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In-Depth Issues:
IDF Denies Attacking Gaza Food Line after Hamas Claims Dozens Killed - Einav Halabi ( Ynet News)
The IDF on Sunday denied that it had attacked a food line in Rafah after Hamas claimed dozens were killed in an Israeli strike.
Al Jazeera quoted sources in Gaza who said 30 people were killed and over 100 wounded in a strike near the distribution center operated by the American Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Major news outlets were quick to repeat the claim.
GHF said there was no IDF fire in the area of the distribution center.
GHF CEO John Ackery said on Saturday, "These false reports harm the work of our teams on the ground. There had not been any cases of deaths since our distribution efforts began."
There Can Be No "Good" Nuclear Deal with Iran, Israeli Officials Warn - Itamar Eichner ( Ynet News)
Israeli officials said on Thursday that there cannot be a good nuclear deal reached between the U.S. and Iran because of the Iranian refusal to dismantle its nuclear program.
The officials said Iran's nuclear ambitions are part of the nation's ethos.
Israel informed the U.S. of its red lines and the terms that would be considered acceptable for a good deal to be reached.
The officials said that Trump was heading toward a deal and that after Iran was weakened by the IDF's successes in the war against Hizbullah, the path for a deal became possible.
The officials said, "Israel will not allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons," adding that all top security officials believe an attack on Iran's nuclear sites is possible and necessary.
Israel Intercepted 35 Hizbullah Drones Using Lasers -
Gal Ganot ( Ynet News)
The IDF released new data on its groundbreaking laser-based interception technology.
"The technology allows us to strike enemy threats with extreme accuracy," said Maj. G., the officer who led the system's implementation.
A new tactical battalion within the Air Force's Aerial Defense Division deployed in northern Israel, where they intercepted more than 35 Hizbullah drones launched from Lebanon.
Since the start of the war, the Air Force has intercepted nearly 1,000 drones across all fronts using its various air defense systems.
Maj. G. said the system's ability to intercept targets beyond Israel's borders or near the enemy's launch zones helped prevent sirens and airspace incursions.
Today, dozens of active-duty soldiers are being trained to operate the Air Force's laser systems.
"Unlike a missile launcher, which needs physical munitions, the laser system - powered by electricity - can theoretically be used indefinitely. There's no need for constant resupply."
"The system can respond almost instantly. It fires a concentrated beam of light directly at the target and the speed and accuracy allow for precise elimination of enemy threats."
See also Video: Israel's Laser Weapon Shoots Down Enemy Drones ( Israel Ministry of Defense)
Israel Security Agency Foils 85 Iranian Cyber Infiltration Attempts on Israelis ( Jerusalem Post)
The Israel Security Agency has thwarted 85 attempted cyberattacks by Iranian operatives targeting Israeli civilians over recent months, security officials revealed on Thursday.
In coordination with the National Cyber Directorate, the ISA identified a noticeable increase in online infiltration attempts aimed at individuals in sensitive or public positions including senior officials in the defense establishment, political figures, journalists, academics, and media professionals.
Authorities believe the purpose of this surveillance is to enable Iranian elements to plan attacks within Israel.
"These cyberattacks can be avoided with vigilance, responsible behavior, and caution online - especially by refraining from clicking on unfamiliar links," an ISA official said.
Inside Israel's Buffer Zone in Syria - Henry Bodkin ( Telegraph-UK)
The IDF seized a 150-square-mile "buffer zone" in Syria along Israel's northeastern border
in December 2024 after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
According to the Israelis, it is a vital defensive measure to safeguard their communities in the Golan Heights from marauding jihadis and ultimately to prevent another Oct. 7-style massacre.
Nine forward operating bases have now been built between Mount Hermon and the Jordanian border.
An Israeli military official says Hizbullah elements have been detected in the region. There are also ISIS supporters in the southern section of the border zone.
The Israelis are providing humanitarian assistance to the Syrian border communities. By and large these are the Druze, a minority Arab sect with strong links to Israel thanks to the 150,000 Druze who live in Israel.
A new IDF field clinic near the village of Hader is, in part, designed to give the Druze access to advanced healthcare now that the road to Damascus is so dangerous for them.
"I would rather go to Haifa for the birth than take my chances going to Damascus," says Batal Ali, 25, who is in her ninth month of pregnancy. "It isn't safe for us."
