|
In-Depth Issues:
CIA: Hamas Leader Facing Growing Pressure from Own Commanders to End Gaza War - Alex Marquardt ( CNN)
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.
FBI Cracked Trump Shooter's Phone with Tech from Israel - Devlin Barrett ( Washington Post)
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.
Neo-Nazi Charged for Attempting to Poison Jewish Children in New York City - Luke Tress ( JTA)
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.
Germany Arrests Hizbullah Member Who Procured Drone Engines ( AFP-Barron's)
A member of the Lebanese militant group Hizbullah was arrested in Germany on Sunday, German prosecutors said Monday.
They said the man is believed to have "procured components, particularly engines for the assembly of drones," which "were supposed to be exported to Lebanon and used in terrorist attacks on Israel."
Follow the Jerusalem Center on:
October 7 Footage Helps the IDF Kill Nukhba Terrorists - Avi Ashkenazi ( 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.
Israel's Undercover Forces Operate in Gaza's Battlefield - Dov Lieber ( Wall Street Journal)
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.
Old Feuds Resurface in Gaza as Hamas Control Fades - Einav Halabi ( Ynet News)
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.
British Army Buys Israeli Anti-Drone System - Jane Prinsley ( Jewish Chronicle-UK)
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."
Jerusalem Youth Chorus Wows Audience on "America's Got Talent" - David Brinn ( Jerusalem Post)
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.
Video: Jerusalem Youth Chorus on "America's Got Talent" ( YouTube)
Search the Recent History of Israel and the Middle East
|
|
News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
- How Israel Targeted a Top Hamas Militant - Dov Lieber
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)
- American Muslims for Palestine Ordered to Turn Over Donor Documents in Virginia Terror Financing Probe - Adam Kredo
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:
- IDF: Half of Hamas's Gunmen Are Dead and Most Others Are No Longer Fighting - David Horovitz
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 to Set Up Port Facility to Replace U.S. Pier, Build Field Hospital for Gaza Children
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)
- IDF to Repair Gaza's Sewage System - Yoav Zitun
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)
- Knesset Votes Against Establishment of a Palestinian State - Eliav Breuer
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:
Observations:
- Hamas's barbaric October 7, 2023, attack proved that the Palestinian grievance against Israel is rooted in an ideological and religious-based holy war and is not merely a territorial conflict, making the international community's "two-state solution" mantra irrelevant.
- Contrary to popular belief, the Palestinian Authority and its parent organization, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), have employed identical ideological and religious themes to Hamas in their battle against Israel's existence and their delegitimization of Jewish self-determination and sovereignty for over half a century.
- The internationally guaranteed and facilitated Oslo peace process of the 1990s legitimized the PLO, for decades one of the world's leading terror organizations, internationalizing the Palestinian cause at the expense of Jewish state legitimacy on the world stage, which has served to legitimize Hamas's unspeakable atrocities.
- In order to affect a sustainably peaceful outcome in the region, the PA must condemn the October 7 massacre, abolish terror incitement and incentivization, recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people, cease antisemitic agitation and education of Palestinian youth, halt political assaults on Israel in international fora, and actively combat terror.
The writer is President of the Jerusalem Center.
Support Daily Alert Daily Alert is the work of a team of expert analysts who find the most important and timely articles from around the world on Israel, the Middle East and U.S. policy. No wonder it is read by heads of government, leading journalists, and thousands of people who want to stay on top of the news. To continue to provide this service, Daily Alert requires your support. Please take a moment to click here and make your contribution through the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. |