday morning in central Israel, the Shfela region, and in Jerusalem and the surrounding area, following the firing of a missile from Yemen.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said that a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF prior to crossing into Israeli territory. The sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol.
Magen David Adom reported that at this stage, no reports of impacts or physical injuries have been received.
It added that MDA medics and paramedics provided medical treatment to approximately 13 people injured while heading to shelter and to three individuals suffering from anxiety.
During the sirens, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was evacuated from the Knesset plenum, where discussions on the Arrangements Law were taking place overnight, to the Knesset shelter.
The Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for launching the missile toward Israel, asserting they fired a missile at Ben Gurion Airport.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said the attack was carried out in response to “massacres against our brothers in the Gaza Strip.”
The sirens were heard in Be’er Sheva, Dimona, Yeruham, Nevatim, Segev Shalom, Tel Sheva, and other nearby localities.
The IDF stated, “Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in central and southern Negev, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF prior to crossing into Israeli territory. Sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol.”
Day 530 — Wednesday, March 19
Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday night blasted UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres over his latest criticism of Israel’s strikes in the Gaza Strip.
Guterres had written in a post on X, “I am outraged by the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. I strongly appeal for the ceasefire to be respected, for unimpeded humanitarian assistance to be reestablished and for the remaining hostages to be released unconditionally.”
In response, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein wrote, “We are outraged that you, Antonio Guterres, are the Secretary-General of the UN.”
“Not a word about the fact that Hamas rejected two American proposals to extend the ceasefire and release more hostages—two proposals that Israel accepted,” added Marmorstein.
“Not a word about the fact that Hamas exploits the transfer of goods to Gaza to rebuild its war machine in order to further attack Israel.”
“Not a word about UNRWA, which, under your leadership, employs Hamas terrorists, and whose facilities were used by Hamas to hold hostages. Indeed, we are outraged by your moral bankruptcy,” the Foreign Ministry spokesperson concluded.
Israel launched the surprise strikes early Tuesday morning after Hamas refused to release more hostages and rejected US envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the nation on Tuesday evening following the surprise strikes, saying, “We returned to fighting with strength, on the recommendation of security officials.”
“This is just the beginning. We will continue to fight to achieve the goals of the war and the promise that Gaza will not pose a threat to Israel,” he said. “From now on, negotiations will only take place under fire.”
“We extended the ceasefire in the weeks in which we did not receive any hostages, we sent delegations to Doha, we accepted the proposal of US envoy Witkoff, but in contrast, Hamas rejected every proposal. I accepted the recommendation of the IDF and the security establishment to return to fighting,” Netanyahu added.
Day 530 — Wednesday, March 19
The Israel Defense Forces shot down a missile fired by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists from Yemen on Tuesday night, triggering air-raid sirens in the south of the country, according to an IDF statement.
The incident marked the first time that the Jewish state’s air defenses were activated against a threat from Yemen since the start of the ceasefire with Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Jan. 19.
Sirens sounded following “projectile fire from Yemen,” the IDF said in the statement, confirming that alerts were triggered in the Negev area.
“The Air Force intercepted one missile launched from Yemen,” added the military in Hebrew. “The missile was intercepted before it crossed into the country’s territory; alerts were activated according to policy.”
Israel’s Magen David Adom medical response group said it did not receive any calls about shrapnel impacts or casualties in the missile assault, “with the exception of isolated [cases of] panic victims.”
Following the attempted strike, Houthi official Hazam al-Asad tweeted in Hebrew, “The Yemeni people will not leave Gaza alone! The Zionists will pay for their crimes against children, women, and civilians.”
Since Hamas initiated the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel’s south, Yemen’s Houthis have supported the terror organization, firing more than 350 drones and missiles at the Jewish state, in addition to countless attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea area.
Day 529 — Tuesday, March 18
The Israeli military conducted “extensive” strikes against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip overnight Monday, the Israel Defense Forces announced early on Tuesday morning.
“This follows Hamas’s repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals it has received from U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators,” the Israeli prime minister’s office stated.
The IDF is “attacking targets of the Hamas terrorist organization throughout the Gaza Strip in order to achieve the objectives of the war as they have been determined by the political echelon including the release of all of our hostages, the living and the deceased,” the statement continued. “Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that Jerusalem had consulted the Trump administration before launching the operation.
U.S. President Donald Trump “has made it clear: Hamas, the Houthis, Iran, all those who seek to terrorize not just Israel but also the United States of America will see a price to pay. All hell will break loose,” Leavitt said.
All of “the terrorists in the Middle East” should take Trump “very seriously when he says he is not afraid to stand for law-abiding people … and our friend and our ally Israel,” she added.
Other Arab media reported that Mahmoud Abu Watfa, a deputy minister in Gaza’s Hamas-run Interior Ministry, was among several senior Hamas figures killed in the strikes.
Egyptian television station Sada El-Balad reported that Abu Obeida al-Jamasi, a member of Hamas’s political bureau and head of its emergency committee, was also killed.
Several outlets, including Saudi news channel Al Hadath, reported the death of Bahjat Abu Sultan, head of central operations in the Gaza Interior Ministry.
