| DAILY ALERT |
Thursday, July 18, 2024 |
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
Israel had tried - and failed seven times - to kill Hamas's top military leader, Mohammed Deif. So when intelligence emerged he was hiding in a compound in southern Gaza, Israel struck with overwhelming force, hitting it with eight precision-guided, 2,000-pound bombs, people familiar with the operation said. The blast reduced the target to a smoldering crater. The attack was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Brig.-Gen. (res.) Amir Avivi, a former deputy commander of the IDF's Gaza division, noted that in 2003, Israel missed a chance to kill a group of Hamas leaders that had gathered in a single apartment in Gaza. There was a debate about using a 2,000-pound bomb, but ultimately the group was targeted with a smaller one to prevent damage to nearby buildings filled with civilians. The intelligence about which floor the Hamas commanders were on turned out to be wrong, allowing them to escape. This time, Israel chose the bigger bombs. (Wall Street Journal) See also IDF Believes Hamas Military Commander Mohammed Deif Is Dead - Yonah Jeremy Bob Multiple IDF sources projected continued confidence that Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif is dead. The Jerusalem Post witnessed videos and photos of visual observation of the target house, nearby makeshift roof-covered areas, and trees both before the IDF struck the area and after. The explosion was of tremendous strength, and no survivors were seen exiting. (Jerusalem Post) See also Was There Vast Collateral Damage when Israel Targeted Deif? - Lenny Ben-David The Wall Street Journal published satellite images showing an area in Gaza before and after an Israeli airstrike on July 13 which targeted Hamas's top commander Mohammed Deif. Note that none of the concrete/mortar buildings surrounding the site collapsed. This is because the bombs used were bunker busters that didn't explode until they were underground, to reach Deif if he was in underground tunnels or chambers. The writer, former Deputy Chief of Mission in Israel's Washington Embassy, is Director of the Institute for U.S.-Israel Relations at the Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs. (X) The CIA has assessed that the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, has come under increased pressure from his own military commanders in the past two weeks to accept a ceasefire deal and end the war with Israel, CIA Director Bill Burns said Saturday. Burns said Sinwar is facing pressure about being blamed for the enormity of the suffering in Gaza. U.S. intelligence officials believe Sinwar is hiding in the tunnels beneath Khan Yunis. (CNN) U.S. officials said Monday they found a cellphone carried by Thomas Matthew Crooks, the Trump rally gunman, and sent it to the Pittsburgh FBI office, which did not have the technology to open it quickly. Officials sent the phone to the FBI's laboratory in Quantico, Va., where FBI agents used technology from Cellebrite, an Israeli digital intelligence company well known among law enforcement agencies for helping them access data on phones seized or recovered in criminal investigations, to get into the phone quickly. Cellebrite's technology was able to open it in less than 40 minutes. (Washington Post) Michail Chkhikvishvili, 20, a neo-Nazi from the country of Georgia, was indicted on Monday for planning to distribute poisoned candy to children at Jewish schools in Brooklyn and other attacks against minorities. He is a leader of a white supremacist extremist group known as the Maniac Murder Cult or MKY, and was arrested in Moldova on July 6. MKY is based in Russia and Ukraine and has members in the U.S. and other countries. (JTA) A Virginia judge on Tuesday ordered American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) to disclose its funding channels as part of an investigation by Virginia's Attorney General Jason Miyares into allegations of terrorism financing. AMP, a group driving anti-Israel protests across the country, had failed for seven years to properly file basic tax forms allowing it to solicit donations in Virginia. Miyares alleged in October 2023 that the group "may have used funds raised for impermissible purposes under state law, including benefitting or providing support to terrorist organizations." AMP is also being sued by Israeli terror victims who allege the group and its allies serve "as collaborators and propagandists for Hamas." (Washington Free Beacon) News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
