News Digest — 7/23/24
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Lands In U.S., To Meet President Joe Biden On Thursday
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Plane, Wings of Zion, Landed In the U.S. Monday night (22nd) at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington DC.
U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to meet the Israeli Prime Minister on Thursday (25th) at the White House, a U.S. official said on Monday (21st).
Biden has been battling Covid-19 since last Wednesday (17th) but is returning to Washington on Tuesday (23rd) from his beach house in Delaware. Netanyahu is to address a joint session of the US Congress on Wednesday (24th).
Biden and Netanyahu are expected to discuss ways to reach a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas terrorists in Gaza, as well as Iran and other topics.
It will be Biden’s first meeting with a foreign leader since he opted not to run for reelection and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor as the Democratic presidential nominee.
Harris is also to meet Netanyahu this week separate from Biden’s meeting.
A Harris aide said she will stress to Netanyahu that “it is time for the Gaza conflict to end in a way where Israel is secure, all hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can enjoy their right to dignity, freedom and self-determination.”
After his meeting with Biden on Thursday (25th), Prime Minister Netanyahu will fly back to Israel.
President Herzog: ‘International Community Must Wake Up And Take Action Against Iran’
President Isacc Herzog delivered an address on Monday evening (22nd) at the state memorial ceremony for the casualties of the Second Lebanon War, and mentioned the current war.
“We are in the midst of a tough, painful, and prolonged war that Iran and its proxies are waging against us, and we must be determined and fierce in the battle against Hamas and the terrorist organizations in Gaza and Judea and Samaria, against Hezbollah in Lebanon, against the Houthis in Yemen and the Red Sea, and against all our enemies who wish to wipe out the Jewish people and its state from the face of the earth, even in this generation,” he stated.
Herzog called on the international community to join Israel in its fight against terror. “As we have seen in recent days, we must act with strength and decisiveness – at any time and at any hour – to protect the citizens of Israel. But this war is not only ours. The international community must wake up and bear all military and diplomatic means to end the campaign initiated by Iran, against regional terrorism that threatens the entire global order – before it is too late.”
“I am confident that these core issues – including the joint campaign against the Iranian terror regime and its proxies, and the duty to return the hostages – will be at the center of the Prime Minister’s speech before the U.S, Congress, and in his meetings with the American leadership. And I wish him success in his mission. Israel’s strategic alliance with the United States stands and will continue to stand – stable and strong – above all political and partisan disputes in Israel and the United States – as it has been and as it will be,” he added.
The President continued: “I wish to offer strength to the IDF and the security forces who are working day and night, in a range of arenas and theaters, and I offer a prayer from here for their success and the safety of our soldiers, for the full recovery of the wounded in body and soul from all of Israel’s battles, and for the long-awaited return of the hostages – which is a supreme human, Israeli and Jewish duty.”
The President also mentioned the hostages, including Alex Dancyg and Yagev Buchshtav, who were murdered in captivity. “I wish to express from here my condolences to the families of Alex Dancyg and Yagev Buchshtav, of blessed memory who were murdered in Hamas captivity. In recent months, I have met with their inspirational families, who, even during a tumultuous period full of worry and anxiety, have exhibited unparalleled strength of spirit.”
“I reiterate, there is a consensus regarding the need and urgency to return the hostages, which is a commandment (Mitzvah) above all others. We must exhaust all possible ways with determination, creativity, and responsibility – to bring them home. I welcome any action that will lead to their return, and as I have already said, I will give full backing to any deal.”
IDF Returns To Khan Younis After 3-Month Hiatus As Terrorism Resurfaces
IDF forces on Monday (22nd) reentered Khan Younis, the largest city in the Gaza Strip, three months after withdrawing from the area, with the army issuing warnings to displaced Gazans there to evacuate as it targets the reemergence of Hamas strongholds in the city’s center.
Palestinian reports indicated IDF tanks entered the eastern outskirts of Khan Younis and that military vehicles entered the town of Abasan and the Zana area, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Palestinian enclave.
Hamas radio reported that the death toll in Khan Younis had reached 37 since the operation began in the morning. According to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Civil defense in Gaza, the IDF instructed over 400,000 people to leave Khan Younis’ eastern areas, with tens of thousands fleeing toward the city’s center and western neighborhoods.
Displaced Gazans were called to evacuate the eastern neighborhoods close to the Israeli border toward the designated humanitarian zone in Al-Mawasi. Recently, rockets were launched from the city’s central neighborhoods toward Israel as Hamas began reestablishing itself in the area. The operation is set to begin in the east and gradually move toward the city’s center.
Gazans in the area were contacted by the IDF prior to the operation and were told to evacuate due to “numerous terrorist activities and rocket fire toward Israel” originating from several neighborhoods in the city’s center, considered part of Gaza’s humanitarian zone.
“The Hamas terrorist organization has placed terrorist infrastructure in an area defined as a humanitarian zone,” the IDF said.
The early warning was given, according to the IDF, to minimize civilian harm and keep them away from combat zones. “The IDF is about to act against terror organizations, and therefore calls on the population remaining in the eastern neighborhoods of Khan Younis to temporarily evacuate to the designated humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi,” the military said.
