News Digest — 7/25/24
At Least 3 Hurt In West Bank Terror Attack
At least three Israeli men were hurt on Thursday (25th) in a terror attack on the West Bank. The three were shot from a passing car near the entrance to the city of Qalqilya. Two of the men suffered light injuries and one was described to have sustained moderate wounds.
They were transported to the Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba for treatment and a manhunt was underway for the assailant.
A paramedic with Israel’s emergency Magen David Adom service (MDA) said the wounded were conscious when he arrived. Two suffered gunshot wounds and the third was hurt in his leg.
The military blocked the main 55 Highway and set up roadblocks on surrounding roads to prevent the assailants from escaping.
The mayor of the nearby settlement of Kedumim, Uziel Vatik, said the military must show zero tolerance for any attack. “When you overlook stone-throwing and firebombs, and consider shooting attacks as local events, things deteriorate and come at a cost,” he said.
5 Hostage Bodies Returned To Israel In IDF Operation
Five Israelis murdered on October 7, whose bodies were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists and held in the Gaza Strip for more than nine months were returned by IDF forces and repatriated to Israel for burial on Wednesday (24th).
All of the hostages had been confirmed as dead by the IDF in recent months.
The bodies of Mia Goren, 65, from Kibbutz Nir Oz, Ravid Katz, 51, from Kibbutz Nir Oz, Oren Goldin, 33, from Kibbutz Nir Itzhak, Staff Sgt. Tomer Yaakov Ahimas, 20, from Lehavim, and Sgt. Kiril Brodski, 19, from Ramat Gan, were rescued from Khan Younis in the central Strip, the IDF said in a statement.
Interrogations of captured terrorists and field intelligence, gathered in collaboration with Shin Bet security agency, enabled the soldiers to find the site where the bodies were held.
The rescue of the bodies brings the total number of hostages, both living and dead, still held in the coastal enclave to 111. At least 39 of those captives have been declared dead.
Goren, an early childhood educator, was murdered by Hamas terrorists in her kibbutz daycare center.
“She got up early and went to the daycare center to organize it for the next day, Sunday (Oct. 8), and she got caught in there,” said Amir, Goren’s nephew. “They nabbed her.”
Katz, a member of his kibbutz emergency response team, was slain as he tried to fight terrorists who were rampaging through the community.
Goldin was also a member of his kibbutz security squad and was similarly killed in a gun battle against terrorists.
“I haven’t managed to cry, I don’t feel anything, my brain doesn’t allow my heart to feel,” wrote Goldin’s brother, Rani, after receiving news of his death.
Brodski and Ahimas were killed by Hamas terrorists while attempting to stave off the invasion of Kibbutz Nirim in southern Israel.
“On October 7, he went to Nirim and saved people there, and when he fell, he saved others,” said Brodski’s mother, Elena, at a memorial service held before his body was returned to Israel.
PM Benjamin Netanyahu Addressed Congress
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress Wednesday (24th). President Joe Biden , who was recovering from COVID-19, and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is expected to run for president, were not present. Netanyahu was received with loud applause by most members of Congress and spoke for 54 minutes about the “day after” the Gaza War, the future of the Middle East, the case at the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the joint struggle against Iran.
In the Congress hall there were hundreds of senators, congressmen, family members of hostages, bereaved families, Israeli ambassadors to Washington and the UN, advisors and senior aides to Netanyahu, his close associates, and more. Among the notable names in the audience were Noa Argamani, an Israeli hostage rescued from Gaza, Senators Marco Rubio, Mitch McConnell, John Fetterman, Jon Tester, Kenneth Kelly, entrepreneur Elon Musk, and others.
“It’s a clash between barbarism and civilization. It’s a battle between glorifying death and those who cherish life. America and Israel must stand together. Because when we stand together, something very simple happens, we win, they lose. I came to assure you, my friends, of one thing, we will win,” Netanyahu began, wearing a yellow pin expressing solidarity with Israeli hostages.
He added: “October 7 is a day we will remember forever. Thousands of young Israelis were celebrating at a music festival, and suddenly, when children were sleeping in their beds in towns and Kibbutzim near Gaza, it turned into hell. Thousands of Hamas terrorists broke in and massacred thousands of Israelis from 41 countries. At least 22 September 11 attacks happened in one day. Hamas’ monsters raped women and beheaded men.”
“We are committed to the Israeli proposal that President Biden welcomed. Our position has not changed. The second thing, which does not contradict the first, is that we will not end the war until we eliminate Hamas,” he said to Congress.
