Operation Iron Swords - Day 44 - 19 November 2023

Palestinian armed group Hamas launched thousands of missiles at Israel and deployed its militants to infiltrate Jewish settlements near the country’s border with Gaza on 07 October 2023. The 1,200 Israelis killed on the first day would be the equivalent of 36,000 Americans killed in an attack, as a proportion to Israel’s population of 9.3 million people (compared to 332 million in the USA). Israeli President Isaac Herzog stated: “Not since the Holocaust have so many Jews been killed in one day". PM Netanyahu stated "On October 7th, Hamas murdered 1,400 Israelis. Maybe more. This is in a country of fewer than 10 million people. This would be equivalent to over 50,000 Americans murdered in a single day. That’s twenty 9/11s. That is why October 7th is another day that will live in infamy."

It is the second largest loss inflicted on the Israeli forces after the 1973 war, as the Palestinian resistance killed more than 1,200, wounded more than 5,132 others, and captured more than 250, most of them military personnel, some of whom were high-ranking officers in the army.

Butcher's Bill / Oasis of Martyrs

The HAMAS government media office in Gaza announced that with the number of casualties increasing daily in the Strip, the statistics departments were unable to complete an accurate and final statistic of the martyrs and wounded. The office usually issues almost daily updates on the toll of martyrs and wounded.

At least 13,000 Palestinians, including 5,500 children have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since October 7, the Gaza Press Office said. The Hamas-run government said 3,500 women were among the dead, with 32,300 more people wounded. The Palestinian Government Media Office in Gaza said the number of missing people had risen to more than 3,750, including 1,800 children still under the rubble. The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced, this Friday evening, that the number of martyrs has risen to 11,675 martyrs, and the wounded to about 32,000 wounded,

According to a UN official, there have been "likely much more" casualties in "Israel's" war on Gaza than the previously reported total of over 11,000, because there have been insufficient updates since the area's communication networks collapsed. Martin Griffiths, under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator expressed during a General Assembly meeting that as casualty numbers continue to climb, "The actual total, however, is likely much higher as figures have not been updated for five days due to a collapse of communication networks in Gaza."

Israel revised down the death toll from the October Hamas attacks in southern Israel from 1,400 to 1,200. IDF had said previously it was holding 1,500 bodies of terrorists, a total that now would increas to about 1,700.

The Israeli army had reported the death of 375 soldiers and officers, 58 of them were killed since the start of the ground operation in the besieged Gaza Strip. At least 7,771 Israelis were injured. The IDF previously announced that more than 260 soldiers had been injured since the start of the ground operation in the Gaza Strip, including 100 in serious condition.

Israeli army (IDF) announced 19 November 2023 the death of five of its soldiers during ground battles in the Gaza Strip, bringing the total number of casualties since October 7th to 378 and raising the number of troop deaths there to 64 since the ground war began.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry released its first official casualty numbers in fighting, saying 77 people were killed and 251 wounded since the start of the war on Gaza.

Hostages

Some 240 hostages are being held by HAMAS in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said 03 November 2023. About 40 Israelis remained missing.

Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said on Hamas’ telegram account that 23 bodies of the 60 missing Israel hostages were trapped under the rubble. “It seems that we will never be able to reach them due to the continued brutal aggression of the occupation against Gaza,” he said.

Hamas previously announced that the number of prisoners it held was between 200 and 250 Israelis, and others of other nationalities, during the “ Al-Aqsa Flood ” battle launched by the Al-Qassam Brigades on the 7th of last October. Hamas indicated that among the detainees were “high-ranking military personnel” and that it wanted to exchange them for more than 6,000 Palestinian prisoners, including children and women, in Israeli prisons, but Tel Aviv did not show seriousness in concluding such a deal. The movement released 4 female prisoners “for humanitarian reasons”, two women holding American citizenship, in response to Qatari mediation efforts, and two Israelis, with Egyptian-Qatari mediation.

The Palestinian Prisoners' Club announced that the Israeli army arrested 47 Palestinians, bringing the total number of detainees in the occupied West Bank to 2,800 since last October 7, including 1,050 activists from Hamas.