Meanwhile, the IDF Home Front Command has instructed municipalities near the Gaza border to close schools until further notice.
“Following a situation assessment, it was decided that the Gaza envelope will move from a full activity level to a reduced activity level, which does not allow for educational activities,” according to the statement.
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon stated on Monday night in New York that the U.N. Security Council would convene on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Gaza.
“It is time for the countries of the world to take seriously our unwavering commitment to bring back all our hostages home and defeat the enemy,” the Israeli envoy stated. “Nothing will stop us from fighting to free our hostages, who have been held in brutal Hamas captivity for 527 days. We will show no mercy against our enemies while our hostages languish in Hamas terror tunnels.”
An Israeli official “claimed that in recent days during the ceasefire Hamas has been preparing to carry out new attacks against Israel and has taken steps to rearm,” Axios reported. “The official said the IDF kept the operational plan top secret and within a relatively small circle in order to surprise Hamas.”
Day 529 — Tuesday, March 18
As Iran nears the finish line to obtain nuclear weapons, US President Trump is warning that the world is down to its “final moments” to intervene. While expressing his preference for a peace deal over military action, Trump maintained that significant developments are imminent.
“U.S. President Donald Trump hinted [earlier this month] that the United States could take military action against the Iranian nuclear program ‘very soon’ if the Islamic Republic does not strike a deal with the United States,” The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) reported. “Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said that there would be ‘interesting days ahead’ with respect to Iran.”
President Trump went on to tell reporters: “We’re down to final strokes with Iran. We’re down to the final moments. We’re at the final moments. Can’t let them have a nuclear weapon. We have a situation with Iran that something’s going to happen very soon—very, very soon. Hopefully, we could have a peace deal. I’m not speaking out of strength or weakness. I’m just saying, I’d rather see a peace deal than the other, but the other will solve the problem.”
Iran is the main reason for what’s happened in Gaza, Lebanon, and throughout the Middle East. Tehran is the number one state sponsor of terror, which issues an ongoing call for the death of America and the death of Israel.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in a speech last November, insisted: “The enemy did not win in Gaza. The enemy did not win in Lebanon. The enemy will not win in Gaza and Lebanon. What they have done is no victory. It is a war crime. They issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu. This is not enough. [He deserves] the death sentence. A death sentence should be issued for these criminal leaders. As wide as the resistance axis is today, it will expand several times more tomorrow.”
The crowd, which included top Iranian Generals, enthusiastically responded to Khamenei’s statements, repetitively chanting: “Allah Akbar! Khamenei is the Leader! Death to those who oppose the rule of the Jurisprudent! Death to America! Death to England! Death to the hypocrites and the infidels! Death to Israel!”
This is the mindset of this demonic regime. To make matters worse, they are hellbent on their desire to build a nuclear bomb. According to reports, Iran already has enough 60% enriched uranium, which can very quickly be converted to a weapons-grade 90%. They also reportedly have enough of that material to build six nuclear warheads. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump have vowed that that will never happen. It seems the world is witnessing a countdown—to either a peace deal with Iran, which is not likely, or a military strike on their nuclear program.
Israel, with the backing of the United States, can, at the very least, set Iran back decades through military action. Even if Israel doesn’t destroy everything, it can certainly destroy the ability of Iran to access their nuclear facilities, which are all hidden deep underground.
Everything is in order to carry out these military actions—from the bunker-busting bombs that Israel has received from the United States to the planes with refueling capabilities. Most importantly, Israel now has the backing and maybe even the assistance of the United States. The only question remaining is: when?
Day 528 — Monday, March 17
The United States will keep attacking Yemen’s Houthis until they end attacks on shipping, the U.S. defense secretary said on Sunday, as the Iran-aligned group signaled it could escalate in response to deadly U.S. strikes the day before.
The airstrikes, which killed at least 31 people, are the biggest U.S. military operation in the Middle East since President Donald Trump took office in January. One U.S. official told Reuters the campaign might continue for weeks.
The Houthi movement’s political bureau described the attacks as a “war crime” and said Houthi forces were ready to “meet escalation with escalation,” while Moscow urged Washington to cease the strikes.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News: “The minute the Houthis say we’ll stop shooting at your ships, we’ll stop shooting at your drones, this campaign will end, but until then it will be unrelenting.”
“This is about stopping the shooting at assets … in that critical waterway, to reopen freedom of navigation, which is a core national interest of the United States, and Iran has been enabling the Houthis for far too long,” he said. “They better back off.”
The Houthis, who have taken control of most of Yemen over the past decade, said last week they would resume attacks on Israeli ships passing through the Red Sea if Israel did not lift a block on aid entering Gaza.
They had launched scores of attacks on shipping after Israel’s war with Hamas began in late 2023, saying they were acting in solidarity with Gaza’s Palestinians.
Trump also told Iran, the Houthis’ main backer, to stop supporting the group immediately. He said if Iran threatened the United States, “America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it!”
Day 527 — Sunday, March 16
President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, according to a fiery Truth Social post published on Saturday.
