News Digest — 5/1/26
Sgt. Liem Ben-Hamo Killed In Southern Lebanon
Sgt. Liem Ben-Hamo, 19, from Herzliya, was killed in southern Lebanon, the IDF announced on Thursday (29th). An additional soldier was wounded in the same incident and subsequently evacuated for medical treatment in moderate condition.
Ben-Hamo was a soldier in the 13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade. He is survived by his parents, Galit and Moshe, and his two siblings, Koren and Daniella. The funeral will be held on Friday (1st) morning at the Herzliya Cemetery.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered his condolences in a post on X saying, “Liem of blessed memory, fought courageously and heroically against the terror organization Hezbollah in order to protect the security of Israel.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz also issued a statement on social media, “On behalf of the entire security establishment, I send heartfelt condolences to Sgt. Ben-Hamo’s dear family,” Katz wrote on X
MG (res.) Yair Golan, leader of the left-wing party, the Democrats, wrote on X, “Liem is a symbol of the heroism of the generation of combat soldiers who stand at the front, risking their lives for Israel’s security.”
Earlier on Thursday (4/29) Hezbollah launched two explosive drones toward members of the IDF’s 7th Armored Battalion, which was holding a position in the Marjayoun area of southern Lebanon, the IDF confirmed.
One fell near the soldiers’ position, and the other was neutralized by military forces. During their retreat from the position, the members of the 7th Brigade attacked Hezbollah infrastructure in the area.
Twelve IDF soldiers were wounded on Thursday (4/29) after a drone struck an armed military vehicle near the northern community of Shomera, as drone incursion sirens blared across northern communities throughout the morning.
According to the IDF, two soldiers were moderately wounded, and 10 others sustained light injuries after a Hezbollah explosive drone struck an armored vehicle, igniting a fire and reportedly triggering secondary explosions of ammunition inside.
French Party Leader Bardella Backs Israel’s Campaign Against Hezbollah, Calls It ‘Fight For Survival’
Jordan Bardella, president of France’s National Rally party, said Wednesday (4/29) that Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon is part of a broader struggle for survival, offering a position that contrasts with much of Europe’s response to the conflict.
In an interview Wednesday evening (4/29) with French television network BFMTV, Bardella was asked whether Israel’s actions in Lebanon were disproportionate.
He declined to criticize Israel and described the situation as a matter of national security.
“Israel is in a difficult situation because it is surrounded by Iran and its Shiite proxy organizations, by Hezbollah and Hamas, whose entire existence is driven by the desire to destroy Israel,” he said. “Israel is surrounded by enemies that want to eliminate it, and it is fighting for its very existence and security, which is also a clash of civilizations.”
Bardella said that Hezbollah should be disarmed and characterized Israeli operations as justified, while adding that they should remain limited in scope.
“Hezbollah must be disarmed, and Israel’s surgical strikes are legitimate but must be proportionate,” he said.
He also described Hezbollah as an extension of Iran and said the group presents broader risks beyond the region.
“For years, Hezbollah has been considered an integral part of Lebanon, while the organization is in fact an extension of the Iranian regime that not only seeks Israel’s destruction but also poses a danger to Europe’s interests and to the interests of the Western world in the region,” he said.
Bardella said that ensuring long-term stability requires more than diplomatic measures.
“But we have to understand that the best way to ensure Israel’s security and Lebanon’s independence is not only diplomatic,” he said, “It also requires disarming Hezbollah and supporting the Lebanese army, and France can take part in that. Only in this way can these two democracies live in security.”
His stance differs from the position of the French government, which has maintained close ties with Lebanon and has repeatedly criticized Israeli strikes while expressing support for Israel’s security.
Bardella could also face a changing political landscape after Marine le Pen was sentenced last year to two years in prison, suspended, fined 100,000 euros, and barred from running for office for five years according to her.
US Slams Gaza Flotilla: Pro-Hamas, Counterproductive Stunt
The US on Thursday (4/30) condemned the latest Gaza flotilla, which sought to breach Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and was intercepted by the Israeli Navy.
“The US condemns the Global Sumud Flotilla as a baseless, counterproductive stunt organized by a sanctioned pro-Hamas entity,” said State Department Spokesperson Tommy Pigott.
“Unlike organized assistance mechanisms coordinated with regional partners thanks to President Trump’s peace plan, this flotilla circumvents mechanisms designed to ensure humanitarian assistance is received by civilians,” he added.
“Our allies should take decisive action against this stunt, and participants should face any relevant legal consequences,” concluded Pigott.
The Israel Navy intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla on Wednesday (4/29) evening, finding – as in the cases of previous flotillas – that it was not carrying “humanitarian aid” for Gaza as its organizers had claimed.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced on Thursday (4/30) that the participants in the flotilla would be transferred to Greek territory and would not be detained in Israel.
The flotilla, which departed from several countries including Turkey, Spain and Italy, included more than 100 vessels and around 1,000 participants.
On Wednesday (4/29), Defense Minister Israel Katz proposed sanctions on a campaign raising funds for the flotilla to Gaza.
