Israel Weekly News Roundup Oct. 13 2023
This Roundup will be different - Obviously Israel is at war and all public attention is dedicated to reports on the war. All media outlets are in a breaking news mode of coverage.
This week’s roundup will be a summary of the events to date.
At 6:30am Saturday October 7, Hundreds of Hamas Militants Invaded Israel
Hamas terrorists managed to neutralize all monitoring and warning mechanisms at the fence surrounding the Gaza Strip, and entered 21 communities and villages, mainly Kibbutzim (plural of kibbutz, communal farming settlements), in southern Israel, on the border with Gaza.
More than 1,300 people were murdered, entire families, women, children, and the elderly. Some were murdered and decapitated in a vicious ISIS manner.
Over 3,300 were wounded, with at least 350 in serious condition.
Hundreds of people are still missing, many were abducted to Gaza, among them small babies, children and women. There is an 85 year old woman among them. The exact number and names of the hostages are still unknown.
Among the murdered are young men and women who were celebrating at an all night nature party and were attacked at the site, an open field. More than 260 bodies have been recovered in the fields around the open air party site.
The border between Gaza and Israel is still not sealed, and there is a fear of invasion from small armed Hamas units. Many residents were evacuated from the destroyed Kibbutzim and many are weighing their future in the region.
Meanwhile Israel is in a freeze, schools are closed all over the country, many offices and businesses are not functioning, and many shops are also closed.
Earlier this week the Associated Press (AP) and Yedioth Aharonot reported that the Egyptian minister of intelligence passed a warning to the Israeli PM of the possibility of a major operation by Hamas. PM Netanyahu denied that such information was delivered. Later House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said that lawmakers were told Egypt had warned Israel of a potential attack from Palestinian militant group Hamas three days before its attack on Saturday morning. The Egyptian official who spoke with AP on the condition of anonymity stated “We have warned them an explosion of the situation is coming, and very soon, and it would be big. But they underestimated such warnings”.
Fear of Escalation in the North, By Hizbollah from Lebanon
Israeli officials and security forces fear the possibility of a second front caused by an escalation in the north from Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy. A few missiles were fired from Syria and Lebanon towards northern Israel. Mayors of towns in the north recommended that people in their towns evacuate themselves to safer locations.
PM Netanyahu and Benny Gantz Announce the Formation of an Emergency Government
On Wednesday, five days into the war, Netanyahu and Gantz, Chairman of the National Unity Party, made a joint statement about the formation of an emergency government for the duration of the war. PM Netanyahu said “we put aside all other considerations because the future of our country is at stake”, and Gantz said: “our standing here together sends a clear message to our enemies”.
Gantz, former IDF chief and minister of defense in the Bennet-Lapid government will be part of a narrow defense cabinet, along with PM Netanyahu and defense minister Yoav Gallant (Likud). Former IDF chief Gadi Eizenkott (national unity) and Ron Dermer (Likud) will serve as observers in this limited security cabinet. Former minister of justice Gidon Sa’ar (national unity) and minister of strategic affairs Ron Dermer (Likud) will join the regular security cabinet comprised of ten ministers and several deputy ministers. Five members of the national unity party will be sworn in as ministers without portfolio for the duration of the war.
The calls for an emergency government began on the first day of the war, as reports of the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas in Jewish localities near the Gaza border began to pour in. Head of the opposition, Yair Lapid, went live following his brief meeting with PM Netanyahu, and called for a broad emergency government. Lapid demanded that PM Netanyahu fire far-right ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir, both members of the regular security cabinet. Gantz demanded that in the emergency government, the senior security leadership will make operative decisions regarding military affairs.
These statements reflect the anger and lack of trust by many Israelis towards far-right factions of the government who lack military experience.
President Biden Expressed Support for Israel
With Vice President Harris and Secretary Blinken by his side, President Biden delivered a special speech from the White House in which he expressed strong support for Israel, saying that the US stands by Israel. Biden also declared that he is sending two US Navy aircraft carriers to the Eastern Mediterranean, close to Israel, as a means of deterrence for further escalation.