The Israeli army announced the arrest of 1,100 activists from the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) in the occupied West Bank, out of more than 1,800 Palestinians, since October 7, the date of the launch of Operation “ Al-Aqsa Flood .” The army said, "Since the outbreak of the current war, more than 1,800 wanted (Palestinians) have been arrested throughout the West Bank, about 1,100 of whom belong to Hamas." It reported that 38 Palestinians were arrested last night throughout the West Bank, "including 20 belonging to Hamas."

Qatar’s prime minister said that only “minor” issues are preventing a deal being reached between Israel and Hamas on Israeli hostages being held in Gaza. The comments from Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani came after The Washington Post reported on Saturday that an agreement on Hamas releasing at least 50 hostages in exchange for a five-day pause in fighting was close. The Post report’s initial headline said a “tentative deal” was reached between the US, Israel, and Hamas, but it was later changed to say a deal was “close.” The report prompted denials from both the US and Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed “a lot of incorrect reports” on an imminent hostage deal and added that “as of now there is no deal.” White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said there was “no deal yet, but we continue to work hard to get a deal.”

Operational Update

The American magazine "Newsweek" published an article stating that at a time when the United States is throwing its weight behind Israel, and at a time when Iran is helping to arm the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) and the Lebanese Hezbollah , some critics say that we are on the verge of a third world war.

But the author of the article, Joseph Epstein - an analyst and researcher specializing in Middle East affairs - disagrees with this opinion, and believes that World War III has already begun. Washington may be in denial, but Russia, China, and Iran are openly at war with the United States, according to the author of the article.

This is not an all-out war - as Epstein says - but rather a decentralized war with battle fronts that seem unconnected and extending across the continents of the world. It is a war fought by “hybrid” methods, that is, with tanks, planes, disinformation campaigns, political interference and cyberwarfare.

Epstein claims that the strategy of this war blurs the lines between war and peace, combatants and civilians, and “adds to its fog.” Although there are differences between China, Russia, and Iran on many issues, they are all countries with the same goal, which is “riding their regions of American influence and creating a multipolar global governance system.”

The writer continues, saying that Tehran, Beijing, and Moscow realize that American political and military power is the only force preventing them from imposing their will on their neighbors. He explains what he means by that, saying that each of the three countries plays a role in this war. China launched an “unprecedented” spying campaign against the United States, and Russia spent billions of dollars broadcasting pro-Russian and anti-Western propaganda campaigns inside and outside its borders. As for Iran, according to the article, it has a network of armed agents who “spread havoc and destruction” in the Middle East and have been openly attacking American forces.

Iran, Russia, and China have all “conducted or nearly carried out” cyberattacks on critical U.S. infrastructure. These three countries resort - according to the article - to waging different types of guerrilla wars “because they cannot win a direct conflict” with the United States. Waging a war in this “deceptive” way helps it avoid accountability.

In information warfare, the strategy does not lie in creating divisions, but rather in exploiting and playing on existing ones, according to analyst Epstein, who adds that both China and Russia have continued to establish relations with “extremists” on the left and right based in the West, “hoping to widen the social gap and exacerbate the situation.”

Officials involved in this type of war use language that appeals to "extremists." The writer gives an example of this with Russian President Vladimir Putin , “who, despite his colonial invasion of Ukraine,” declared himself “the leader of the anti-colonial liberation movement.” As the war of words continues, so do the armed confrontations. Russia invaded Ukraine. Iran's agents continue to attack the United States and its allies in the region.

Epstein claims that the administration of US President Joe Biden seems happy so far to allow them to “escape this impasse,” noting that after Hamas’ attack on Israel last month, American officials were quick to claim that there is no evidence of Iran’s involvement in the attacks, even though Its agents do not act independently on matters affecting Iran's "geopolitical" strategy.

