Israel Weekly News Roundup - July 19, 2024
Five things you need to know
Israel at War - Day 287
1. One Man Dies As an Explosive Drone Targets the Center of Tel Aviv:
At around 3 am in the morning a blast echoed in Tel Aviv. Apparently it was a drone that exploded in a residential area in the center of Tel Aviv. One man died in his rooftop apartment, many windows of apartments and cars were shattered, and a few people were lightly injured. It took the police some time to understand that the man died from the bomb. There were no indications of the coming hostile drone, it was not identified by any Israeli army technological devices or by the American army that covers the area. The Houthis, a radical organization based in Yemen, claimed responsibility for the blast. American forces managed to neutralize other missiles earlier, but also failed to identify this drone. No interception devices were activated and there was no alert for people to go into shelters. Later the army spokesperson admitted that it was a human failure.
2. Israel May Have Killed One of Hamas Most Wanted Senior Operators
As part of the military campaign in southern Gaza, on Saturday Israeli military ground and air forces bombed an area where they believed Mohammad Deif was hiding. Deif is a veteran Hamas senior operator, and ranks high in the organization decision making forums. He has been pursued by Israel for many years, had survived several targetted killings, and was seriously injured years ago in an assassination attempt. When Israeli officials, including PM Netanyahu, talk about total victory on Hamas, that specifically includes the elimination of Mohammad Deif.
Israel accuses him of planning and standing behind most of the deadly terrorist actions against Israelis during the last decades. He is also held responsible for the October 7th attack by Hamas on Israeli communities in southern Israel, the massacre of more than 1,200 civilians and soldiers, and the kidnapping of more than 250 including babies, toddlers, children, the elderly, women and men.
More than 30 Palestinian civilians were killed in this strike, including children and women. But it is still unclear whether Deif was among those casualties. Hamas has not admitted that he was killed. On the other hand, another highly-ranked Hamas operator was killed in the attack.
3. Conflicting Reports About Negotiations Between Israel and Hamas on a Deal that Includes the Release of all 120 Hostages and a Ceasefire
Several key players in PM Netanyahu's coalition stepped forward and publicly announced their support for a deal to release all 120 hostages that are still being held captive in Gaza by Hamas. A few ministers, and the Sephardic religious party Shas, a key ally in the coalition, publicly announced their support for a deal. A specific offer is now on the table. Unfortunately PM Netanyahu continues to deliver conflicting messages. On the one hand he agrees with the deal that was published by President Biden a few weeks ago, a deal that includes the release of all hostages and a termination of the war. On the other hand, PM Netanyahu adds conditions every time there is progress in the negotiations. The head of Mossad has said that the hostages don’t have time, and that the women held captive don’t have time. There is a real concern among many that the women were subject to sexual assault, maybe raped, with a deep concern that some of them may even be pregnant from those rapes. PM Netanyahu has announced time and again that he insists that Israel will have control of the border between Gaza and Egypt and that Hamas be totally eliminated. In addition, other allies in the ruling coalition, Ben Gvir and Smotrich, have announced their rejection of a deal, and threaten to leave the coalition if a deal is signed. If that happens it may signal the end of PM Netanyahu’s government.
On Wednesday, the parents of one of the hostages, Omer Neutra, an Israeli soldier and an American citizen, addressed the Republican National Convention calling on thousands of people in the arena, including former President Trump, and millions more who were watching the event live in television, to support them, to make all possible efforts to support a deal to release all 120 hostages held captive by Hamas in Gaza since October 7th. Among the hostages there are eight Americans with dual nationality.
4. Relatives of Female Spotters Killed and Kidnapped on October 7th Speak up
On October 7th, the day of the Hamas attack on the Gaza Envelope in southern Israel, seven female field spotters were kidnapped by Hamas from the Nahal Oz base. One of them was released in a military operation and another was killed while in Hamas captivity. Earlier this week, parents of the five female IDF field spotters still held hostage by Hamas released photos of their daughters taken only days after they were captured, showing the injuries they suffered while abducted by Hamas fighters. Their families demanded to meet with PM Netanyahu and for him to sign a ceasefire/hostage deal before his trip to Washington DC, where he is scheduled to address the US Congress.
Also, this week, relatives of female field spotters killed by Hamas in the Nahal Oz military base, met with PM Netanyahu for a three-hour meeting, to voice their demand for the immediate establishment of a national commission of inquiry into the October 7th events. The Israeli media aired recordings from the meeting that show how little Netanyahu knows, or claims to know, about what happened at the Nahal Oz base during the October 7 Hamas assault, and about the failures that enabled it to happen. In the conversation, Netanyahu claimed that he was surprised to learn that the spotters were unarmed, and that they repeatedly warned of a Hamas attack before it happened.
The parents voiced their disappointment with PM Netanyahu and members of his government for failing to attend their daughters’ funerals, failing to pay their respects during the mourning period, or not communicating with them during the nine months that have passed since their daughters were killed. Some of them told Netanyahu that he was directly responsible for what happened on October 7th, and all of them demanded that he would work for the establishment of a national commission of inquiry as soon as possible. In response, Netanyahu said the investigation will have to wait until after the war ends.
After the meeting, the Prime minister’s office issued a formal statement, which said: “The prime minister responded to their questions and said that everything would be thoroughly investigated and the necessary lessons drawn at every level – including the intelligence, operational, military, and diplomatic levels”. Some parents left in the middle of the meeting, frustrated with Netanyahu’s reluctance to take responsibility, and for continually blaming the security forces for the failures leading to October 7.
5. Google Parent Company to Acquire Israeli Cybersecurity Startup Wiz
Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) first reported that Google’s parent company, Alphabet, is to acquire Wiz, an Israeli cloud cybersecurity start-up that has developed cloud computing software , for 23 billion dollars. Should the acquisition come to fruition, it will be Google’s largest purchase in its history.
Wiz was established in 2020 by four Israeli high-tech entrepreneurs, graduates of an IDF elite intelligence unit. The company’s value has soared rapidly in recent months.
Following the initial report by the WSJ, the Israeli media covered the potential acquisition from various angles; the significance of such a deal at a time when Israel is facing multiple diplomatic challenges, as well as the income from taxes to the Israeli treasury, given that 45% of Wiz shares are held by Israeli citizens. The media also addressed the issue of loss of income from intellectual property owned by a Wiz subsidiary registered in the US.
In breaking news, today the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague delivered a non binding judgement on Israel’s 57 year occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The court’s panel of 15 judges from around the world ruled that Israel’s presence in the Palestinian occupied territories is “unlawful” and called on it to end, pointing to the building and expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and east Jerusalem, its annexation and imposition of permanent control over lands and discriminatory policies against Palestinians. The court further stated that Israel has abused its status as the occupying power in the West Bank and East Jerusalem through its policies of annexing territory, imposing permanent control, and building settlements. It said Israel must end settlement construction immediately.
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