Evacuation instructions were given out via text messages, recorded voice messages, phone calls, Arabic media broadcasts and leaflets,” it added.
The IDF informed health workers in Gaza and international officials that there was no need to evacuate hospitals in the area. “The IDF will continue to act against the Hamas terror organization, which uses Gaza residents as human shields for its terrorist activities and infrastructure,” the military said.
Meanwhile, the IDF on Monday (22nd) announced the conclusion of the Nahal Brigades’ operations in Rafah, which lasted for about 2 months under the command of the 162nd Division.
The brigade’s fighters operated in the south and central parts of the Brazil neighborhood, the northern Yibna refugee camp and the Al-Shaboura refugee camp, killing at least 150 terrorists and confiscating innumerable amounts of weapons. The forces will be rotated out and replaced by Givati Brigade forces.
How Israel Turned The Tide In Rafah – Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz interviewed by Elliot Kaufman (Wall Street Journal)
• Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that for months Western powers pressured Israel to end the war in Gaza. They called for an “immediate ceasefire,” which would leave Hamas victorious. “The main reason that this murderer, [Hamas leader] Sinwar, didn’t do the hostage deal is because he expected the world to stop Israel without it. He expected the ICJ, the ICC, the Security Council, maybe…the United Nations…and the EU” – surely one of them would force Israel to capitulate.
• Katz was on the receiving end of many lectures from western officials. “I sat with foreign ministers, and they told me, ‘Don’t go to Rafah, don’t go to Rafah. It’ll be a mess.”’ The Rafah operation was delayed by months as the White House withheld weapons from Israel. On May 6, Israel invaded Rafah anyway.
• “And we were right. Everyone knows it now, even the U.S…..They said that it would take four months to evacuate the population. It took only days.” More than a million Gazans quickly evacuated Rafah to designated safe zones. No critics recanted, but the pressure on Israel quietly diminished.
• “There will be a hostage deal only if Sinwar will understand that he doesn’t have any other choice. The people that deal with the negotiations are telling us now: ‘Don’t stop, continue – Push Hamas even harder.”’
• Concerning Norway he said, “You will sit there, in the fjords in Norway, and decide that there will be a Palestinian state? It will not happen. We want peace more than you do. It’s suicide that Israelis object to.”
• “We don’t ask anyone to fight instead of our soldiers. It’s a principle for us.” But, “We need you to back us, and to let our enemies know that you back us. This is not a regular war. Iran and Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis and the Shiite militias – they want to eliminate Israel. To destroy Israel. It’s not a game. We don’t have another homeland, OK?”
• “It’s not like the Holocaust. I’m a son of Holocaust survivors…but it’s the same intent. If they had the power to do the same thing, they would do it again.”
(wsj.com)
Israeli Researchers Develop Smart-Tagging System To Track Drones In Extreme Conditions
Israeli researchers unveiled a smart-tagging system to track and identify aerial drones in challenging conditions, such as urban environments, low-flight altitudes, and extreme weather.
Traditionally, drone identification relies on radars, cameras, and transponders, with the latter providing real-time location updates in civilian contexts.
However, these methods often falter in harsh conditions, such as limited visibility, crowded air traffic, and obstructive buildings that block satellite signals.
Reports of unauthorized drones entering restricted areas of airports have raised safety concerns.
In 2017, Ben Gurion International Airport was forced to shut down its airspace, suspending all arrivals and departures for 15 minutes when a civilian drone entered a prohibited area.
In 2015, an incoming airplane was forced to adjust its course to avoid a collision with a drone.
And the US Federal Aviation Administration reported in 2024 that it receives more than 100 such reports every month.
But new technology developed by Tel Aviv University aims to overcome these limitations by employing smart stickers and radar supported by an AI Algorithm that classifies drones based on the electromagnetic radiation they scatter.
The smart-tagging technology was spearheaded by PhD. students Omer Tzidki and Dmytro Vovchuk under the guidance of Prof. Pavel Ginzburg.
“The simplest things often work best. This project leverages fundamental physical principles to reliably and accurately classify drones. The process of identifying any drone using radar is quite complex, so achieving the capability to identify specific drones is a significant accomplishment of which we are very proud,” said Ginzburg.
Tzidki explained that identifying drones becomes particularly critical in scenarios with no direct line of sight.
The new system achieves identification through an electromagnetic representation of the drone’s “identity card.”
This allows the radar to distinguish between drones with different IDs using electromagnetic tagging on the drone’s wings.
The AI algorithm, built on a neutral network, classifies drones as either friendly or hostile, operating successfully even in harsh conditions and reducing the risk of accidents.
Initial experiments were conducted under controlled laboratory conditions before progressing to external trials to simulate real-world scenarios.
Tzidki stressed the combination of electromagnetic techniques, Ai algorithms, and innovative radar technology to yield optimal results.
“Mapping the airfield is critical for protecting the lives of soldiers and civilians. This project is important at all times, and especially crucial now,” he said.
