News Digest — 5/3/23
IDF Struck 16 Targets In Gaza Overnight In Response To 104 Rockets
A total of 104 rockets were fired into Israel between Tuesday (2nd) and Wednesday (3rd), most by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad with some participation from Hamas, the IDF confirmed on Wednesday morning (3rd).
In response, Israel countered with approximately 16 airstrikes, mostly on Hamas positions, to hold the group responsible for all that occurs in Gaza.
IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Daniel Hagari said that despite an apparent ceasefire starting around 5:30 a.m., “all options are on the table” should any Palestinian group fire additional rockets at Israel.
Most of the Israeli strikes in Gaza focused on Hamas armament capabilities, including weapons factories, operational headquarters for its naval forces, underground tunnels and other similar sites, with indications that only one Hamas member was killed.
Despite the low number of casualties on the Gaza side, Hagari denied that Israel had avoided targeting Hamas sites with personnel who were present.
Hagari said that Hamas had participated with land-to-air missiles against Israeli aircraft which were not particularly effective, but had mostly left the fighting to Islamic Jihad.
He said that this was an early sign that Hamas did not want a major conflict and eventually led the group to force the ceasefire on Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Of the 104 rockets fired into Israel, 11 fell in the sea, 14 fell in Gaza, 24 were shot down by Iron Dome, 48 fell in open areas and the IDF said that the location of the remaining seven was still unclear.
Although most media outlets reported around a dozen Israeli injuries, Hagari said that only three were injured directly by rocket fire, including a foreign worker from China in Sderot, who remains the only moderately injured person on the Israeli side.
Hagari rejected media estimates of Iron Dome’s effectiveness dropping to 70%, saying its effectiveness remained around 90%, but did not address the discrepancy in reports on the issue in detail.
The latest conflict between Israel and the factions in Gaza started Tuesday morning (2nd) when Palestinian Islamic Jihad official Khader Adnan died after an 86-day hunger strike while in Israel administrative detention.
Explosion Hits Revolutionary Guard Base In Iran, Killing Two
An explosion Tuesday evening (2nd) struck a base in Iran belonging to the Revolutionary Guard, killing two workers, local media reported. There was no word on any damages in the blast.
The state-run IRNA news agency said the explosion occurred during a “movement of ammunition” at the guard base on the outskirts of the city of Damghan, in northern Semnan province. The report offered no other details about the source of the explosion. IRNA added that the incident was under investigation. The semi-official Fars news agency said on its Telegram media channel that two workers at the base were killed and three were wounded in the explosion. It identified the two that were killed but gave no other details. The Guard, whose expeditionary forces operate across the wider Middle East and aid Iranian-allied terror groups such as the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Palestinian Hamas group including Iran’s military, have been targeted before, raising tensions in the region.
In February, satellite photos showed damage to what Iran at the time described as a military workshop targeted by Israeli drones, the latest such assault amid a shadow war between the two countries. Iran offered no explanation of what the workshop manufactured.
International concerns have mounted over Tehran enriching uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels, with experts warning that the Islamic Republic has enough fuel to build “several” atomic bombs if it chooses.
Europe Is Eye-To-Eye with Israel On Iranian Terror, FM Eli Cohen Says From Brussels
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen says Europe is finally coming around to Israel’s side on Iran, after holding meetings in Brussels with senior European Union officials as Jerusalem seeks to push EU policy against Iran in a more assertive direction.
The Foreign Ministry says that Cohen spoke on Tuesday (2nd) with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola of Malta about Iranian attempts to target Jews and Israelis on European soil.
They also discussed the importance of the EU designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terror organization. In January, the EU parliament called on the EU’s European Council and member states to list the IRGC as a terrorist group and to ban all business with them.
“European countries understand today more than ever the danger from Iran, and see eye-to-eye with Israel regarding the need to confront terror that comes from and is funded by the Iranian regime,” said Cohen after the meeting.
Earlier Tuesday (2nd) Cohen met with Oliver Varhelyi of Hungary, commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, to discuss an EU research project into antisemitism in Palestinian Authority textbooks. They also talked about a potential EU-Israel demining project in Ukraine, and EU support for expanding the Abraham Accords.
