News Digest — 9/4/24
Report: Fearing October 7th-Style Attack, Israel And Palestinian Authority Quietly Cooperating Against Hamas
Increased terror activity by Hamas in Judea and Samaria, amid heightened efforts by Iran to mobilize weapons and other resources into the region, has fueled fears in Israel’s security establishment of a possible October 7th-style mass attack by Hamas terrorists emanating from Judea and Samaria, an Israeli official warned.
Speaking on condition of anonymity with Sky News Arabia in a report published Tuesday afternoon (3rd), an Israeli security official said the country’s top brass fear Hamas and other Islamist terror groups could be preparing for a major attack either on an Israeli town in Judea and Samaria or on pre-1967 Israel.
”We’re concerned about the possibility of a large-scale attack on one of the settlements or even within Israel and we’re preparing for such a scenario,” the official said.
“While the current focus is on the northern West Bank, we’re also monitoring threats in the southern West Bank and operations may expand there as well.”
The official reiterated claims by other senior officials that Iran was attempting to destabilize the area, and added that the Palestinian Authority is also concerned by Iranian efforts to bolster Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Judea and Samaria.
“The Iranians are delivering money and weapons to the West Bank. In recent months, we’ve seen an increase in Iranian efforts to turn the area into a real battlefield. The Palestinian Authority, like us, fears the possibility of a scenario similar to October 7 in the West Bank.”
The Palestinian Authority’s growing concern over a potential Hamas takeover of Judea and Samaria has led to increased cooperation with Israel and a crackdown by the PA’s internal security agency on Hamas and other Islamist terror groups.
Ramallah, the official continued, fears Hamas may soon stage a coup mirroring its 2007 takeover of the Gaza Strip.
Hamas Suggests It Will Kill Hostages If IDF Approaches Hiding Places
In a disturbing development, Hamas has threatened the lives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, following a successful rescue operation by Israeli forces. The terrorist organization’s military wing spokesman Abu Obeida, revealed “new directives” for guards holding captives, suggesting potential harm to hostages if Israeli troops approach their locations.
On Monday evening (2nd), the Telegram channel of Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida released a statement that sent shockwaves through Israel. “We have clearly stated that following the incident in Nuseirat, new instructions were issued to our fighters responsible for guarding the prisoners in case the army approaches their detention sites,” the message read. This ominous declaration from the terrorist organization implied that guards had been instructed to potentially harm or kill hostages if IDF forces drew near their hiding places.
The statement comes in the wake of six hostages being murdered just before the IDF could save them. The “incident in Nuseirat” refers to the daring operation carried out on June 8, where Israeli forces successfully rescued hostages Shlomi Ziv, Noa Argamani, Andrey Kizkiv, and Almog Meir Jan from Hamas captivity. The rescue took place near the bustling market of Nuseirat, a town in central Gaza. At 11:00 AM, in a coordinated effort, Shin Bet and Yaman forces simultaneously stormed two buildings in the camp, freeing the four captives.
The operation was not without its costs. During intense firefights between Israeli forces and terrorists, Yaman team commander and operative chief inspector Arnon Zamora, who led the initial breach, was critically wounded. Tragically, Zamora succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. He was posthumously promoted to Chief Superintendent in recognition of his bravery and sacrifice.
FM Katz Urges World To Sanction Hamas And Iran Following Hostages’ Murders
Following the news of the murders of Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity in Gaza, Foreign Minister Israel Katz instructed Israeli embassies around the world to urge top officials internationally to take action against Hamas and Iran. “An execution is crossing a red line, a shocking war crime by a murderous terrorist organization,” he wrote on Tuesday (3rd).
“Israel demands the international community categorically condemn the heinous murders of the six hostages and take all possible measures, including sanctions and legal measures against Hamas and its supporters, led by Iran. This is the time to support Israel and not strengthen its enemies. Please immediately contact your high-ranking partners in your places of residence, and pass on the information and messages, said Katz’s instructions.
The document includes details of the horrors that were discovered in the tunnel in Khan Yunis on Shabbat (8/31), where the bodies of Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alex Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Master Sergeant Ori Danino were found.
“In an examination conducted at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, it was found that the six hostages were murdered by Hamas terrorists with several short-range gunshots. According to the forensic examination, the hostages were murdered by their captors approximately 2-3 days before their discovery,” the document stated. “The bodies of the hostages were found during the fighting in Rafah in an underground tunnel, about a kilometer away from the tunnel from which Farhan Alkadi was rescued a few days ago. The IDF soldiers eliminated the terrorists in the tunnels during the battles.”
The embassies were instructed to convey messages to the officials with whom they work and meet. First, Minister Katz said they must stress that “the murders of the six hostages is an execution. From information released in the last few hours the hostages were shot from close range. This is the crossing of a red line, a shocking war crime by a murderous terrorist organization that seeks to implement an extreme ideology that strives to destroy the State of Israel.”
Katz also demanded the embassies clarify that “Hamas is determined to continue its terrorist activities while thwarting any attempt to finalize a deal for the return of the hostages. Katz instructed the emissaries to tell their partners, “Israel demands the release of 101 hostages who are in the Gaza Strip and are being held by Hamas.”