She is one of 40 patients who will visit the IDF clinic that day. The clinic can carry out essential diagnostic work, such as ultrasound, along with blood tests and X-rays.
"Anyone with an immediate threat to life we evacuate [to Israel]," says the chief physician, an IDF colonel.
43,000 New Immigrants Have Arrived in Israel since Oct. 7 - Itamar Eichner ( Ynet News)
According to the Jewish Agency, more than 43,000 olim (new immigrants) from dozens of countries have arrived in Israel since Oct. 7, 2023. 1/3 are between the ages of 18 and 35.
Jewish Agency Chairman Maj.-Gen. (res.) Doron Almog said aliyah (immigration) to Israel is of "strategic and existential importance," reinforcing Israeli society in all areas.
"Behind every new oleh is a story of mutual responsibility and shared destiny between the Jewish people and our country. These stories reflect courage, Zionism, and unconditional love for Israel."
Jewish Agency Director-General Yehuda Stone added: "In every encounter with new olim - especially those who chose to tie their fate to ours after October 7 - I feel their deep sense of belonging and belief in our future."
"That's the essence of Zionism: the understanding that we're one people with one story and one mission."
"Every story is a beacon of hope. Every family strengthens our national resilience."
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We wish our readers a Happy Shavuot holiday!
News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
- U.S. Blasts Hamas Response to Gaza Ceasefire Plan as "Totally Unacceptable" - Mikhail Klimentov
Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's special envoy, on Saturday called Hamas's response to a U.S. ceasefire proposal for Gaza "totally unacceptable," saying it "only takes us backward."
"Hamas should accept the framework proposal we put forward as the basis for proximity talks," Witkoff said. (Washington Post)
- U.S. Rejects Calls to Recognize a Palestinian State
Acting U.S. Alternate Representative John Kelley told a UN Security Council Briefing on the Situation in the Middle East on May 28: "Hamas continues to reject proposals from the United States, Qatar, and Egypt that would release the 58 remaining hostages who have now been cruelly held for 600 days - and bring calm to Gaza."
"Every day, Hamas demonstrates its lack of regard for the Palestinians it claims to represent, all while it violently suppresses protests against its barbaric rule and diverts aid meant for civilians. The United States fully stands behind Israel and its right to defend itself."
"In order to move forward, Hamas must be defeated. As Secretary Rubio has said: if an ember survives, it will spark again into a fire. There can be no peaceful and prosperous Gaza as long as Hamas governs it by force. The Council should apply pressure on Hamas to disarm, leave, and free Palestinians in Gaza from Hamas's tyranny. Shielding Hamas from accountability only undermines Israel's security and prolongs Palestinian anguish."
"At the same time, the United States stands with Israel in unequivocally rejecting any effort to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state or impose conditions on Israel - which would be an unconscionable reward for the heinous Hamas attack on Israel that massacred and brutally kidnapped Israelis and Americans." (U.S. Mission to the UN)
- New Intelligence Report Reveals Iran's Nuclear Weapons Program Still Active - Benjamin Weinthal
Austria's Directorate of State Security and Intelligence wrote Monday in an intelligence report, "In order to assert and enforce its regional political power ambitions, the Islamic Republic of Iran is striving for comprehensive rearmament with nuclear weapons, to make the regime immune to attack and to expand and consolidate its dominance in the Middle East and beyond. The Iranian nuclear weapons development program is well advanced, and Iran possesses a growing arsenal of ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads over long distances."
"Iran has developed sophisticated sanctions-evasion networks....Vienna is home to one of the largest embassies of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Europe, which disguises intelligence officers with diplomatic [cover]. Iranian intelligence services are familiar with developing and implementing circumvention strategies for the procurement of military equipment, proliferation-sensitive technologies, and materials for weapons of mass destruction."
David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, said, "The Austrian report in general is similar to German and British assessments. Both governments, by the way, made clear to (the) U.S. IC [intelligence community] in 2007 that they thought the U.S. assessment was wrong that the Iranian nuclear weapons program ended in 2003." (Fox News)
- Iran Now Has Enough Enriched Uranium for 10 Nuclear Weapons - Laurence Norman
Iran has continued to produce highly enriched uranium at a pace of one nuclear weapon's worth a month over the past three months despite talks between Washington and Tehran on a new nuclear deal, the International Atomic Energy Agency said. Iran's stockpile of 60%-enriched uranium had grown to 408.6 kg. from 274.8 kg. in February. That means Iran has enough highly enriched uranium for 10 nuclear weapons.