According to Israel, Varhelyi promised that “no EU funding will reach terror groups, even indirectly.”
The EU has yet to release information about the various meetings held with Cohen.
Exclusive: Biblical Site Under Threat Amid Ongoing Palestinian Construction
Preserving the Eternal, an advocacy group that seeks to prevent the destruction of national heritage sites by Palestinians, has sounded the alarm over what appears to be a deliberate effort to destroy a key landmark in Samaria.
El-Unuk, one of the six “Gilgal” sites that were identified by Archeologist Adam Zertal as dating to the People of Israel’s entry into the land following Joshua’s conquest, is in Area B, under Palestinian civilian control and Israel security governance. It is in the vicinity of Nahal Tirzah, one of the streams that flows from eastern Samaria into the Jordan Valley and the Jordan River, and from there to the Dead Sea.
The site is now under immediate threat of destruction, because of construction work being carried out by the PA, which has already paved a road at the complex, Preserving the Eternal told Israel Hayom. A few weeks ago, serious damage was uncovered because of infrastructure and road construction, which seems to have been carried out as preparation for a residential neighborhood or a commercial area. An inspector from the organization has identified a large residential building at the site.
Dr. Shai Bar, a lecturer at Haifa University and director of an archeological survey at the site, warns: “This is doing terrible damage at an important Early Iron Age site, which was revealed many years ago in a survey of Manasseh Hill.”
According to Bar, “Building on an ancient site without taking the necessary steps to preserve it is unbelievable incompetence, demonstrating a lack of governance by the authorities, who are supposed to ensure that this does not happen in areas under its control. The authorities need to immediately halt the construction work and to attempt to save the findings from the damaged site.”
“The indiscriminate destruction of Jewish heritage sites in Judea and Samaria is a common and especially disturbing trend. In the best-case scenario, the PA takes control of different sites and co-opts them as Palestinian. In the worst-case scenario, which often happens – they carry out massive and irreparable destruction,” added Bar
According to Adi Shragai, activities director, “Building on an archeological site means destruction, which can’t be restored or reconstructed, with the findings being lost forever. This site, one of the most important for the beginnings of the Jewish people, has only been surveyed and not yet excavated. The Civilian Administration has refused to operate in Area B, claiming that it is under Palestinian civilian authority. This is a site of national and global significance, and Israel has a legal and moral obligation to protect it. The government must immediately intervene and demand that the PA and the European countries supporting the project halt the construction immediately. The Oslo Accords don’t give the PA the authority to destroy world heritage sites.”
Head of the Samaria Regional Council Yossi Dagan said: “The PA’s goal is to wipe Jewish history from Samaria. It is barbarically destroying, crushing, breaking, and eliminating another heritage site, and regretfully there is no significant response. This is a national abandonment.”
Parliamentarians Praise Jewish Contributions To British Columbia
Two Ministers in British Columbia’s Legislative Assembly have issued a joint statement in celebration of Jewish Heritage Month, which takes place in May.
Mable Elnore, Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism initiatives, and Selina Robinson, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, described Jewish Heritage Month as a “time to celebrate the Jewish community’s significant contributions to British Columbia’s collective success, social welfare, cultural achievements, politics, growth and prosperity.”
“Jewish Canadians have been part of BC’s cultural fabric since the first settlers arrived here in the late 1800s, and they have made significant contributions to the province ever since,” the MLAs said. “Unfortunately, reported antisemitic incidents have increased significantly in recent years. This is why it is as important as ever to not only stand up against these unjust acts, but to educate ourselves about the many contributions Jewish British Columbians have made to our province’s diversity and strength.”
They praised the community for its long history of leadership in the province.
“Early on, many Jewish people took on leadership roles that changed the course of BC’s growth,” they said.
“Leaders like Lumley Franklin, who became the second mayor of Victoria in 1866 and presided over the installation of the telegraph cable linking Victoria directly to England. He also supported the unification of Vancouver Island and British Columbia. The two colonies merged during his first year in office. And David Oppenheimer, who was elected the second mayor of Vancouver in 1888. During his tenure he established the first fire department, a ferry across Burrard Inlet, the streetcar system and Stanley Park.”
(isnn.com)