The sanctions target a fundraising campaign for the flotilla, which is organized by the Hamas terror organization in cooperation with additional international groups under the guise of a humanitarian aid mission.
The move is part of a broader economic campaign led by Israel’s defense establishment with US efforts, and following extensive activity by the Navy, Military Intelligence, and the National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing at the Defense Ministry.
UN Foreign Aid Watchdog Finds Evidence Tying Four More UN Staffers To October 7
The US Agency for International Development’s Office of Inspector General said Thursday (4/30) that it has identified evidence linking four current or former employees of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees to the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
The individuals – three teachers and a social worker – are suspected of participating in terrorist activity during the October 7 attacks or in the detention of civilian hostages kidnapped from Israel and taken into Gaza.
“These subjects were referred to the US Department of State for consideration of suspension and/or debarment action to exclude them from working across future US-funded aid organizations,” the agency stated.
The announcement follows a separate action in February, when the office imposed a ten-year, government-wide debarment on Hafez Mousa Mohammed Mousa, a former UNRWA school principal in Gaza.
Investigators found that Mousa, identified as a Hamas operative, and coordinated communications with other suspected members on October 7.
“That action represented the first-known debarment by the US of a terrorist affiliated with a UN agency responsible for humanitarian assistance programing,” the office said
The office stated that its ongoing probe into UNRWA, has so far led to referrals for seven individuals for alleged participation in the October 7 attacks and 14 others for suspected ties to Hamas.
“It remains USAID OIG’s investigative priority to ensure that US-funded humanitarian assistance in Gaza does not fall into the hands of Hamas and other foreign terrorist organizations,” the office said.
“In support of this effort, USAID OIG has additional ongoing investigative work aimed at preventing the recirculation of terrorist-affiliated actors across aid organizations operating in Gaza.”
Swiss National Council Votes Against Recognizing Palestinian State – Mathilda Heller
Switzerland’s National Council. one house of its bicameral parliament, on Tuesday (4/28) voted 116-66 against recognizing Palestine as a state, with 11 abstentions. The Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council said conditions are not yet in place to recognize a Palestinian state. It cited international law, which requires an independent and functioning government. The committee found that there is no functioning organization to govern Palestine.
Erich Vontobel of The Swiss People’s party, Zurich, said: “Gaza remains under Hamas control. Hamas opposes peace, and openly seeks Israel’s destruction, and is classified by Switzerland as a terrorist organization…Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority does not exercise unified and effective state authority over the entire territory. Furthermore, a majority of the committee believes recognition now would run counter to Swiss neutrality and jeopardize Switzerland’s role as mediator in seeking peace.”
The War Against Iran Is An Opportunity To Make The World Safer For Your Children And Grandchildren – Amb. Michael Oren interviewed by Brendan O’Neill
According to Michael Oren, former Israeli ambassador to the US, the war with Iran began in 1979 with the founding of the Islamic Republic. Since then Iran has incessantly threatened the US and pledged to wipe Israel off the map. Indeed, since October 7, 2023, Israel has faced non-stop bombardment from Iran and its proxies. What is presented as a war of choice in the West, he argues, has long been inevitable.
Oren said in an interview: “We need to understand what the Islamic Republic is. It is, more accurately, an Islamist Jihadist republic, and on a theological level it is not very different from Hamas, ISIS or the Muslim Brotherhood. It exists to recreate the medieval caliphate in the Middle East and, ultimately, to extend that across the globe. That is its raison d’etre. Its modus operandi for realizing that vision is terror, war and subversion.”
“Can we make peace with Iran? Definitely – and we are desperate to make peace with the Iranian people. Just not with this particular government. We can make peace with Palestinians, but not with Hamas. We can make peace with Syria, but not with ISIS. We can make peace with Lebanon, but not with Hezbollah. These movements don’t tend to make concessions, because concessions fly in the face of their theology.”
“I thought the case for going to war against Iran was, as they say in America, a ‘slam dunk.’ It was the most clear-cut case I could think of. Here is a country that has declared war against the United States since the day of its inception in 1979, a government that has acted on that declaration again and again, killing many hundreds of Americans and launching thousands of attacks, each of which constitutes an act of war under international law.”
“Here is a country that has lied about its military capabilities repeatedly. It may not have been an imminent threat at that precise moment, but neither was North Korea before it got a nuclear weapon. If you ask Bill Clinton whether he would go back and use military force to stop North Korea from getting a bomb, the answer would certainly be yes. The Trump administration should have told Americans: ‘This is an opportunity to make the world safer for your children and your grandchildren.’”
“In Israel, it’s a different story. We were actually being hit by missiles. Next door to where I am sitting now is my bomb shelter. I was running into it as many as 30 times a day, sheltering from missiles large enough not only to take down this building, but to take down the entire neighborhood. Israelis have been willing to stay the course, because to us this is a once-in-a-generation – perhaps once – in an epoch – opportunity to bring about a strategic change in the Middle East.” (Spiked-UK)
