News Digest — 9/12/24
IDF Chief Of Staff Herzi Halevi Awarded 81 Officers And NCOs From The Reserves, Serving In Various IDF Units Across All Branches, Commands And Directorates
The ceremony for the Chief of Staff’s Award for Outstanding Reserve Soldiers of 2024 was held on Wednesday (11th) at Glilot Military Base.
At the ceremony certificates of excellence were awarded to 81 officers and NCOs from the reserves, serving in various IDF units across all branches, commands, and directorates. The awards were given to the reserve soldiers in recognition of their outstanding contribution to their units and for being exemplary role models in the IDF in general, and especially during the war.
The outstanding reserve soldiers were selected in anticipation of Independence Day, and the ceremony took place Wednesday evening (11th) following a situational assessment in an adjusted format due to the ongoing war.
The IDF places great importance on honoring and appreciating the reserve soldiers, whose contribution is critical to the security of the state and the IDF’s ability to fulfill its missions.
“In this war, as we all know and as we all painfully feel, we have lost many soldiers, including precious and valued reserve soldiers. Last night (Tuesday, 10th), two reserve soldiers fell during a helicopter crash incident, which was en route to evacuate a wounded soldier from the Gaza Strip,” Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi stated at the ceremony.
“These combinations of ours – regular and reserve troops – were together in that helicopter, and on the field as well. This is yet another example of the bravery and heavy price the reservists and their families share,” he added.
“We deeply mourn the memory of the fallen soldiers and wish a speedy recovery to the wounded, both physically and emotionally.”
“Our reserve forces are strong, with an incredibly resilient spirit and willingness to operate and succeed to ensure our continued existence. Your contribution to the strength of the IDF and your contribution to the security of the state is irreplaceable. You are bringing us closer to victory and the achievement of the war’s goals,” he concluded.
IDF Soldier Killed As Palestinian Tanker Rams West Bank Bus Stop
An Israeli soldier was run over and killed Wednesday (11th) at a West Bank bus stop in an apparent attack by the driver of a fuel tanker, reinforcing worries that violence in the territory could continue to heat up.
The incident, outside an Israeli settlement near Ramallah, came as security officials have reportedly sought to beef up anti-terror activity in the West Bank, and hours after Palestinians reported that five people had been killed in an Israel Defense Forces drone strike in a town in the Jordan Valley.
Footage from the scene of the attack shows a truck with Palestinian license plates veering off a busy highway and barreling full speed into an IDF guard post adjacent to a bus stop before coming to a halt.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service said it treated an Israeli man in his 20s who suffered critical injuries in the attack. He was pronounced dead at the scene and later identified by the military as a soldier.
He was named by the IDF as Staff Sgt. Geri Gideon Hanghal, 24, of the Kfir Brigade’s Nahshon Battalion from the northern city of Nof Hagalil.
The assailant was shot at the scene by soldiers and an armed civilian, the IDF said, describing the incident as terrorism. Forces that deployed to the scene set up roadblocks, the army added.
The assault occurred on Route 60 outside Givat Assaf, a former wildcat outpost that the government retroactively legalized in late June.
The suspect was named by Israeli security sources as 59-year-old Hayil Dhaifallah, from the central West Bank town of Rafat. His condition was not immediately clear, the Palestinian Authority’s official mouthpiece Wafa reported.
The apparent attack was the latest to raise fears of a drastic resurgence in violence in the West Bank after a series of attempted suicide bombings claimed by Hamas in recent weeks as well as a shooting attack on the Jordanian border Sunday (8th) that killed three Israelis.
According to Israeli authorities, 33 people including Israeli security personnel have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank since October 7, when the war against Hamas in Gaza started with the terror group’s massacre in southern Israel. Another six members of the security forces were killed in clashes with terror operatives in the West Bank over that period.
A report earlier this week suggested that defense brass were increasingly worried that the violence in the West Bank could swell into a major conflagration, with the military already stretched by intense fighting against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Lebanese terror group Hezbollah on the northern border.
Israeli officials have previously stated that the violence is being helped by Iran-backed groups smuggling weapons into the West Bank from Jordan and encouraging attacks.
Since October 7, IDF troops have arrested some 5,000 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including 2,000 affiliated with Hamas.
60 Rockets From Lebanon Batter North; IDF Reservist Injured By Anti-Tank Missile
An Israeli reservist soldier was wounded in a Hezbollah anti-tank guided missile attack from Lebanon on Wednesday (11th), the Israel Defense Forces said.
It came as a barrage of dozens of rockets from Lebanon pounded areas in the north of the country.
The 39-year-old reservist, a member of Kibbutz Dan’s local security team, was taken to Rambam Hospital in Haifa after being hit by a missile in the community.
The medical center said he was conscious and suffering shrapnel injuries. He was taken for surgery and was listed in serious condition.
Meanwhile, more than 60 rockets were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel in the space of an hour.
A barrage of some 30 rockets was fired from Lebanon at the Western Galilee, impacting open areas near the community of Abirim, the IDF said. Then, another barrage of 30 rockets was fired at the Galilee Panhandle area, impacting open areas near Kfar Szold.
Residents of the Upper and Western Galilee were ordered to remain close to bomb shelters during the afternoon.
The rockets and missile attack came hours after the IDF confirmed carrying out a drone strike in southern Lebanon’s Mays al-Jabal, targeting two Hezbollah operatives. One was killed and one was wounded in the strike.
