News Digest — 10/30/23
Monday Morning: 4 Terrorist Killed In Jenin; IAF Strikes Military Infrastructure In Syria
The IDF operated In Jenin ‘refugee’ camp early Monday morning (30th) in what Israeli media said was a widespread operation against Palestinian terror cells in the West Bank city.
At least four armed terrorists were killed by Israeli forces during clashes, with an unconfirmed number of Palestinians wounded.
During the raid, the IDF deployed a drone that attacked a number of armed terrorists.
The military said it had uncovered explosives that had been placed under roads in the area, with the intention of detonating them on Israeli security forces.
A Palestinian observation post was also destroyed in the refugee camp, with the IDF saying it was set up with more explosives.
Also, an IDF aircraft struck military infrastructure in Syrian territory early Monday morning (30th).
The strike was in response to launches from Syria toward Israeli territory on Sunday (29th).
On Sunday evening, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said that a number of launches from Syria toward Israeli territory earlier in the day were identified. The launches fell in open areas.
IDF soldiers responded with fire toward the origin of the launches.
Meanwhile on Sunday evening (29th), an IDF aircraft struck targets belonging to the Hezbollah terror organization in Lebanon, in response to launches toward Israeli territory from Lebanon earlier in the day.
Among the targets that were struck were infrastructure for directing terrorism as well as other military buildings belonging to the terror organization.
Earlier, a terrorist cell attempted to launch anti-tank missiles from Lebanon along the northern border and was struck by the IDF
In addition, an IDF UAV struck a terrorist operating a drone in Israeli airspace, and a terrorist who approached the security fence was killed.
IDF Deep In Gaza: ‘Intensive Fire Not Seen Since Yom Kippur War’
The Israel Defense Forces has recorded several achievements since it launched its ground operation within the northern Gaza Strip, military sources said.
In the past few days, forces entered the area while targeting terrorist tunnels from the air and ground. In the second stage, troops began rapid operations to control extensive sites and clear buildings. In recent days, the IDF has strengthened its presence in the Palestinian territory and started building a security barrier that successfully keeps Hamas terrorists and mortar shells away.
According to military sources, during searches, military positions were identified, from which terrorist cells opened fire at the entrenched forces, and very deep tunnels were discovered.
The IDF has maintained secrecy regarding the exposure of these tunnels.
According to reports coming from the area and published by Ynet. “As part of the IDF’s ground activity, they have been conducting intensive fire in the Gaza Strip, which has not been seen, to this extent, since the Yom Kippur War.
“So far, we haven’t encountered significant resistance; they mainly engage in long-range firing,” the reports said. “They are hesitant to confront the forces and maintain a substantial barrier of fire: there hasn’t been any close combat. Nobody underestimates the enemy, and there is no complacency at any stage. Still we also don’t forget that we are dealing with terrorists who are thugs to infants, children and Holocaust survivors. Meanwhile, Hamas’ primary focus is trying to inflict damage with long-range fire.”
A military source summarized: “The forces in the field are preparing for many scenarios. At each step we are very well prepared. As we approach densely populated areas, the fighting will become more complex, and we are ready for that too. As Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said, ‘We are preparing surprises for them.’”
Prime Minister Netanyahu To IDF Sailors: ‘You Are Warriors – Lions Of The Sea’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the naval base of the southern front in Ashdod Sunday (29th). During the visit, he was briefed by Commander of the Navy Rear Admiral David Saar Salama, Ashdod Base Commander Captain Eitan Paz and additional commanders on the Navy’s operations in the war and on the elimination of dozens of terrorists who attempted to infiltrate Israel from the sea.
After the briefing, the Prime Minister spoke with naval combat personnel, including commandos from Shayetet 13, sailors from the 916 Patrol Squadron, naval surveillance specialists, and additional soldiers involved in the fighting.
Netanyahu heard from the sailors and commandos how they carry out their mission of protecting Israel’s shores, their efforts to clear out the communities in the Gaza envelope, of terrorists, and their offensive missions on the coast of Gaza, which included the elimination of terrorist infrastructure, terrorists, and senior Hamas commanders. Netanyahu praised them for their quick and determined work from the moment the war broke out.
The Prime Minister then sailed on a Shaldag class fast patrol craft off the coast of southern Israel with navy sailors who accompanied him, in several additional crafts.
“You are warriors – lions of the sea. From the first moment of battle, some of you in your communities and most of you from here, did work that was simply amazing – by battling and stopping terror infiltrations. I received reports and also saw videos of your amazing work to defend the country. You stopped them and are still stopping them… and you killed them, and didn’t let them in,” Netanyahu told the sailors.
He turned to Rear Admiral David Saar Salama and said, “Commander of the Navy, you have lions here – warriors who fought and are fighting in an amazing manner. I want to tell them – you are surrounded by a sea of love and appreciation from the citizens of Israel. You are protecting the citizens of Israel. You are protecting your home. I salute you.”
Czech DM Calls To Exit UN For Supporting Hamas, Warns Holocaust Is Back
The Czech Republic’s defense minister moved for her country to leave the UN after a resolution called on Israel to leave Gaza without condemning Hamas.
