News Digest — 4/5/23
IAF Strikes Gaza In Response To Rockets Fired After Al-Aqsa Clashes
The IAF targeted two Hamas weapons manufacturing and storage sites in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning (5th) after 16-18 rockets were fired in three waves from the Gaza Strip towards the Sderot area and Yad Mordechai in response to clashes that broke out at al-Aqsa on Tuesday night (4th), according to the IDF’s Spokesperson’s Unit.
It later also struck a military compound and multiple military positions controlled by the terrorist organization.
Palestinians in Gaza fired surface-to-air missiles at the Israeli aircraft carrying out the strikes, according to Palestinian reports. Rocket sirens sounded in Sderot, and in Mabu’im near Netivot, during the strikes.
One of the rockets fired overnight hit a factory in the Sderot industrial zone, five fell in open areas and the rest were intercepted by the Iron Dome.
Earlier in the night, police entered Al-Aqsa and worked to remove the people barricaded inside.
The police stressed that dozens of young adults armed with sticks, rocks and fireworks barricaded themselves inside the mosque earlier in the evening in order to start a violent disturbance. Police tried for hours to convince the young adults to exit the mosque peacefully but were forced to enter the building after a continued refusal.
(ynetnews.com; jpost.com)
Palestinians, Israeli Forces Clash In Al-Aqsa Mosque Ahead Of Passover
Palestinians and police clashed in al-Aqsa Mosque on Tuesday night (4th) after dozens of Palestinians barricaded themselves in the mosque ahead of the eve of Passover.
Police entered the complex and began firing stun grenades into the mosque on Tuesday night (4th), in an effort to remove the Palestinians from the mosque. Palestinians holed up in the mosque threw fireworks at the Israeli forces.
Since the beginning of Ramadan, police have repeatedly removed Palestinians who tried to remain overnight at the mosque, citing an agreement they reached with the Waqf to only allow overnight stays at mosques outside the complex. Police have said that Palestinians who tried to stay overnight in the past week and a half were planning to try and attack Jewish visitors to the site during the morning visiting hours.
Also in recent days, Temple Mount activists have intensified their attempts to prepare to carry out the Paschal sacrifice on Wednesday (5th). The activists make similar attempts every year and are prevented from bringing the sacrificial lambs to the Temple Mount by police, with officers even detaining some activists days ahead of Passover to prevent such attempts.
The head of the ‘Returning to the Mount’ movement, Rafael Morris was detained on Monday (3rd) on suspicion that he was going to try and sacrifice the Paschal sacrifice on the Temple Mount. As it does every year, the Returning to the Mount movement announced last week that it was offering rewards of tens of thousands of shekels for anyone who attempts or succeeds to sacrifice a Paschal lamb on the Temple Mount.
Two members of the movement were arrested on Tuesday (4th) when they were caught with a lamb near the Lion’s Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem.
The Temple Mount will be open to Jewish visitors from 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning (5th).
Palestinian terror groups have threatened, as they do every Passover, to respond if the Paschal sacrifice is carried out.
The Hamas terrorist movement warned that it would “not stand by idly” if the sacrifice is done, stressing that Israel “bears full responsibility for the repercussions” of such an act.
“We warn the occupation against committing foolish actions that affect al-Aqsa Mosque, and we call on our struggling Palestinian people to mobilize, raise the level of readiness, tighten the journey, intensify the bond and retreat into the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and repel the occupation’s aggression and thwart the plans of its terrorist settlers,” said the Hamas movement.
Passover: IDF Finishes Getting Ready For The Holiday
The IDF has officially completed its preparations for the Passover holiday, the IDF’s Spokesperson’s Unit announced early Wednesday (5th) on the eve of the holiday.
“The Israel military has finished taking steps to make sure the entire army is ready for the holiday, including taking care of the logistics to ensure the right food is supplied for the IDF’s diverse population,” it stated.
All IDF training bases will hold special activities on Wednesday night (5th) to celebrate the Passover Seder together. The biggest Seder will be held at camp Ariel Sharon in the Negev, which is the IDF’s largest training base.
The IDF will also give financial aid for the Passover holiday to its soldiers in need, with the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit saying that aid options have been significantly increased this year.
Lone soldiers and soldiers who receive welfare payments will receive special shopping vouchers for NIS 500 that can be used at a number of retailers for clothing, food and more.
Those who stay on their bases during the holiday will also receive vouchers for NIS 100 to use at the IDF’s Kavert chain of commissaries.
For lone soldiers, different options have been made available to host them throughout the country. These include the homes of other soldiers, host families and certain hotels. Any lone soldier can contact the IDF’s lone soldier hotline for assistance on any issue using their phones and dialing a special extension.