About President Biden, Netanyahu said: “I want to thank President Biden for his heartfelt support for Israel. He rightly called Hamas ‘sheer evil.’ He came to Israel to visit us during our darkest hour which will never be forgotten. He dispatched aircraft carriers and came to Israel to be with us in our most difficult time, His visit will never be forgotten. President Biden and I have known each other for 40 years. I want to thank him for his long-standing assistance and for being a proud American Zionist. I want to thank him for his friendship.”
On the IDF, Netanyahu said: “The men and women of the IDF come from every corner of Israeli society, religious and secular, every ethnicity. I promise to all the bereaved families in Israel that the sacrifice of your loved ones will not be in vain. These are the soldiers of Israel, unbound, undaunted, and unafraid.”
“For Israel, every death is a tragedy, for Hamas – a strategy,” Netanyahu added.
On the protesters outside Congress, he said: “They keep talking about ‘from the river to the sea. They don’t even know which river or which sea. Some of these protesters hold up signs saying: “Gays for Gaza.” – they might as well hold up signs saying ‘Chickens for KFC.’”
On the ICC, Netanyahu said that “The ICC lies are not only libels but are dangerous. America is next, as well as all democracies fighting terrorism. The State of Israel will never be shackled. Israel will always defend itself.”
Netanyahu also spoke of an alliance between Arab states and Israel, following the Abraham Accords, called the “Abraham Alliance:” “The new alliance I envision could be an extension of the Abraham Accords – which was supported by Republicans and Democrats alike. I have a new name for this alliance: The Abraham Alliance. I want to thank Trump for his efforts in the Abraham Accords.”
At the end of the speech, Netanyahu said: “If you remember one thing from this speech, our enemies are your enemies, our fight is your fight, and our victory is your victory. That victory is in sight. Hamas’ defeat will be a devastating blow to Iran.”
This is the fourth time Netanyahu has addressed Congress. Netanyahu’s first speech was shortly after he was elected Prime Minister in 1996. The second speech took place during his second term as prime minister in 2011, and the third in 2015, when he addressed Congress against the wishes of then-President Barack Obama.
Palestinian Government Paying $16 Million A Month To Imprisoned Terrorists, Including Hamas Fighters, Watchdog Finds
The Palestinian government will pay $16.4 million a month to imprisoned terrorists and their families, including nearly 900 Gaza-based fighters captured by Israeli forces in the wake of Hamas’ October 7 terror attack, a watchdog group found.
Payments by the Palestinian Authority (PA) to imprisoned terrorists have risen by $2 million a month, and are being reliably doled out even as the Judea and Samaria-based government teeters on the brink of financial collapse, according to watchdog group Palestinian Media Watch (PMW).
The PA has recognized thousands of those terrorists as eligible for “pay-to-slay” payments in the wake of Oct. 7, including 899 who were captured in Gaza in recent months.
All told, “9,750 terrorist prisoners are now recognized by the PA as eligible for monthly terror rewards, up from 4,300 prior to Oct. 7,” according to PMW which tracks the PA’s terrorist payment system.
The watchdog group “calculates that once the processing of the new prisoners is complete, the PA will be paying a minimum of 59,560,000 shekels (about $16.4 million) a month in salaries to terrorist prisoners, up from 52,000,000 shekels (about $14.3 million) a month prior to October 7.”
The Payment scheme, buoyed by international aid dollars, is one of the primary reasons that Republican officials want to cut off US aid to the Palestinians, which has totaled upwards of $1.5 billion since America began pumping humanitarian aid into the war-torn Gaza Strip.
Prior to Oct. 7, the Biden administration pushed through plans to send millions of dollars to the Palestinian government as part of its drive to reignite the peace process with Israel and prop up the fledgling PA.
In the nine months since war broke out with Hamas, the PA has consistently added new terrorists to its pay-to-slay program.
The PA will continue to add captured Hamas terrorists and other would-be terrorists operating in Judea and Samaria to the pay-for-slay list.
Palestinian officials guarantee all of those payments will be made, even as the government struggles to pay its own bills and employees. Muhammad Hamida, a PA economy minister, said earlier this month that pay cuts are necessary to continue paying terrorists and their families.
“While we as public employees received a salary at a rate of 50% before the Gaza war, the families of the prisoners and martyrs [terrorists], received a full salary,” Hamida said.
“The Palestinian leadership remains committed to this. It deducts amounts from regular employees and gives full salaries to the families of the prisoners and martyrs.”