When it comes to this war, the United States seems indifferent. The American strategy has always revolved around preparing for a major conventional war, adopting a policy of containment, and weak deterrence, as the article put it. The writer warns that avoiding conflict will only lead to more aggression from the Iran-Russia-China axis. Therefore, if the Biden administration continues on its “ineffective” path, these three countries will become emboldened. If it fails to support Israel or Ukraine, China will likely invade Taiwan. He concludes by saying that deterrence is a great strategy, but it will only work when the other party realizes that you are serious about implementing your threats.

Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the Israeli army was continuing to hit Palestinian militant group Hamas hard in the Gaza Strip and will also operate “soon” in the south of Gaza. “We are in the second stage of the ground invasion, also operating in the east of the Strip… Hamas has been hit hard, it’s losing tunnels, bunkers, posts,” and many of its senior commanders have been killed, Gallant said as cited by the Times of Israel.

“We are reaching all of the sites sensitive to Hamas and striking them,” he said, adding: “With every passing day, there are fewer places for the Hamas terrorists to move around.” He warned Hamas members hiding in the south of the Strip where the Israeli army has yet to send in ground troops, “will feel this soon.” Gallant said: ““What happened on October 7 is worse than any other phenomenon in the world in recent decades. That’s Hamas. And Hamas only understands force,” adding that the decision to go to war to destroy Hamas and get back the hostages is increasingly proving to be the right decision.

Additionally, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that there was heavy international pressure against Israel’s war on Hamas, but he pledged to continue pressing ahead with the military campaign in Gaza until the militant group is overthrown and the hostages are released.

Over the last few days, in joint IDF and ISA intelligence operational activity, over 100 Hamas terrorists were apprehended and transferred for questioning in Israel. Among the apprehended suspects. Over the last few days, troops conducted dozens of questionings, and apprehended over 100 terrorists for further questioning.

In addition, Nukhba terrorists were apprehended, as well as other operatives who disclosed different locations. They also disclosed operating methods used by the terrorist organization, as well as details regarding tunnel digging and the recruitment process. The information gained from the interrogations of the terrorists serves the troops who are operating from the air and the ground in the Gaza Strip and is being used to receive precise and up-to-date intelligence from the field, which assists the ongoing combat efforts.

Based on IDF and ISA intelligence, IDF troops exposed a 55-meter-long terror tunnel 10 meters deep underneath the Shifa Hospital complex. A deep staircase leads to the entrance of the tunnel shaft, which consists of various defense means including a blast-proof door and a firing hole. This type of door is used by the Hamas terrorist organization to block Israeli forces from entering the command centers and the underground assets belonging to Hamas. The tunnel shaft was uncovered in the area of the hospital underneath a shed alongside a vehicle containing numerous weapons including RPGs, explosives, and Kalashnikov rifles.

For the first time, a mixed-gender search and rescue battalion is operating in the Gaza Strip. The mixed-gender unit from the Shachar Battalion in the Search and Rescue Brigade in the IDF Home Front Command has joined ground forces operating against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Under the command of LTC Yarden, the female and male combat soldiers of the Shachar Battalion used their expertise to search buildings and locate weapons as part of the combined combat forces of the 162th Division. The soldiers operated in the Shati area, one of Hamas’ main operational centers in the Gaza Strip. Soldiers from the Search and Rescue Brigade joined the Commando Brigade during a raid on Hamas terrorist infrastructure in a hotel. The soldiers breached an area in which Hamas weapons and intelligence materials were located.

Two launches from Lebanon toward the area of Margaliot and Kfar Giladi in northern Israel were identified. In accordance with protocol, the launches were not intercepted. No injuries were reported. The IDF is striking the sources of the fire. Following the report regarding an infiltration of a hostile aircraft in northern Israel earlier today, interceptors were launched toward several suspicious aerial targets that crossed from Lebanon toward the area of the Upper Galilee in northern Israel. The incident has concluded. In addition, a short while ago, several launches from Lebanon toward different areas in northern Israel were identified. No injuries were reported.The IDF is striking the sources of the fire.