Senior IDF officers are sounding increasingly upbeat about the progress of the war - and the process of dismantling Hamas's military capabilities. Gradually and inexorably, the tunnel threat is being reduced. While Hamas retains the capacity not only to target communities close to the border but also to fire at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Hamas is no longer easily able to smuggle in weaponry or components, and its rocket-making factories are broadly demolished. Half of Hamas's gunmen are dead, military officials believe, and most of the rest are no longer fighting. Most are no longer in the tunnels, and many are now hiding in the designated humanitarian areas. While its current capacities have been massively reduced, Hamas's ideology, goals and core purpose remain the destruction of Israel and the killing of Jews. Despite widely repeated Hamas claims that 90 people were killed, many of them civilians, in Saturday's attack aimed at Hamas commander Muhammad Deif, the IDF, which has shown reporters video footage of the attack, believes the death toll was significantly lower, that there were dozens of Hamas gunmen at the site, and that it is highly unlikely there were many civilian fatalities. (Times of Israel) Israel will replace the U.S. military's offshore pier for delivering aid to Gaza with a dedicated facility at Israel's Ashdod port, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Tuesday after a meeting with Gen. Erik Kurilla, the head of U.S. Central Command. The Biden administration has announced that the floating platform would be shut down. The American temporary pier has been beset by ongoing weather problems since it was installed in May. Gallant's office also said he had ordered the establishment of a field hospital in Israel to treat Palestinian children who are unable to leave Gaza for medical care abroad, due to the extended closure of Gaza's Rafah crossing into Egypt since May. Egypt has refused to reopen the crossing while the Gazan side remains under Israeli control. (Times of Israel) Israel will expand its economic aid to Gaza through the local private sector, planning extensive repairs to the sanitation system in cities with displaced civilians. The repairs will include sewage pipes and purification plants damaged during the war. Power lines will also be restored. Israeli security officials said that sewage discharged into the sea "is a health hazard for us as well. The Khan Yunis municipality has already started to dump sewage into the sea, which may lead to the closure of Zikim and Ashkelon beaches" in Israel. (Ynet News) The Knesset voted 68-9 on Wednesday to oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River. It said the establishment of a Palestinian state in "the heart of the Land of Israel" would pose an "existential danger to the State of Israel and its citizens." It would perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and would further destabilize the region. It noted that a Palestinian state would quickly be taken over by Hamas, which would then use Palestine to launch attacks on Israel. The declaratory measure calls the establishment of a Palestinian state in the aftermath of Oct. 7 "a reward for terrorism" and that such a reward would only encourage Hamas and other Jihadist groups. (Jerusalem Post) Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:
The Gaza War Israel's intelligence agencies estimate with high probability that Mohammad Deif, the supreme commander of Hamas's military wing, was killed on July 13 by an Israeli Air Force bombing in the Khan Yunis area, together with Rafe Salama, the Hamas military commander in Khan Yunis. Unofficial Hamas sources confirmed Salama's death, and Israel has reliable information that Deif was with Salama in the same compound during the bombing. Given the magnitude of the explosion, if Salama was killed, Deif likely was eliminated as well. Why is Hamas hiding the deaths of Deif and Salama? Deif was a significant leader of Hamas's military wing. Admitting his death could demoralize fighters and diminish their motivation to continue the conflict. Hamas portrays the attack on Oct. 7, 2023, as a great victory conceived and planned by Deif. Admitting his elimination would be seen as a military failure of their most senior commander, who had evaded Israel for 30 years. (Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs) See also Mohammad Sinwar: The Possible Successor to Mohammad Deif - Yoni Ben Menachem (Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs) The recent discovery that Hamas was using the headquarters of UNRWA in Gaza to recruit new members and to store rockets, explosives, and drones illustrates how the use of UN facilities is a key strategy of Hamas. The terrorist group has often been located in UN schools as well. It is reasonable to conclude that Hamas views UN facilities as part of its command and control of Gaza, using them openly and systematically. The fact that the UN and UNRWA, in particular, have not condemned Hamas for this must raise questions about what the UN organizations know about the use of their facilities. There is no other armed group in the world that has systematically used UN facilities the way Hamas has done in Gaza. Hamas also uses hospitals in the same manner. (Jerusalem Post) The IDF is working to target and eliminate the terrorists involved in the Oct. 7 massacre who are still operating in Gaza. The Israel Security Agency and the IDF have mapped out the Hamas terrorists involved in the massacre through the images, videos, and publications uploaded by Hamas members and Gaza civilians on the day of the massacre which showed the faces of the terrorists. More were identified through the interrogation of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad prisoners. (Jerusalem