As for Tehran, the foreign minister instructed the embassies to point out that “Iran is the head of the snake. Iran finances, trains, arms and directs its proxies Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen.” Finally, according to the document, the embassies are requested to emphasize that “Israel is committed to achieving the war’s objectives: destroying the military and leadership capabilities of Hamas and exerting pressure on Hamas to bring about the return of all hostages. Israel will continue to protect its citizens and its territory, and is working against the evil axis led by Iran, which is clearly aiming for the destruction of Israel.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s consul in New York, Ofir Akunis, said in an interview with Fox News that Yahya Sinwar learned from Adolf Hitler how to kill people in cold blood. There is no deal to release the hostages because of Hamas and not because anyone in Israel does not want it. In the interview, Akunis said that Hamas and Hezbollah are using Iranian weapons, and Tehran should be the direction of the pressure.
Global Imam’s Council Condemns Hamas For Execution Of Hostages
The Global Imam’s Council has released a statement condemning the murders of hostages at the hands of Hamas terrorists.
The statement, which was released on the Global Imam’s Council X social media account on Sunday (1st) , referred to the actions of Hamas as “barbaric,” stating, “We are deeply saddened and outraged by these heinous murders, which violate all principles of humanity, religious teachings, and international law.”
The Global Imam’s Council acknowledged that the targeting of civilians not only violates the laws of Islam, but the Geneva Convention as well.
The statement issued at the Islamic seminary of Najaf in Iraq, held Hamas alone responsible for “the deaths and suffering of all innocent lives lost since October 7, as their actions have not only brought death and destruction upon the region but have also led to suffering for the Palestinian people.”
Moreover, The Global Imam’s Council confirmed its stance that “the regime in Iran shares equal responsibility for these tragedies, as its continued support and endorsement of Hamas’ actions perpetuate violence and instability in the region.
The Global Imam’s Council is an NGO that previously made waves in the Muslim world for unanimously voting to adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism.
The statement concluded with a heartfelt message to the families of the victims of the Israel-Hamas war, as well as a call for all religious leaders to stand against Hamas’ terror “and to work tirelessly towards a future where, peace, justice, and respect for all human life are the foundations of our shared existence.”
Suspension Of Military Aid To Israel Is An Embarrassing Mistake – Jake Wallis Simons
Over the last three years, Britain sold 3.1 billion pounds worth of weapons to Qatar, the world’s foremost sponsor of Sunni jihadism and the principal benefactor of Hamas. It sold 1.9 billion pounds worth to Saudi Arabia, which has been engaged in a bloody war in Yemen that has not been fought entirely according to democratic norms. Turkey, which has crushed the Kurds once again with less concern for human rights than one might hope, received 799 million pounds in British arms.
By contrast, Israel, the Middle East’s sole democracy and the only power to respect the rights of women and minorities, which is locked in an existential struggle against the forces of jihadism that menace us all, bought 83 million pounds of British arms, 1% of its total weapons purchases.
Yet it is the Jewish state that attracted the criticism of Foreign Secretary David Lammy amid misinformation that it has been prosecuting the war in Gaza to excess. In fact, Israel has been fighting a cleaner war in Gaza than has ever been waged anywhere in the world.
Arguably, the Israeli-British security partnership has benefited us more. Britain’s Watchkeeper surveillance UAVs, based on Israel’s Hermes 450 drone, have saved countless British lives in Afghanistan. British troops have trained with Israel’s cutting-edge Rhino mobile command and control center. In 2015, Israeli intelligence helped the Metropolitan police discover a bomb factory in northwest London, complete with three tons of ammonium nitrate. This Israel suspension of 30 arms export licenses will surely prove an ill-judged blip, to be rectified when wiser heads prevail.
Artifact Confirming Jewish King David As Historical Figure On Display In Edmond, Oklahoma
The legendary Tel Dan Stele artifact will be available for public viewing at Herbert W. Armstrong College campus in Edmond, Oklahoma, between September 22 and November 25 , the Armstrong International Cultural Foundation and Israel Antiquities Authority announced jointly on Tuesday (3rd).
According to a press release, the 9th-century BCE “sensational” fragment is currently on loan from the Israel Museum and will be part of the “Kingdom of David and Solomon Discovered” exhibit at the Armstrong Auditorium on the Armstrong College campus.
Exhibit curator Brad Macdonald explained the importance of the monument’s fragment, saying, “This is a colossal honor for Oklahoma. This artifact provides an extraordinary snapshot of biblical history and possibly is Israel’s most important archaeological discovery ever. This is only the second time the stele has been to America.”
The Tel Dan Stele became a major archaeological find with significant meaning for the Jewish people. It provided the first confirmation of the biblical figure King David as a historical figure, cementing historical evidence of Jewish presence in the Tel Dan area.
Discovered in 1993 by Avraham Biran, the basalt victory stele was constructed by the Syrian king Hazael upon his triumph against King Jehoram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah. The inscription engraved on the stele clearly shows King David as a historical and biblical figure, referencing a “king of the House of David.”
The discovery of a direct reference to the Jewish monarch “caused an earthquake in the archaeological community,” emphasized MacDonald in the press release. “It vanquished the common belief that King David was a fictional character and bolstered the credibility of the Bible as a valuable historical source. This is just one reason that it is one of the most important archaeological discoveries ever found.”
The “Kingdom of David and Solomon Discovered” exhibit will feature over fifty artifacts showcasing the United Monarchy period before the split into the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. Moreover, the exhibit will include the world premier of the Ophel Pithos inscription linked to the legendary Queen of Sheba’s visit to King Solomon.
In addition to the victory stele and Ophel Pithis, the Phoenician artifact Ophel Electrum basket pendant, which is “likely the oldest piece of gold jewelry ever discovered in Jerusalem,” will also be presented as part of the exhibit, further providing historical evidence of cultural exchange between the Jewish and Phoenician people during the period.