IDF soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade, together with the Armored Corps, Engineering Corps and the Israeli Air Force, operated in the Sheikh Ijlin and Rimal areas in order to identify and destroy Hamas infrastructure and assets. During the operations, the soldiers located approximately 35 tunnel shafts as well as a large number of weapons and eliminated terrorists. Additionally, the soldiers operated in a Hamas military base belonging to their military intelligence unit. During the operation, IDF soldiers located ammunition depots and seven rocket launchers. Embedded in the Rimal area are the residences of senior Hamas officials, who took control of the buildings in the area to conduct and direct terrorist activities.

Israeli army’s soldiers operated in Sheikh Ijlin and Rimal areas in Gaza in order to identify and destroy Hamas infrastructure and assets. “During the operations, the soldiers located approximately 35 tunnel shafts as well as a large number of weapons and eliminated terrorists,” the Israeli army said. Additionally, the Israeli soldiers “operated in a Hamas military base belonging to the terrorist organization’s military intelligence unit. During the operation, IDF soldiers located ammunition depots and seven rocket launchers.”

A commander in the Paratroopers Brigade said: “During searches of the Rimal area, we located a large number of weapons belonging to Hamas terrorists, including laptops, memory devices, technical documents, and other combat items including tactical uniforms, shirts, knee pads, magazine and ammunition, 7.62 mm and 5.56 mm, shirts that seemingly belong to the organization, military vests, shoes, and many more documents with enemy psychological warfare and information about the [Israeli army] including the location of ambushes and the strength of the [Israeli army] and other documents.”

The fighters of Sheitat 3, the flotilla of missile ships, attacked targets of the terrorist organization Hamas along the Gaza Strip using thousands of munitions from the sea and assisted the ground forces with fire and observation by opening axes, escorting with fire, thwarting land threats against IDF forces and providing cover for land missions from the sea.

Ambulance crews of the Palestinian Red Crescent evacuated 31 premature babies from Al-Shifa Hospital on Sunday in coordination with the World Health Organization(WHO) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the group said in a post on its Facebook page. The babies were transferred to the south of Gaza “in preparation for their transfer to the Emirates Hospital in Rafah” the group added.

Later in the day Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesperson for the Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza, told a news conference that the babies had been moved to Tal Alsultan Hospital in Rafah and will be sent to Egyptian hospitals with their families tomorrow.

The WHO team said that 291 patients were left at Al-Shifa after Israeli troops had others evacuate. They included the babies in extremely critical condition , trauma patients with severely infected wounds, and others with spinal injuries who are unable to move. The team was able to tour Al-Shifa Hospital for an hour after about 2,500 displaced people, mobile patients and medical staff left the sprawling compound Saturday morning, the WHO said. It said 25 medical staff remained, along with the patients.

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon announced targeting multiple gatherings of Israeli occupation soldiers near the al-Marj site, in Harsh Ramim, and around the Hunin ("Ramim") barracks, on the Lebanese-Palestinian border region. In separate statements, Hezbollah said that its fighters also targeted the "Yiftah" barracks and the Malkiya site with appropriate weapons, noting that there were casualties among Israeli forces in both locations. As for the Israeli al-Abbad site, the Resistance confirmed that it targeted it with guided missiles, hitting its technical equipment and hardware.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced that it targeted the US occupation base Harir in northern Iraq and the Tal Baydar base in Syria using drones, confirming direct hits in both targets. In solidarity with Gaza in the battle of Al-Aqsa Flood, the Iraqi Resistance will continue its operations against American forces and their bases in Syria and Iraq, the group said in a statement.

Ship "Galaxy Leader" flying under the flag of the Bahamas ????, has been hijacked by Houthi Rebels. The ship operates for the Israeli company Ray Shipping LTD, which is an Israeli-based car transport company. 52 people have been detained onboard. The Houthis will release a statement shortly. The Bahaman-flagged vessel is registered under a British company, which is partially owned by Israeli tycoon Abraham Ungar, who goes by Rami and happens to be Israel’s 21st richest man. The vessel was leased out to a Japanese company at the time of the hijacking.