Post) The Israeli commandos who rescued four hostages in Gaza drove a pair of battered white trucks - one displaying a soap advertisement, the other bearing a mattress and furniture on the roof. They were armed, but their main weapon was disguise, blending into a Hamas stronghold. The June rescue mission was the most prominent example of Israel's undercover units on the battlefield in Gaza, a dangerous foray into territory that its forces once found nearly impenetrable. Undercover operatives were in the neighborhood for weeks before the rescue. (Wall Street Journal) Widespread murders and looting are sweeping through Gaza in the wake of the war, as longstanding tribal feuds resurface, including attempts to settle old scores. Asharq Al-Awsat reported that "Many people have been killed in incidents related to the First Intifada in 1987, while others have died in family disputes." In various criminal conflicts across Gaza, 21 people were murdered in May and at least 14 people in June. One recent victim was Mahmoud Nashbat, who was a commander of Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades. Nashbat was killed in Deir al-Balah by assailants affiliated with Hamas. (Ynet News) U.S.-Israel Relations Former Israeli Defense Minister and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz, who heads the National Unity party and served in Israel's War Cabinet, slammed the U.S. announcement on Wednesday of sanctions against former IDF Sgt. Elor Azaria over a 2016 incident as "interference" with the Israeli justice system. Azaria was convicted by a military court of killing an already-subdued Palestinian attacker who had stabbed an Israeli soldier in Hebron, and served nine months in prison. "The State of Israel has an independent, robust judicial system that is both capable and willing to punish under Israeli law. There is no reason why the U.S. State Department should impose sanctions against Israeli civilians," Gantz tweeted. "Such is the case with Elor Azaria that was investigated, tried in court, convicted while serving in the IDF and ultimately held accountable, like in other cases. I want to convey to our American friends - there is no justification to interfere in Israel's internal legal processes." (Times of Israel) The Democratic Party platform, approved by the party's platform committee, preserves the pro-Israel language of previous versions and lacerates Hamas for launching the current war with Israel from Gaza. It says, "President Biden and Vice President Harris believe a strong, secure, and democratic Israel is vital to the interests of the United States. Their commitment to Israel's security, its qualitative military edge, its right to defend itself, and the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding is ironclad." (JTA) In this year's Republican Party platform, Israel stands out as the only country explicitly mentioned as one the U.S. will support, stating, "We will stand with Israel, and seek peace in the Middle East. We will rebuild our alliance network in the region to ensure a future of peace, stability, and prosperity." It also calls for "defeating terrorism" and "building an Iron Dome Missile Defense Shield." (Israel Hayom) The Oct. 7 Hamas Attack on Israel Hamas-led armed groups committed numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity against civilians during the Oct. 7 assault on Israel, as detailed in a Human Rights Watch report released on Wednesday. The 236-page report, "I Can't Erase All the Blood from My Mind": Palestinian Armed Groups' October 7 Assault on Israel," documents several dozen cases of serious violations of international humanitarian law by Palestinian armed groups. Palestinian fighters committed summary killings, hostage-taking and other war crimes, and the crimes against humanity of murder and wrongful imprisonment. "The Hamas-led assault on October 7 was designed to kill civilians and take as many people as possible hostage," said Ida Sawyer, crisis and conflict director at Human Rights Watch. Between October 2023 and June 2024, Human Rights Watch interviewed 144 people including 94 Israeli and other nationals who witnessed the Oct. 7 assault, victims' family members, first responders, and medical experts. Researchers also verified and analyzed over 280 photographs and videos taken during the assault and posted on social media. On Oct. 7, the armed groups attacked at least 19 kibbutzim and 5 moshavim, the cities of Sderot and Ofakim, 2 music festivals, and a beach party. Palestinian fighters fired directly at civilians, often at close range, as they tried to flee, and at people driving through the area. The attackers hurled grenades, shot into shelters, and fired rocket-propelled grenades at homes. They set houses on fire, burning and choking people, and forcing out others whom they shot or captured. An AFP investigation determined that 815 of 1,195 people killed on Oct. 7 were civilians. The armed groups took as hostages 251 civilians and Israeli security force personnel and took them to Gaza. As of July 1, 116 remained in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 42 who had been killed. Bodies of another 35 who were killed were returned