Day 105 of the Israel-Hamas Gaza War
1. A Convoy of Medical Support and Drugs for the Israeli Hostages Entered Gaza
For the first time since October 7th, medicine and drugs for the Israeli hostages entered the Gaza Strip. In a deal that was led by France and Qatar, tons of drugs arrived by planes from Qatar, was loaded on trucks and headed to Gaza. Some of the hostages need drugs on a daily basis, some have chronic diseases, and due to the challenging conditions in which they are held, they need vitamins to fill the lack in food and other nutritious elements.
It is still not clear if and when there will be any visual evidence that the hostages received the medicine and drugs they need.
Hamas eventually agreed to let the drugs enter Gaza, on condition that the trucks will also carry a substantial amount of drugs for the people in Gaza and humanitarian aid. In Israel there was a disagreement on who to credit for the decision, and mainly a disagreement on whether the convoy should or shouldn’t go through security checks by Israeli forces to make sure that they don’t deliver ammunition or other military devices for Hamas. PM Netanyahu, again, threw the responsibility on the IDF (Israel Defense Force), and that dispute was exposed by the media.
PM Netanyahu has tried to distance himself from responsibility for any security, military and policy lapses preceding and since October 7th, and directly and indirectly puts the responsibility for the situation on the army.
Meanwhile there is no known negotiation for the release of the hostages. Earlier this week a short video was released by Hamas depicting three hostages, in captivity, speaking to the camera. At the end of the edited video the caption was unclear about their condition. The day after, Hamas released a second chilling video in which one of the three was alive and begging to be released with the video showing the dead bodies of the other two.
On Thursday, Kfir Bibas, the youngest hostage taken to Gaza, was one year old. He was taken with his brother Ariel and their mother Shiri. Hamas have claimed that they were killed by Israeli air strikes, but did not deliver any evidence to support that claim.
2. Israel Marks 100 Days Since October 7th
Last Saturday, family members of hostages and civil society groups organized a 24-hour event marking 100 days since their capture on October 7. The day-long event started with a rally at the "Hostages Square" in Tel-Aviv, attended by tens of thousands of people. Among the speakers were family members of hostages still held captive in Gaza, hostages released from Gaza, opposition chair Yair Lapid, and President Isaac Herzog. Some rally participants booed during President Herzog’s speech, expressing their criticism and disappointment of his failure to take more determined actions for the release of the hostages.
The rally continued into the night and the following day, with several prominent artists performing. At 11am on Sunday a 100-minute strike was observed in hospitals and businesses, as well as silent vigils around the country, in solidarity with the hostages. At the “Hostages Square” the crowd stood silent for 100 seconds.
Pro Israelis and Pro-Palestinians also marked 100 days of the war in Gaza and the Hamas attack on Israel. In Washington DC, pro-Palestinians demonstrated to call attention to the tens of thousands of Palestinians killed and the worsening humanitarian crisis. In NYC, American Jewish organizations, representing a wide political spectrum, gathered in front of the United Nations headquarters to call for the release of 130 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. Speakers included Governor Kathy Hochul and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, as well as family members of hostages and those released from captivity.
3. The Israeli Government Has Not Started Discussing The Day After
More than one hundred days after October 7th, and the war on Gaza that Israel launched on the same day, the Israeli government has not started a discussion on how Israel would like to see Gaza when the war is over: who will control the Gaza Strip, who will be the entity that will be responsible for the lives of the 2.2 million Palestinians there, for their government, their well being and managing their daily lives. Israeli leaders, PM Netanyahu and the minister of defense among others, keep saying that there are two targets for the war in Gaza: destroy Hamas and its abilities to operate, and bring back all the hostages. Israel also has made clear that the war is far from ending, and the military operation will continue for months. PM Netanyahu says time and again that on the day after there will be no Hamas in the Gaza Strip and nor will the Palestinian Authority have a presence. PM Netanyahu has tried for years to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian State alongside Israel. Many in Israel criticize PM Netanyahu for worrying about his own political future more than the future of the war, the safe release of the hostages and the plan for the day after.
The Biden Administration is pushing hard on Israel’s government and PM Netanyahu to start discussions on the day after, and on the way Israel would like to see the governing order and authority in Gaza.
4. Tension in Lebanon-Israel Intensifies, While Efforts to Prevent Full Scale Battles Continue
Tensions at the Israel-Lebanon border intensify as the IDF and Hizbollah continue to exchange fire. In the cycle of mutual attacks, a 76-year-old Israeli woman and her 45-year-old son were killed when an anti-tank missile fired by Hizbollah hit a home in an Israeli village, Kfar Yuval, near the northern border. In response, The IDF struck various Hizbollah targets in southern Lebanon, more than 20 km from the Israeli border, and the Israeli Air Force attacked several Hizbollah targets.
Concerns over the development of a full scale armed conflict with Hizbollah continue. Minister of defense Gallant and IDF Chief Halevi both issued statements indicating that an escalation on the northern border may be inevitable, and that Israel is prepared to employ “military means” to ensure the safe return of Israeli residents to their northern communities. On his part, Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said earlier this week that his group would not stop fighting Israel, until a full ceasefire in Gaza is achieved.
Yet, at the same time, efforts to achieve de-escalation between Israel and Hizbollah continue. Foreign and Israeli media reported that U.S. President Biden's envoy, Amos Hochstein, put forward a proposal to Lebanese officials, whereby Hizbollah will withdraw to seven kilometers from the border with Israel, and the Lebanese army will take control in southern Lebanon. Quoting Lebanese officials, the media reported that Hizbollah leader Nasrallah rejected the special envoy’s proposal, yet he remains open to U.S diplomatic efforts to avoid a full-scale war.
5. An Israeli Soccer Player Was Arrested in Turkey, After Making a Gesture of Support for the Israeli Hostages
Israel-Turkey relations entered another chapter in the deterioration of their diplomatic relationship. There are a few Israelis playing for Turkish soccer teams. One of them made a gesture during a game in which he succeeded to score a goal. He then waved his hands showing a message on a bandage that read “100 days, 7/10” together with a Star of David. He was then arrested for “instigating hatred and enmity among the public.” Turkey is known for being an ally of Hamas and the Palestinians. After some intensive diplomatic efforts he was released and returned to Israel. Other Israeli soccer players in Turkey also left the country and came back to Israel.
The diplomatic relations between Israel and Turkey are like a roller coaster, and it very much depends on the current circumstances on the ground between Israel and the Palestinians.
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