Israel Weekly News Roundup - Aug 23, 2024
5 Things you need to know
Israel at War - Day 322
1. Six Bodies of Israeli Hostages Recovered from Gaza
Bodies of six Israeli hostages were found in southern Gaza and were recovered by a heroic military operation. All of them were abducted alive on October 7th from their kibbutz (collective settlement) communities on the border with Gaza. Some of them had family members that were also abducted, but released in the first deal, fifty days after October 7th, when Hamas released women and children during a week long truce. An IDF investigation found that three of them were alive until March. It is still unclear how they were killed, and if they lost their lives due to an Israeli military attack. While it has been reported that bullets were found in their bodies, the results of the autopsies have not been made public. Some of them had family members that were massacred on October 7th. The families of all six hostages expressed their rage and frustration at the slow and impractical negotiations that have not led to a deal. They accused PM Netanyahu and the government of not priotitizing the lives of the hostages on the national agenda and not doing all they can to cut a deal that will free them.
Five of the families were informed weeks ago that their loved ones had not survived and died months ago.
2. Fear Among Senior Israeli and American Negotiators About the Hostages Deal
After the announcement by US secretary of state, Anthony Blinken that PM Netanyahu had agreed to the terms of the hostage deal, there is growing fear among negotiators that the negotiations are deadlocked and that this may be the last chance to strike a deal.
PM Netanyahu continues to insist on the presence of Israeli military forces on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt (the Philadelphi corridor) to prevent the smuggling of ammunition and military material into Gaza. Netanyahu also insists that the IDF maintain an East-West corridor (the Netzarim Corridor) and presence across central Gaza to prevent the movement of Hamas combatants to Northern Gaza.
Secretary Blinken held a long meeting with PM Netanyahu. They discussed the hostage deal, which President Biden has tried to pressure Israel to agree to. They also discussed the ongoing war. Hamas insists that the end of the war be an essential part of the deal.
The families of the hostages continue to fight for their loved ones in every way they can. They demonstrate, block roads, give interviews, appear at events in the US, meet with government officials who will see them, and are active in every channel they can because they understand that this is their last chance and they are afraid that their loved ones will die in captivity. There are 109 hostages still held in Gaza, 34 have been declared dead. Late Wednesday night President Biden talked to PM Netanyahu about the hostage deal, in order to save the negotiation and recover from the damage that resulted from Blinken’s premature announcement. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate, Kamala Harris was also on the line. Later Thursday evening a high level Israeli delegation traveled to Cairo Egypt to make another effort to keep the negotiations alive.
3. Failed Suicide Bombing Attack in Tel Aviv Injures One, Kills Suicide Bomber
Earlier this week, a man carrying a self-triggered explosive device attempted a suicide bombing attack near a synagogue in South-East Tel Aviv. One man was wounded, and the suicide bomber was killed when the device detonated. Police sources said that had the device, weighing 10 kg (22 lbs) in explosives, iron nails, and bolts, been detonated in a more densely crowded area, the number of casualties would have been much higher.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad both claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing attack, and said in their statements that suicide attacks inside Israel would return to the forefront should the "occupation's massacres and assassination policy continue."
According to senior police sources, alerts for terror attacks inside Israel have increased substantially, and police are working to identify and expel any Palestinians who are in Israel illegally. "We can say that this was a miracle. If [the explosion] had taken place somewhere else, we would be talking about a different kind of disaster."
4. The War Israel is Involved in on More Than Three Different Fronts Intensifies: Update
President Biden and the US Administration are putting all the weight on Israeli PM Netanyahu and his government to avoid and prevent a regional war. On the other hand, Israel is involved in intensive armed conflicts on many fronts.
The war in Gaza is still very demanding in terms of resources, reserve soldiers, human toll, state budget, and social and political polarization within Israel. To date 336 Israeli soldiers and one policeman have been killed in ground operations in Gaza. The end of the war depends on the possible hostage deal and pressure from the US and other members of the international community. The Israeli army is making efforts to recruit young Haredim to fill the ranks and meet the needs of the army, so far with minimal success due to outright rejection by their Rabbis and the youth.
In the north the violent conflict with Hizbollah in Lebanon intensified last week, and the range of shelling and rockets from Lebanon towards Israeli communities has been broadened. Tens of thousands of people are still evacuated from their homes, and destruction is intensifying every day. Israeli intelligence believes that Hizbollah is not interested in an all out war, and that once the war in Gaza ends, that will allow the organization to hold their fire as well.
There is also an on-going fight against terror in the West Bank, that has its toll on human lives on both sides. Iran is still very much in the picture and nobody knows if, when, and how, Iran will retaliate for the assassination of a Hamas senior leader on its soil earlier this month. The non-state organization in Yemen, the Houthis, still threaten the sea trade from the far east.
President Biden ordered the delivery of enough ammunition to Israel to meet their needs. American forces were also ordered to move towards the region with at least two American navy vessels coming closer to the area, and more battleships providing another layer of support.
5. State October 7th Memorial Ceremony Sparks Public Controversy
Earlier this week, the government officially appointed Transportation minister Regev to organize the state’s official memorial ceremony for the October 7th events. Minister Regev was criticized in the past for her stewardship of the state official Independence Day ceremony, for using it to aggrandize PM Netanyahu’s public image. Several weeks ahead of the first anniversary of the Hamas deadly attack on Israel, the proposed state ceremony has already sparked controversy and division among the communities hit the hardest.
According to media reports, the official ceremony will include pre-recorded segments, an address by PM Netanyahu, and will be televised with no live audience.
Hostages’ families, upon learning of the government’s intent to include the names of hostages still held captive in Gaza in the ceremony marking the first anniversary of the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel, told the media that they refuse to have the names of their loved ones included in the official ceremonies.
Several Gaza border communities, who were hard hit on October 7th, announced that they will boycott the state official ceremony and will hold their own ceremonies. The hostages’ and missing persons’ families forum also announed that they will boycott the ceremony. A civil society organization has already raised more than $400,000 in 72 hours to organize an alternative, grassroots memorial ceremony. The cities of Sderot and Ofakim, also hit hard on October 7th, said they will participate in the official state ceremony.
In a press conference held later in the week, Minister Regev responded to public criticism and said that she hears yet ignores “background noises” and that the official ceremony will be televised without an audience to allow local communities to hold their own ceremonies, “just as there is an Israeli-Palestinian ceremony” on the eve of memorial day.