In the post, Trump wrote that he had “ordered the United States Military to launch decisive and powerful Military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen.”
“They have waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones,” Trump wrote.
Trump also criticized his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, writing that the Democratic president’s response to the terrorist group “was pathetically weak, so the unrestrained Houthis just kept going.”
“It has been over a year since a U.S.-flagged commercial ship safely sailed through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, or the Gulf of Aden,” Trump continued. “The last American Warship to go through the Red Sea, four months ago, was attacked by the Houthis over a dozen times….These relentless assaults have cost the U.S. and World Economy many BILLIONS of Dollars while, at the same time, putting innocent lives at risk.”
“To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!” HIS POST CONCLUDED.”
The latest military action comes three weeks after the Houthis fired surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) at a U.S. F-16 fighter jet. Three senior U.S. defense officials told Fox News that the Feb. 19 incident marked the first time the Houthis had fired SAMs at a U.S. jet.
The missiles did not impact the F-16, and the Houthis unsuccessfully fired another SAM at an American MQ-9 Reaper drone on the same day.
In January, Trump re-designated the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), four years after his first administration made an identical move that the Biden administration later reversed.
“Supported by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF), which arms and trains terrorist organizations worldwide, the Houthis have fired at U.S. Navy warships dozens of times since 2023, endangering American men and women in uniform,” the order noted.
Day 527 — Sunday, March 16
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday slammed as “nuts” the terms being demanded by Hamas in hostage-ceasefire negotiations, while insisting the Trump administration was committed to freeing all of the 59 captives held by the Palestinian terrorist group in Gaza.
“We care about all the hostages, we want all the hostages released. … But we’re also talking about bodies. And these trades that are being made, they’re ridiculous trades—400 people for three. These are nuts,” Rubio said at a press conference during the G7 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Charlevoix, Quebec.
“On top of that, you see the condition these people are being released in. … We’re sitting around as the world, sort of accepting that it’s normal and okay for you to go into a place, kidnap babies, kidnap teenagers, kidnap people who have nothing to do with any wars, that are not soldiers … and taking them and putting them in tunnels for almost a year and a half,” he continued.
“The whole world should continue to say that what Hamas has done is outrageous, it’s ridiculous, it’s sick, it’s disgusting. … We’re just dealing with some savages. That’s it. These are bad people, terrible people, and we need to treat them as such,” added Rubio.
Day 526 — Saturday, March 15
US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces eliminated ISIS’s second-in-command Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, also known by his alias “Abu Khadijah,” on Thursday in western Iraq, the organization announced in a post on X/Twitter on Saturday morning.
Khadijah was the group’s Chief of Global Operations in Iraq.
CENTCOM conducted the strike in cooperation with Iraqi intelligence; US President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that it was also done in coordination with the Kurdish Regional Government. Another ISIS terrorist was killed in the strike.
Khadijah was responsible for ISIS’s operations, logistics, and planning conducted by the terrorist organization globally, according to CENTCOM.
Trump spoke about Khadijah in his post, stating that he was “relentlessly hunted down by our intrepid warfighters. His miserable life was terminated, along with another member of ISIS. PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!”
CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said that “Abu Khadijah was one of the most important ISIS members in the entire global ISIS organization.
“We will continue to kill terrorists and dismantle their organizations that threaten our homeland and US, allied and partner personnel in the region and beyond.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani initially announced al-Rifai’s death in a statement on Friday, noting that he was “one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world.”
Both Iraqi and CENTCOM forces arrived at the site after it was struck. The team used the ISIS leader’s DNA to confirm his death, which they had previously collected on a different high-stakes mission.
They found his body and the body of the other ISIS terrorist; both were killed wearing unexploded “suicide vests” and had multiple weapons.
Day 526 — Saturday, March 15
Ebrahim Rasool, the South African ambassador to the United States, is persona non grata in Washington, and “we have nothing to discuss with him,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Friday.
The South African envoy said at a seminar earlier in the day that U.S. President Donald Trump is leading a white supremacist movement, Breitbart reported. “What Donald Trump is launching is an assault on incumbency, those who are in power, by mobilizing a supremacism against the incumbency, at home,” Rasool told attendees at the event.
“South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States is no longer welcome in our great country,” Rubio stated. “Ebrahim Rasool is a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates President Trump.”
“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Ebrahim,” wrote Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wisc.).
South Africa has led international efforts accusing Israel of genocide, and its envoy has praised Hamas.
“Worth noting Rasool owns a keffiyeh signed by the late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was indicted by the U.S. government on terrorism charges,” wrote Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran.
Rasool’s social media account refers to him as “ex-South African ambassador to United States of America.”
In 2018, he wrote that “I do not support Israel as ‘Jewish’ just as I do not support any religiously exclusive state. Zionism is in danger of making itself a pejorative term through its morality-free unconditional support for any and all actions by Israel.”
That same year, he wrote that “all justice-loving people must enforce over all Jews a distinction between the noble religion of Judaism and the cruel ideology of Zionism, for their own dignity and our own humanity.”