The Israeli army considered the incident “extremely dangerous globally,” while the Israeli Prime Minister described it as an “Iranian terrorist act.” The Israeli army said that "the hijacked ship left Turkey on its way to India with an international civilian crew and no Israelis, and it is not Israeli."

The Israeli Prime Minister described the hijacking of the ship as an Iranian terrorist act, noting that "the hijacking of the ship will create international repercussions related to the security of global shipping lanes." He added, "Monitoring a new Iranian terrorist act is considered a major escalation against the citizens of the free world," he said.

Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Sarie, explained: Our naval forces took the Israeli ship to the Yemeni coast, pointing out that we deal with the crew of the Israeli ship in accordance with the teachings of our Islamic religion.

A leader of the group told Al Jazeera, "Our taking the ship is a victory for our oppressed people in Gaza." The military spokesman for the Houthis, Yahya Saree, announced - Sunday evening - that their naval forces carried out what he called a military operation in the Red Sea, "the results of which were the seizure of an Israeli ship and taking it to the Yemeni coast." Saree said - in a video statement published on his account on the Or ships owned by Israelis. The military spokesman for the Houthis pointed out that "this comes out of religious, humanitarian and moral responsibility towards the oppressed Palestinian people, and the siege they are subjected to and the continuation of horrific and hideous massacres by the Israeli enemy."

Earlier, the military spokesman for the Houthi group, Yahya Saree, had said, “The group will target all ships owned or operated by Israeli companies, or that fly the Israeli flag,” calling on all countries of the world to withdraw their citizens working on the crews of these ships and avoid shipping on board or dealing with them.

Avraham (Rami) Unger (born 1947) is an Israeli businessman working in the fields of automobile importing, shipping, and real estate. Besides the auto business, Unger is also the owner of Ray Shipping, a shipping company that owns about 100 vessels transporting vehicles and is worth more than $3 billion. He purchased naval vessels, built huge ships in Poland, Croatia and Vietnam, and chartered them to automobile companies around the world through his shipping company, Ray Shipping.

The American NBC News network quoted sources as saying that a Sanaa forces helicopter flew over the Israeli ship "Galaxy Leader" while it was sailing near Bab al-Mandab , and forces were landed to control it. The network’s admission that the ship is Israeli belies the claims of the occupation, which is trying to escape the new pressures towards internationalizing the ship.

Initial information from the Israeli occupation police investigations brought to the fore the possibility that hundreds of Israelis were killed by occupation army fire during the “Al-Aqsa Flood” battle on the 7th of October. The same information showed that an Israeli Air Force fighter opened fire on participants in the "Nova" music festival in the "Re'im" settlement in the "Gaza envelope", seeking to kill gunmen from the Palestinian resistance factions who arrived at the place.

According to what was reported on the website of the Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" by a senior police officer, preliminary investigations revealed that an army attack helicopter arrived at the ceremony site coming from the "Ramat David" base near Haifa, and opened fire on the gunmen, and apparently also wounded several other revelers who were there.

Haaretz reported that preliminary investigations by the Israeli police indicate that the gunmen who participated in the October 7 attack did not know in advance of the presence of the concert near the Reim settlement. According to preliminary investigations, a military helicopter took off from the Ramat David base and bombed the militants from the air, wounding a number of revelers at the site. 364 concert participants were killed. Al Jazeera correspondent Guevara Al-Badiri reported that 4,000, including foreigners, were participating in the concert.

It added, quoting informed sources, that the Al-Qassam Brigades were not even aware of the ceremony, but their paratroopers, while crossing the settlements around the Gaza Strip, became aware of Israelis taking to the streets, so they informed their members about that, and when they arrived at the place, they were bombed by the warplanes, which had received information about capture operations. The correspondent explained that the Israeli warplanes were not aware of the reality on the ground, because Hamas took control of the Israeli Gaza division and disrupted all means of communication.

The presence of charred bodies confirmed the conclusions of the police investigation, because the Al-Qassam Brigades do not have incendiary weapons, and therefore the Israeli aircraft were the ones who killed the revelers. It said that a number of pilots admitted that they may have bombed Israelis because they did not know where or whom they were bombing. The correspondent stated that this investigation revealed confusion and military errors that will further complicate matters, affect the future of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , and may prompt more demonstrations against him.