“One must not stand silent in the face of a second Holocaust,” the Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova said as she called on her country to withdraw from the United Nations to protest its failure to condemn Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
“The Holocaust is back, and we must not be silent again,” she said, in a statement she posted on X.
She spoke of her outrage one day after the UN General Assembly did not mention or clearly call for the release of the 230 hostages the terror group took captive on that day.
“I am ashamed of the United Nations. In my opinion – the Czech Republic has nothing to expect in an organization that supports terrorists and does not respect the basic right to self-defense for Israel. Let’s get out.”
“Exactly three weeks ago, Hamas murdered more than 1,400 Israelis, which is more victims per their population than the militant Islamist organization al-Qaeda murdered on 9/11/2001 in the USA.”
“And only 14 countries, including ours, stood up against the unprecedented terrorist attack committed by Hamas terrorists,” she stated.
“Only three other European Union countries voted against the resolution outside of the Czech Republic: Austria, Croatia and Hungary.”
Cernochova said the UN reaction to October 7 reminded her of global actions against the Jews during the Holocaust.
“I often wondered – How could the world not believe in the horrors of the concentration camps and why did it take so long to free the survivors of the camps at the end of the war?”
“Apparently, a part of society wanted to get rid of the Jews. Anti-Semitism has spread deeply throughout the world, including the United Nations.”
“They trust terrorists, but they don’t trust the country that has been protecting our Western civilization’s back for many years in the Middle East,” she stated.
“It’s an ‘absurd’ world. And it is completely incomprehensible to me that no one is calling for a fundamental reform of the organization, which long ago turned from a peacemaker into a hammer against Israel,” she concluded.
IDF Soldiers Raised Israeli Flag In Northern Gaza
IDF soldiers who entered the Gaza Strip on Saturday (28th) raised the Israeli flag on one of the buildings in the area, according to a video shared on line.
A man could be heard in the video saying “three weeks after the horrible crime, soldiers of the 52nd Battalion of the 401st Brigade lift the flag of Israel in the heart of Gaza, along the beach. We will not forget… we will not stop until victory.”
This was reportedly the first time the Israeli flag has been raised in Gaza since the disengagement in 2005.
Starting on Friday night (27th), IDF soldiers began an expanded ground entry into the Gaza Strip reaching several kilometers into the coastal enclave.
The IDF said the entry into Gaza was an “expansion” of the ground raids conducted earlier in the week.
Clashes between Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists in northern Gaza have continued since then, with rockets fired into central Israel and hundreds of Israel airstrikes on Hamas sites.
Hamas Is The Only “Army” To Want Its Own Civilians Killed. They Must Not Win. – Col. Richard Kemp
Hamas is the only “army” in the history of war that has deliberately sought to provoke its enemy to kill its own people. This is what its entire strategy is based on. They welcome the deaths of Gazan civilians in Israeli airstrikes. Hamas embed themselves in the civilian population. They know that fighting from within the population will eventually lead to civilian casualties
The Gaza Health Ministry, which Hamas controls, will churn out civilian death statistics. These are often grossly exaggerated. Journalists will be brought quickly to the scene to film dead or wounded civilians. Much of the world’s media will then condemn Israel. The journalists who feed this machinery of anti-Israel hatred are playing directly into the hands of Hamas. They encourage Hamas to repeat the operation again and again.
Israel scrupulously adheres to the laws of war. More often than not, Israel goes well beyond the strict requirements of the Geneva Conventions. Hamas knows it can’t defeat the IDF by military means, so their entire strategy is to work towards Israel’s delegitimization, vilification, and isolation in the world, using the lives of their own people as weapons of war. We must not let them win.
The writer, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, was chairman of the UK’s national crisis management committee, COBRA. (The Sun-UK)
US Officials Denounce Anti-Semitism In Dagestan
Officials in the US denounced Sunday’s (29th) incident in the Dagestan region of Russia, where Muslim rioters arrived at the international airport in Makhachkala in order to harm Jewish Israelis.
US National Security Council spokesman Adrienne Watson said that the United States “vigorously condemns the anti-Semitic protests.”
She added that the US “unequivocally stands with the entire Jewish community as we witness a worldwide surge in anti-Semitism.”
Deborah Lipstadt, the US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism denounced the incident as well.
“We condemn the violent protests that have been reported in Russia threatening Israelis and Jews. We call on Russian authorities to ensure their safety,” she wrote in a post on X.
“The US stands with Israel and the entire Jewish community as we see a surge in anti-Semitism throughout the world. There is no excuse for targeting Jews or engaging in anti-Semitic incitement anywhere,“ added Lipstadt.
The incident occurred as crowds waited for an Israeli flight that was supposed to arrive and checked vehicles leaving the airport to try and find Israelis or Jewish passengers.
Footage from the scene shows crowds chanting “Allahu Akbar.” and according to reports, they also yelled anti-Semitic chants.
The flight which took off from Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport, was scheduled to land in Makhachkala, but was rerouted and landed at a different airport.
According to local reports, the rioters also began to search for Israelis and Jews near the airport as well.
Shortly after midnight, it was announced that the incident ended without Israeli casualties.