U.S. officials say it could take Iran less than two weeks to convert this into weapons-grade 90% fissile material for a nuclear weapon. The IAEA has said it can't verify that Iran's nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
(Wall Street Journal)
- Trump Sees Iran Deal that Allows U.S. to Destroy Nuclear Sites - Hadriana Lowenkron
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he envisions a nuclear deal with Iran that is "very strong, where we can go in with inspectors. We can take whatever we want. We can blow up whatever we want" - a version of an inspections regime that is likely to be rejected by Tehran.
(Bloomberg)
See also Iran: U.S. and Israel Are in Sync - Soheila Zarfam
Recent remarks by Trump indicate that both the U.S. and Israel share the same goal: dismantling Iran's nuclear program. The difference is that one has chosen to play the role of the bad cop, while the other plays the good cop.
(Tehran Times-Iran)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
- Hamas Losing Control over Gaza Civilians as GHF Ramps Up Aid - Emanuel Fabian
A senior Israeli defense official said Friday that Hamas is losing control of Palestinian civilians as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation ramps up its new operations aimed at preventing the terror group from diverting aid. "The barrier of fear from Hamas has been broken. Hamas repeatedly tried to break the population and resist the distribution plan to preserve its ability to control food and, consequently, the residents of Gaza," the official said.
"The residents of the Strip voted with their feet against Hamas and flocked en masse to the distribution centers, thereby breaking an initial barrier of public fear from Hamas, which undermines its governing component needed to preserve its ruling capabilities." (Times of Israel)
- Israel Delivers Hundreds of Aid Trucks to Gaza via Hamas-Free Route - Yossi Yehoshua
The IDF has launched a new operation aimed at bypassing Hamas control over humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza and alleviating the bottleneck caused by the UN's logistical delays, Ynet learned on Saturday. The initiative redirects aid through alternative routes that avoid Hamas-controlled areas and delivers supplies directly to civilians in designated humanitarian zones.
Over the past two weeks, more than 340 UN aid trucks have traveled through these alternative corridors under full coordination with the IDF. These aid deliveries have led to a significant drop in flour prices in southern Gaza. A kilogram sack of flour that cost over 1,000 shekels weeks ago now sells for 30 shekels. (Ynet News)
- IDF Says Airstrikes Hit Terror Sites across Gaza - Emanuel Fabian
The Israeli Air Force struck dozens of targets in Gaza throughout the weekend, including Hamas operatives and infrastructure, the Israel Defense Forces said.
(Times of Israel)
- Israel Accuses French President of "Crusade Against the Jewish State" - Itamar Eichner
Israel's Foreign Ministry on Friday sharply rejected French President Emmanuel Macron's assertion that Israel is enforcing a humanitarian blockade on Gaza, calling it "a blatant lie." The ministry said that Israel is currently facilitating aid through two major efforts aimed at delivering humanitarian relief while bypassing Hamas.
"In the first effort, nearly 900 aid trucks have already entered Gaza from Israel this week. Hundreds of these trucks are still waiting for the UN to collect and distribute them in Gaza." The second effort involves the new Gaza Humanitarian Foundation - backed by the U.S. - which has already distributed two million meals and tens of thousands of aid packages since it began operating last week. "This direct aid to the population in Gaza - bypassing Hamas - is already changing the situation on the ground and has the potential to seriously harm the terrorists and shorten the war."
Rather than applying pressure on "jihadist terrorists," the ministry accused Macron of attempting to reward them by advancing Palestinian statehood. "It is against Israel - under attack on multiple fronts in an attempt to destroy it - that Macron seeks to impose sanctions." (Ynet News)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:
The Gaza War
- New Gaza Aid Initiative Distributes 3.8 Million Meals in a Week - Seth J. Frantzman
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation initiative that began delivering food on May 26 has now distributed 3.8 million meals. By the end of the week there were three sites open in Gaza and the number of meals being delivered is increasing daily.