In addition, there is major support for Israel from all over the world. The Eiffel Tower was lit in blue and white, the colors of the Israeli flag, a huge Israeli flag was hung on the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin Germany. Rallies in support of Israel were held in countless locations worldwide.
On Thursday, Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken came to Israel. In a press conference after his meeting with PM Netanyahu he promised that as long as America exists, Israel will not have to stand alone.
Israel Started An Intensive Military Attack on Gaza
Israel recommended that more than one million Palestinians, residents of Gaza , evacuate from the northern Gaza Strip to the south, to avoid casualties when Israel strikes the northern Gaza Strip. Israel launched a direct aerial and artillery attack on Gaza, destroying entire neighborhoods all over the Gaza Strip. The attacks targeted Hamas officials, and the financial region in Gaza city. In addition, Israel has halted all supplies of electricity, fuel and water to Gaza. This may cause a humanitarian crisis and Israel hopes this will force Hamas to negotiate their surrender and the release of all hostages, civilians and soldiers alike. It is currently still to be determined how much military force needs to be deployed, for how long and in what format, in order to disarm, defeat and eliminate Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The positioning of massive Israeli forces at the Gaza border, armor, artillery and infantry, strongly suggest that a land invasion of Gaza is imminent. At least 400,000 people from Gaza have fled their homes, in fear of Israeli fighter jets bombing the city according to the UN humanitarian office (OCHA). The international community is warning of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, due to the fact that there is no power, fuel and water.
Gaza’s health ministry announced on Thursday that more than 1,500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes since Saturday including 500 children, A further 6,612 were wounded in Israeli airstrikes and the shelling of Gaza..
Rapid Depreciation of the Shekel Continues
Following several days of war, the Israeli currency continues to weaken. The Bank of Israel annouced that it will sell up to $30 billion in foreign exchange to prevent the collapse of the Shekel. Yet, despite the announcement, the Shekel continued to weaken by 2% in one day. As of today, the shekel is trading at NIS 3.98 to the US dollar, an eight year low.
It is quite clear at this point that the war will have far reaching implications on the Israeli economy, that has already suffered a blow due to the call up of 360,000 reservists, the temporary shutdown of the education system and of some businesses.
As Government Systems Fail, Civil Society Groups Rise to the Occasion
As the magnitude of the atrocities unfolds, more and more stories of civilians caught up in the inferno crying for help continue to pour in, alongside stories of personal courage by civilians and former IDF soldiers who entered the war zone to rescue people. Former deputy IDF chief and former MK (Meretz) Yair Golan, the target of right-wing incitement, was reported entering the war zone several times to rescue survivors. Other former security forces officers went down to the Gaza border to save their own families and other civilians.
As government ministries falter to provide a timely response to the growing needs of the health and welfare systems, as well as the urgent needs of soldiers and reservists on the ground, civil society groups and concerned citizens have stepped in to provide material, emotional and financial support to survivors and IDF combatants.
The anti judicial overhaul protest movement shifted gears within hours and by Saturday late morning began to offer emergency assistance. This includes raising funds for survivors, and food, clothes, hygiene and baby formula drives in all major cities. Top chefs and restaurant owners opened a war-time food heaqurters to provide freshly cooked food to soldiers, and thousands of volunteers offered support and relief to people evacuated from their homes.
Civilians also galvanized within days to support the families of those abducted by Hamas to Gaza. Alongside a forum of families of the abducted, supported by leading negotiators, legal and media experts, grassroots and civil society are working to drum up international support for the immediate release of the men, women, children and elderly held as hostages by Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza.
As far as reaching out to the international community with effective social media campaigns, again, independent influencers and social media experts were the ones to initiate online campaigns, including the #HamasisISIS campaig that went viral within hours. The Minister of Public Diplomacy (information), Galit Distel-Atbaryan (Likud) announced her resignation on Thursday night, adding that her ministry was “hollowed out” of its authorities. Distal-Atabaryan was subjected to severe public criticism for her ministry’s failure to provide a rapid and effective response to Hamas’ campaigns.
For Further Reading:
Hamas, Gaza, Israel: Here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
Emergency government: Here, here, here, here
President Biden: Here, here, here, here,
Gaza: Here, here, here, here, here, here
Civil society: Here