IDF To Get Rafael’s Laser Missile Interceptor By 2025
Israel’s groundbreaking Iron Beam laser missile defense system will be operational and in IDF hands by next year, Yoav Turgeman, CEO of Haifa-based Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, revealed on Tuesday (23rd) at the Farmborough International Airshow in England.
“Two years ago, we achieved a world-first by successfully intercepting an object at an unprecedented distance using laser technology,” added Rafael Chairman Yuval Steinitz, highlighting the system’s unique capabilities.
Forgoing physical displays at this year’s airshow, Rafael is focusing on meetings with potential clients.
The strategy appears to be paying off, with the company announcing two new buyers for its “ice breaker” long-range cruise missile, which boasts superior weight-efficiency compared to competitors.
Turgeman praised the exceptional performance of Rafael’s Python 4 and 5 missiles in countering unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and cruise missiles, notably during recent Iranian attacks.
“Their effectiveness is so remarkable that improving upon them will be a challenge,” he said.
Python 4, despite being four decades old, continues to impress with its capabilities. Rafael is also developing “Skysonic,” a hypersonic interceptor designed to counter emerging hypersonic missile threats.
The company’s flagship systems, Iron Dome and David’s Sling, have “exceeded all expectations,” according to both executives.
“Iron Dome stands as the world’s most effective system in its class, while David’s Sling has demonstrated outstanding long-range interception capabilities,” Turgeman said.
Attributing much of Rafael’s success to its workforce, Turgeman noted, “Our systems’ developers often serve as their operators in the reserves, providing them with unparalleled motivation to create exceptional technology.”
Steinitz shared an anecdote illustrating employee dedication, describing reserve soldiers returning from Gaza operations only to work at Rafael offices during their weekend leave voluntarily.
“Our workforce of about 9,500 includes 600 employees with doctoral and professional degrees – there is no other company like this in the world,” he added.
Both executives expressed gratitude for the warm reception and shows of solidarity they received at the airshow.
Steinitz recounted a recent visit to the US Congress, where the unprecedented display of Israeli flags outside congressional offices struck him.
In my 25 years of visiting Congress, I’ve never witnessed such a demonstration of support,” he remarked.
The Farmborough skies were dominated by impressive displays by US-built F-35 and F-15EX warplanes.
The F-35B, known for its vertical takeoff and landing capabilities, captivated audiences with an ultra-slow flyby.
Outcry As Pro-Hamas Group Plans To ‘Celebrate Oct. 7 Anniversary’
Spain’s Jewish community has expressed outcry after a Madrid-based radical anti-Israel group announced it would hold a conference on October 7, 2024, “celebrating” the one-year anniversary of the brutal Hamas massacre in southern Israel, in which over a thousand civilians were murdered, including women and children, and 251 hostages were taken captive.
Masar Badil (Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement) plans to hold the conference in support of the Hamas terrorist organization and the “Palestinian struggle” under the anti-Semitic slogan “From the River to the Sea,” generally interpreted as a call for the destruction of Israel.
Organizers said the conference signals “a new phase of struggle against the Zionist entity,” urging people to “celebrate the dawn of the glorious Oct. 7 and the sacrifices of our people in the Gaza Strip.”
The Federation of Jewish communities of Spain told Israel Hayom, “We are deeply concerned about the possibility of Madrid hosting an international meeting of an organization that supports terrorism on the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre. The slogan chosen for the conference has been declared anti-Semitic by many countries and organizations because it calls for the elimination of Israel.”
“We trust that the Spanish authorities will realize this and not allow such an event, which could not be held in other European countries like Germany, for example. We believe that Madrid and other Spanish cities should continue to be places of peace and interfaith dialogue.”
Founded in Spain in 2021, Masar Badil activities have gained significant momentum since Oct. 7. On the day of the onslaught, the group issued a statement supporting Hamas’ actions: “All Palestinian forces, at home and abroad, stand today behind the leaders of our brave armed resistance in Palestine and with our people in occupied Palestine, until Operation Al-Aqsa Flood achieves its goals.”
The group’s activities in Spain are coordinated by Jaldia Abubakra, a Gaza native and Madrid resident, who recently told the Spanish newspaper El Confidencial, “Israel needs to fall. This is not about Jews. They can live anywhere else in the world from where they came. Palestine belongs to our people, from the river to the sea. We should not be afraid to say this clearly.”
“On Oct. 7, I felt great pride,” Abubakra added. “That’s why we decided to mark the first anniversary of the Al-Aqsa campaign to say we believe in the victory it will bring.”