The use of private American security personnel to deal with the Palestinian public instead of the IDF is important. Reducing friction is essential to success. Some of these personnel have years of experience in the Middle East, usually as soldiers and special forces operators. Some may have been part of the vehicle inspections by a private security firm at Netzarim in January and February during the ceasefire. (Jerusalem Post)
- Hamas Has Demands, but Few Cards to Play - Danny Zaken
U.S. officials are increasingly frustrated by Hamas's partial responses to the U.S. ceasefire proposal, which attempt to portray acceptance of U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff's proposals while actually rejecting key clauses and insisting on changes.
The latest U.S. proposal dropped several contentious demands seen in earlier drafts.
It did not specify withdrawal timelines, did not call for dismantling humanitarian distribution centers, and made no commitment to ending the war. This suggests that Washington senses Hamas's weakening grip.
Hamas faces a crumbling hierarchy, loss of control over Gazans, a surprisingly efficient aid supply network in Gaza, and steady IDF advances with minimal casualties.
Washington believes that Hamas, cornered and weakened, is in no position to make sweeping demands. Israel's swift acceptance of the updated Witkoff framework helps secure continued American support for the military campaign and diplomatic cover at the international level.
(Israel Hayom)
- Hamas Chose Jihad over Gazans - Avi Issacharoff
Is Hamas nearing collapse? It no longer has a command structure that would allow it to operate like a military organization. Humanitarian aid is increasingly being distributed by an American organization, thereby depriving Hamas of its hold on civilians and its ability to generate income from the aid. More and more Gazans are now willing to speak out against Hamas.
But it would be a mistake to evaluate the intentions or actions of Hamas using Western eyes. Since Oct. 7, Hamas has repeatedly shown that it chooses Jihad over pragmatism, even if it would ease matters for the population or improve the terror group's military capabilities.
Hamas has shown no signs that it is willing to surrender or hand over its weapons. The anguish of the civilian population of Gaza has no impact on Hamas and the possible death of thousands more Palestinians and a few thousand terrorists would be considered a fair price to pay as long as the Hamas ideology, and therefore its military character, survives.
Hamas regards the survival of small bands of operatives working sporadically as a victory. To Hamas, the achievements come from its growing legitimacy and that of the Palestinian cause in the world.
(Ynet News)
- Israel's War Against Hamas Is Succeeding. No Wonder the West Wants It to End - Jake Wallis Simons
In 2022, before the war broke out, when Qatari money was pouring in, there were over 2,700 cases of malnutrition among impoverished children in Gaza under the age of five. That's what happens when your country is run by Islamist fanatics.
Many hundreds of thousands of Sudanese children have suffered from malnutrition since the outbreak of war. With a population of 50 million, Sudan has received fewer than 1,500 truckloads of aid in the last two years. Gaza, whose population is 25 times smaller, has received 92,000 truckloads in the last 18 months.
The sorry truth is that all the aid agencies in Gaza, including the UN, have been compromised by Hamas. This is unsurprising given that they are staffed by Palestinians, who are under the totalitarian rule of the jihadis. 10% of UN employees - about 1,200 men - are card-carrying members of Hamas or Islamic Jihad, according to Israeli intelligence. Weapons and hostages have been found in UN facilities. Terrorists have operated from UN schools. (Telegraph-UK)
- The West's Lies about Israel Are Falling Apart - Brendan O'Neill
Mohammed Sinwar, the de facto chief of Hamas in Gaza, has been eliminated, says Israel. Mohammed was the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, who was leader of Hamas in Gaza from 2017 until October 2024. Yahya masterminded the pogrom of Oct. 7, 2023. Mohammed succeeded him.
Hamas really has been decapitated. The Sinwars are dead. Mohammed Deif, head of the al-Qassam Brigades, was slain in an airstrike in July 2024. In that same month, Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas's political boss, was taken out in a targeted strike in Tehran. This has been the most successful anti-fascist operation of the 21st century so far.
Mohammed Sinwar was meeting with his fellow neo-fascists in a bunker under the courtyard of the European Hospital. That's a hospital that was set up with a grant from the European Union and run by the UN through its local Palestinian agency, UNRWA.
Let that sink in: a mass murderer of Jews, the leader of a movement that carried out the worst act of antisemitic slaughter since the Nazis, found refuge under a facility funded by the globalist outfits that are forever wagging a finger at "genocidal" Israel. This murderous antisemite took physical cover in an institution birthed by the EU.