This week has seen repeated rounds of fire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah amid escalating violence that has raised concerns it could boil over into a full-scale war.
Speaking to troops during a drill simulating a ground offensive in Lebanon, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Tuesday (10th) that Israel was shifting its focus to the northern front as it aims to soon achieve its objectives in the Gaza Strip.
‘Broken On A Mental And Physical Level:’ Gallant Reveals Document From Top Hamas Commander Warning Of Dire Losses
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant revealed a document Wednesday (11th) written by the former commander of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade, Rafa’a Salameh, and addressed to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his brother Muhammad, in which the commander describes the “difficult situation” the terror group is in.
“Please consider the following: We maintain the remaining weapons and equipment, as we have lost 90-95% of our rocket capabilities; and we have lost some 60% of our personal weapons; we have lost at least 65-70% of our anti-tank launchers and rockets, and most importantly, we have lost at least 50-75% of our fighters between those who were martyred and wounded, and now we are left with 25%. The last 25% of our fighters have reached a situation where the people do not tolerate them anymore, as they are broken on a mental or physical level,” the document says, according to excerpts provided and translated by the Defense Ministry.
Gallant said the document shows “a real hardship that afflicts Hamas and the most senior commanders.”
He said Salameh, who was killed in an IDF strike in July, “cried out for the help of the Sinwar brothers, but of course they could not save him.”
“Why? Because we are continuing the effort that started in October and continues step by step… and reaches all senior Hamas officials. He wrote this to the Sinwar brothers, we will get them as well,” Gallant said.
Yahya Sinwar is the leader of Hamas in Gaza, and was recently appointed as the head of the terror group following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh. His brother Muhammad is a senior commander in Hamas’ military wing.
Hamas Makes Half Billion From ‘Humanitarian’ Aid, Pays Its Terrorists
Hamas has profited by at least a half billion dollars from humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip, Channel 12 reported on Tuesday (10th).
Approximately 200 aid trucks enter the Palestinian enclave daily. “It’s actually become the main oxygen pipeline for the terrorist organization,” reported Channel 12’s Almog Boker.
Hamas steals the humanitarian aid and sells it to the population. It then uses the money to finance recruitment, Boker said, noting that 3,000 terrorists have been added to Hamas’ payroll in northern Gaza.
Israelis on both right and left have condemned the ongoing aid theft by Hamas, their anger rekindled by last week’s murder of six Israeli hostages in captivity.
The Tzav9 (“Order 9”) protest group has led the movement against Jerusalem’s decision to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Strip.
“There is no logic to bringing the trucks directly to the hands of Hamas terrorists,” the organization said.
“It is up to the entire nation to stand up so that the miserable and intolerable reality will end. No aid should go in until the last hostages return.”
Although the estimated $500 million that Hamas is reaping was first reported back in May, the government treats the aid as proof of its positive conduct towards Gaza civilians, with spokespeople for the Prime Minister’s Office regularly counting off the number of trucks entering the Strip during press briefings.
However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the issue of Hamas’ exploiting aid for its benefit at a Sept 4 press conference in Jerusalem, promising that Israel would in time strip the terrorist group of its ability to use the aid for financial gain.
The prime minister did not provide a timeline for when that would occur.
The Israeli government has been under pressure from the Biden administration to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza from the war’s start, with President Biden promising that if aid ended up in the hands of Hamas it would cease.
Nevertheless, the White House has continued pressuring Israel to increase the flow of aid despite admitting publicly that Hamas – a US-designated foreign terrorist organization – seizes the aid trucks.
40 African Lawmakers Affirm Jerusalem As True Capital Of Israel, Seek Partnership With Jewish State – Vered Weiss
They gathered Wednesday (11th) to sign the “Addis Ababa Declaration of Africa-Israel Cooperation and Partnership document which declared, “We affirm Jerusalem as the legitimate, undivided, and eternal capital of the State of Israel.”
The statement was intended to counter the condemnation of Israel by the African Union and South Africa, which has accused Israel of committing genocide in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The document also encouraged respect for the Jewish People’s historical, cultural and religious ties to the Land of Israel, including Judea and Samaria and East Jerusalem.
Lawmakers at the conference represented the nations Botswana, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
The conference passed a declaration categorizing anti-Zionism as a form of anti-Semitism and slammed violent groups such as Hamas, Iran and Hezbollah.
It praised the Abraham Accords and recommended further peace initiatives with Israel.
“We know who our friends are … and they proudly stand with Israel,” said former deputy mayor of Jerusalem, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum.
The summit was organized by Israel Allies Foundation, the Israel-Africa Initiative, and Thinc Israel with the aim of encouraging strategic partnerships between Africa and Israel.
With 70% of the Sub-Saharan Africa population under the age of 30, the “Startup Nation” is prepared to share its technology with a young workforce to further strengthen economic ties between Israel and African countries.
Erik Selle, founder of the Israel-Africa Initiative said “Israel has what you need to develop.”
He added, “You shouldn’t look to Europe. You shouldn’t look to America, you shouldn’t look to the past. You need to look to the future, and for Africa, Israel is the future.”
MK Sharren Haskel, co-chair of the Knesset’s Christian Allies Caucus proposed modeling the Abraham Accords but applying the concept to Africa and calling it the “Queen of Sheba” Accords.
“None of us have territorial claims of one another, which means these agreements are only for the sake of humans and their well-being, for our children’s prosperity,” Haskel told lawmakers.