to Israel. Killing civilians and taking hostages were central aims of the planned attack, not an afterthought. (Human Rights Watch) After Human Rights Watch released a report on Wednesday calling for accountability for the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Hamas on Oct. 7, Prof. Gerald Steinberg, founder and president of NGO Monitor, responded: "This is another blatant example of HRW's token 'balance' and cynical political manipulation. Nine months after the brutal October 7 atrocities were shown live on social media, no one needs a 'report' from an organization devoted to demonizing Israel using the blood libels of genocide, apartheid, starvation and war crimes." HRW is currently exploiting the Oct. 7 tragedies and treatment of hostages "to score cheap points." "As NGO Monitor has documented, for over 25 years, HRW's systematic PR strategy uses one-off tokens like this to market the deceptions of 'neutrality' and 'expertise' to gullible donors, board members, and journalists." He referenced Danielle Haas, who was a senior editor at HRW for 13 years before recently publicly resigning. Haas "referred to the NGO's deeply embedded antisemitism, including HRW's first response after October 7, invoking the 'context' of 'apartheid' and 'occupation' before blood was even dry on bedroom walls." (Jerusalem Post) Other Issues The campus protests following the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7 were resounding failures in achieving their stated objectives. At the same time, they revealed disturbing truths about higher education, bringing the virulent antisemitism of students and faculty to the forefront, and scaring Jewish students. A Washington Monthly study found that of 1,421 public and private nonprofit colleges, 318 (22%) had protests and 123 (9%) encampments. None of the 78 historically black colleges had encampments, and only nine had demonstrations. Protests were primarily concentrated in California and the U.S. Northeast. No universities agreed to boycott Israel. When the president of Sonoma State University in California caved to pressure, his decision to boycott Israel was quickly reversed, and he was out of a job. Colleges are the only place in America where antisemitism is tolerated and a double standard is applied to the treatment of Jews and other victims of prejudice. Far from achieving their aims, demonstrators provoked a backlash. Several universities established antisemitism taskforces and planned to require students and faculty to attend meetings to learn about the persecution of Jews and what behavior is impermissible. The Pennsylvania state Senate passed a bill to block aid to any university that boycotts or divests from Israel. Anti-mask laws are being discussed to prevent terror supporters from hiding from public view and evading accountability. Law firms and other companies declared they would not hire students who participated in protests. Donors withdrew support for institutions that failed to address antisemitism, and parents and students decided not to attend them. After eight months of glorifying terrorists who savagely raped and murdered Jews, protesters succeeded only in highlighting their hatred of Jews, including their fellow students. They failed to promote peace or aid a single Palestinian. (JNS) Amid calls from some UK politicians to ban arms sales to Israel, the British armed forces have procured new Israeli Smart Shooter rifle add-ons which are said to improve precision on the battlefield. The system is designed to ensure that each round hits its target by providing a standard rifle with precision algorithms that can acquire, track and hit small drones. British Army officer Col. (ret.) Richard Kemp wrote on X: "I have fired with this sight in Israel and it is an outstanding system which will give our troops an edge including against attack drones." Kemp added: "Makes shooting a terrorist in close proximity to civilians safer, i.e., far less likely to accidentally hit civilians." He continued: "The UK does not supply weapons to Israel, only technical components, and UK security is the net beneficiary of this trade as well as our close intelligence relationship." (Jewish Chronicle-UK) The Jerusalem Youth Chorus, consisting of young Israeli and Palestinian singers, auditioned Tuesday night on the popular TV show "America's Got Talent" and received a standing ovation. "Got Talent" creator Simon Cowell said, "I loved this audition. Through friendship, you made something very complicated [the Israeli-Palestinian conflict] beautiful." The chorus was founded in 2012 by Micah Hendler, a Jewish American who is its artistic director and conductor. "The mission of the Jerusalem Youth Chorus has never been more vital - to demonstrate a viable alternative to violence," he said earlier this year. (Jerusalem Post) Video: Jerusalem Youth Chorus on "America's Got Talent" (YouTube) Observations: Unmasking Jihad's Quest for International Legitimacy: The Oslo Accords and Hamas's October 7 War on Israel - Dr. Dan Diker (Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs)
The writer is President of the Jerusalem Center. |
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