In turn, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that the police received 24,000 calls on the morning of last October 7, all of them calling for help and rescue from the sudden attack by Al-Qassam Brigades fighters who infiltrated Israel en masse.

The police operational investigation revealed that 4,400 people participated in the concert, of whom about 364 were killed during clashes between Al-Qassam fighters and Israeli police forces, and 40 people were kidnapped, as well as 15 policemen killed in the clashes, while 4 gunmen were arrested. A report published on the website of the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper by military correspondent Yoav Zeitoun on October 15 addressed what he described as “Hamas deceiving Israeli army helicopters,” referring to the possibility of Israeli Air Force fighters being involved in the killing of many participants in the concert.

The military correspondent explained that the blur of battle accompanied not only the fighters on the ground, but also the air teams that launched from the skies of the Western Negev in the first hours of the events of “Black Saturday,” according to his description. He explained that the first regiment of fighters arrived at the “Gaza Division” at around 7:30, that is, about an hour or more after the events began, from the “Ramat David” base in the north, according to an Air Force investigation.

This comes despite the fact that the main squadrons of Apache helicopters are located in Camp Ramon in the western Negev, which is the closest to the Gaza Strip. The officers at Ramon quickly realized that something unusual was developing, so they and the commander of the 190th Squadron, Lieutenant Colonel A, launched a combat helicopter that reached the cover at 8:32 am.

Many decided that friendly fire on fleeing festival goers was captured in footage of the Apaches in action published by the IDF press service in the first days. However, the strikes in this video are geolocated outside the border fence with Gaza. So even if Israeli helicopters carried out erroneous strikes on civilians, this has nothing to do with the published footage.

After the pilots realized that there was great difficulty in distinguishing between Palestinians and Israelis inside the settlements and military bases, the military correspondent said, “A decision was made that the first mission of combat helicopters and armed Zik drones was to stop armed operations and penetrate the security fence.”

28 combat helicopters opened fire over the course of one day, ran out of ammunition and missiles, and were returning to the air force base in the western Negev in order to arm themselves again with hundreds of 30 mm artillery shells, as well as Hellfire missiles. The rate of fire on thousands of militants was initially massive and intense, and only at a certain point did the pilots begin to slow down the attacks and choose targets carefully, according to the Air Force investigation.

Military correspondent Zaytoun said, “Hamas deliberately made it difficult for helicopter pilots and drone operators, as it asked the forces invading the cover area to advance slowly towards or inside the settlements and military bases, and not to escape under any circumstances in order to make the pilots believe that they were... "Israelis." This deception worked for a long time, until the Apache pilots realized that they had to bypass all restrictions, and around nine in the morning - according to the military correspondent - some of them began firing from the air intensively with cannons on their own without permission from their superiors.

This behavior reinforces the possibilities and estimates of the Israeli media that many Israelis were killed by army, security forces and air force fire during the attempt to eliminate and clash with Al-Qassam Brigades fighters.

The same developments and events were reviewed by the military correspondent of the “Wala” website, Amir Bouhbut, on the morning of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation, where two “Sharaf” combat helicopters took off for the first time from an air base in Haifa, and arrived in the Gaza Strip area before eight o’clock in the morning.

About half an hour later, a third helicopter took off from the "Ramon" base and arrived at the scene of the incident with the commander of the 190th Squadron, "Magic Touch Squadron", Lieutenant Colonel (A), who ordered the opening of fire on the open areas to deter the intruding Qassam fighters, and to allow another helicopter to land the fighters nearby. From the Bari settlement.

The navigator reported that he and his commander (A) saw, at a distance, a Palestinian crowd coming from the populated areas in Gaza to the border fence, similar to the violent protests and unrest that occurred during the past months and the return marches. Then he decided to fire two missiles and cannon shells for deterrence only, and not for killing.