The "Zionists" did not strike the European Hospital because they lust for the blood of innocents. They struck it because Jew-hating militants were gathered there. Their target was not sick children but sicko fascists. They fired targeted missiles at men who organized the mass rape and murder of Jews.
The media-elite handwringing over the strike on the European Hospital was more than misinformation - it was a complete inversion of truth. It was Hamas that was using the hospital for military purposes. It was Hamas that endangered sick kids' lives by turning their facility into an outpost in a war.
It is Hamas whose gunmen happily hide behind patients in a hospital, using the ill and wounded as human shields. Our cultural establishment falsely charges Israel with crimes that are actually committed by Hamas. (Spiked-UK)
Antisemitism
- The Essence of Antisemitism - William Choslovsky
The essence of antisemitism was laid bare to me by what happened on the day after Oct. 7, 2023, and every day since. It was laid bare by listening to people call into talk-radio programs in the U.S. and debate whether babies were beheaded or "just murdered and burned," as if that is a relevant distinction.
It was laid bare watching LGBTQ activists march in support of Hamas, even though they'd be murdered for their identity in Gaza, but welcomed in Israel. It was laid bare as supposed intellectuals stated that the murder, rape, torture and kidnapping of civilians were somehow legitimate forms of "resistance."
It was laid bare by false reports of "war crimes" by Israel, without mention that Hamas has been committing actual war crimes since 2005 by indiscriminately launching thousands of rockets at Israeli civilians. It was laid bare by my alma mater, Harvard University, that holds lectures on "microaggressions," but then allows protesters to chant "Kill the Jews" at campus rallies. It was laid bare by Western media trying to show "balance" and "both sides" of the story, as if terrorism and the response to terrorism are equivalent.
It was laid bare as people demanded the creation of a Palestinian state - the 58th Muslim-majority country - to replace the only Jewish country in the world - whose "Zionist empire" is the size of New Jersey. It was laid bare by much of the world's response, or lack of response, to Hamas and its actions. Long after Hamas is gone, antisemitism will still be here. The issue isn't where Jews live, but that Jews have the audacity to live. (JNS)
Observations:
- The problem with coverage of Gaza is that emotions run so high, every discussion ends up feeling like an interrogation - and the Israelis push back with force. What outsiders often forget is that beneath the rhetorical fireworks lies a deep pain. Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely tells me "everyone in Israel is traumatized" by the events of Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas invaded Israel, murdering and kidnapping more than a thousand people.
- "We, as Israelis, have been through terror attacks in our coffee shops, on our buses, on our streets, but never in the past did we feel like our houses were not safe." This is their new "vulnerability: the feeling that you cannot protect your own children....I think that October 7th was a watershed moment...all across Israel. No one can say in Israel that he's the same person after."
- Some governments still live in the mentality of "October 6th" - but Israelis have been shown "that if you have a jihadi, Islamist terrorist group that wants to destroy you on your doorstep, at the end of the day, it'll end up in a massacre." Think of it as living next-door to the "Third Reich." "The aims of the war are very clear to Israel. Hamas shouldn't exist as a political leadership and with military power after we finish."
- "Israel's policy from the beginning of the war was to deliver aid to Gaza." Some "25,000 trucks of aid got into Gaza. This is not a starvation program, this is actually a flooding Gaza with aid program....The reason why it had to stop was because it was being looted only to feed the terrorists" or "to sell the aid that people were supposed to get for free."
- "As a Jew, as an Israeli, we value life very much. Unfortunately, our enemies don't....I think it's a clash of civilizations....I find that Western people find it very hard to believe that on the other side, there are people who are using their own children as human shields, but they do....Now, think about it. Do you think the UK would have continued living next to a terror organization that is a threat to your children in Kent? Or in London or in Liverpool? I don't think so."
- "What did October 7th prove? First of all, unfortunately what we've seen is big support among Palestinians towards the massacre." One poll found 86% of West Bank residents sympathized with the pogrom. The concept of a two-state solution "was rejected by the Palestinians again and again. Israelis had hope [in it] in the 1990s and were willing to compromise, but...every time there was some type of negotiation, there was more terrorism....So Israelis are no longer willing to jeopardize their security any longer."
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