UAE President Wishes Israel A Happy Passover As Free Trade Agreement Kicks In
United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed on Tuesday (4th) wished the people of Israel a happy Passover in a phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, days after a landmark free trade agreement went into effect.
Netanyahu in turn wished bin Zayed and the people of the UAE a Happy Ramadan.
The two leaders expressed their commitment to work to continue advancing the historic peace agreement between Israel and the UAE, including its expansion to additional important areas, a readout from Netanyahu’s office said.
According to analysts cited by the Reuters news agency, the UAE is committed to a long-term economic relationship with Israel despite recent tensions between the two countries.
On Saturday (1st) a free trade agreement between the countries entered into effect, removing or reducing tariffs on more than 96% of products.
Last year, bilateral trade reached more than $2.5 billion.
UAE energy giant ADNOC last week announced it was joining a $2 billion bid for half of Israeli offshore natural gas producer NewMed Energy, following a 2021 purchase by Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Energy of a 22% stake in Israel’s Tamar gas field for about $1 billion.
“The NewMed Energy bid demonstrates a long-term investment in Israel’s energy sector, which shows how strategic the relationship has become,” Neil Quilliam, associate fellow at Chatham House, and co-author of a new report on Israel-UAE normalization, told Reuters.
“And it ties UAE interests into European energy security, which will act as a ballast against the EU’s strong push on net zero targets,” he added.
“No matter how bad things get though, the economic dimension of the partnership between Israel and the UAE will sustain it through tough times,” he told Reuters.
(worldisraelnews.com; reuters.com)
60,000 Tourists Expected In Israel For Passover And Easter
This week about 60,000 tourists were expected to arrive in Israel ahead of Passover and Easter.
It’s traditionally a busy time of year for tourism, starting with Holy Week (which began April 2nd) and continuing to Easter on April 9. Passover begins the night of April 5 and ends the night of April 12.
Throughout this time, many museums and tourist sites are open to the public for free and special free guided tours are planned.
Tourism Minister Haim Katz said he is pleased to see a positive trend in in-coming tourism, which is climbing back to normal levels after the pandemic.
Since the beginning of the year, there has been a significant rise in incoming tourism, with 916,000 tourists arriving. In March alone, 352,000 tourist entries were recorded.
“Afikomania:” US Embassy In Jerusalem Celebrates Passover With Humorous Video
As a lighthearted way to mark the Passover holiday, the US Embassy released a video on its Twitter page on Tuesday (4th) which depicts embassy staff frantically searching for an afikomen – a piece of matzah broken off during the Seder and hidden for children to seek out in exchange for a prize.
The video shows a “briefing,” in which an army general presents the challenge as a “top secret mission,” dividing employees into two teams.
The employees proceed to run around the embassy in a frenzied search for the hidden piece of matzah, creating disruptions along the way, such as interrupting regular interviews and even medical procedures as they dart from one office to another in search of the elusive flatbread.
The video concludes with the employees conceding their failure to find the afikomen to the general. Shortly after, the US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides enters the room and reveals that he had it the entire time, much to the amusement of everyone present.
Shin Bet Chief: Over 200 ‘Significant’ Terror Attacks Foiled So Far This Year
The Shin Bet has thwarted more than 200 “significant” terrorist attacks since the beginning of the year, the internal intelligence agency’s chief said on Tuesday (4th).
“We are in a challenging time, both at home and abroad. The source is Iranian, Shi’ite, Hamas, Jihadi, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Salafi and various local phenomena,” Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar said during a Passover toast with the IDF General Staff Forum and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
To illustrate the numbers: Only 3 months have passed and this year over 200 significant attacks have been thwarted, including about 150 shooting attacks, 20 bomb attacks, car rammings, suicide bombings, kidnappings and more. Unfortunately, we’ve also suffered 15 painful losses.”
According to him, the Shin Bet’s special operational unit responsible for thwarting terror attacks which was first revealed to the public only two years ago, has already been deployed 14 times since the beginning of this year.
Bar’s statement came just hours after two IDF soldiers were injured in a stabbing attack near a military base in central Israel.
The attacker was overpowered by civilians on the scene and taken into custody by the police. Meanwhile, security forces have launched a manhunt for a possible second assailant who fled the scene by car.
Netanyhau thanked Shin Bet members for “the hard work you do around the clock.”
“I think this work is among the best, if not the best in the world, and it is no coincidence that people come from all over the globe to see what we do. You deserve all the praise, also for the effort and sacrifice, and the commitment to the security of the country,” the premier said.
“In the end, we reach every terrorist. This is a great achievement because whoever comes to harm us should know that their blood is in their own hands.”