When the helicopter headed to the “Nahal Oz” settlement, the two saw the huge gaps that opened in the border fence, and the Palestinian crowd that headed to the “Gaza envelope” area. Then the bombing and shooting began from the air towards crowds of militants, as the commander of Squadron 190 continued the bombing and arming. With ammunition and carrying out raids over the cover and at the border fence until two-thirty in the afternoon on the first day of the “Al-Aqsa Flood.”

After 43 days of repeating the narrative that accuses the Palestinian resistance of killing civilians, shock occurred in Israel after its police received contrary information stating that an Israeli military helicopter had opened fire on Israelis at the music concert that was taking place in the Gaza Strip in conjunction with the Al-Aqsa Flood operation on October 7. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that preliminary investigations by the Israeli police indicate that the gunmen who participated in the attack on October 7th did not know in advance of the presence of the concert near the Reim settlement.

The information revealed by the Israeli police sparked widespread controversy on social media sites, some of which were reported in an episode of the “Shabakat” program. As for Muhammad Amin, what was revealed by the Israeli investigation demolishes the pretext of war on civilians in the Gaza Strip , stressing that what the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) did “was a precise military operation against specific military targets of an occupying country... and armed resistance against the occupier is a legitimate right.”

Jamal wrote in his comment that the Israelis initially attributed what happened at the Palestinian resistance concert to justify their frantic campaign against Gaza, but now they say that to find a way out of the war that has exhausted them. Alaa Al-Haddad directed his words to US President Joe Biden , saying to him, “To Biden, who had the idea of supporting the entity in the war because of the killing of civilians... to you now... they were killed by the occupying entity’s plane.”

The episode of the “Shabakat” program mentioned the tweets of some Israelis on social media, including a person named Gilad Rubin, who wrote, “Until a clarification comes out about the suspicions and numbers, it does not make sense for such a report to come out so that all our haters can celebrate it. This is real spitting in the face of the families of all of us.” Who was killed by Hamas?

As for Elie Al-Sarfati, he commented on the Israeli police report by saying, “Thank you very much, you anti-Zionists (Haaretz), haters of the homeland. You made things easier for the terrorists. You hurt an entire country with this report.” According to Haaretz newspaper, when the Israeli army learned of the attack on October 7, it sent a combat helicopter that took off from the Ramat David base in northern Israel and headed towards the Gaza Strip. This helicopter opened fire randomly at everyone walking on the ground, and intended to kill members of the Hamas movement, but they also killed the Israelis indiscriminately, according to Haaretz newspaper.

For its part, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that on the 7th of last October: 28 Israeli military helicopters took off from the Ramat David base and emptied all of their ammunition on people inside the settlements around the Gaza Strip, after facing great difficulty in distinguishing between the Palestinian attackers and soldiers or Civilians.

Bystanders

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said that the number of civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip is shocking and unacceptable, reiterating the call for an immediate ceasefire for humanitarian reasons. This came as the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, confirmed that the level of violence in the Strip is “unfathomable,” in light of the repeated attacks on schools housing displaced people and the transformation of hospitals into a “death zone.”

Guterres explained that he was "deeply shocked" by the killing and wounding of dozens, including women and children, as a result of the bombing of two of the organization's schools in less than 24 hours in the Gaza Strip. He pointed out that the victims "were looking for safety in the United Nations buildings , which should not be violated."

Volcker said - in a statement - that "the horrific events that took place during the past 48 hours in Gaza are beyond imagination," noting that "the killing of such a large number of people in schools that became shelters, and hundreds of people fleeing for their lives from Al-Shifa Hospital, amid the displacement of hundreds of thousands . " to southern Gaza, are actions that contradict the basic protection that must be afforded to civilians under international law.”

The High Commissioner stressed that “regardless of the warnings, Israel is obligated to protect civilians wherever they are,” referring to the principles of international humanitarian law, pointing out that “failure to adhere to these rules may constitute war crimes.” Turk also described the pictures that spread after the Israeli raid on the United Nations Al-Fakhoura School as terrifying, and “clearly show large numbers of women, children and men who were seriously injured or killed.”

These statements come hours after the World Health Organization announced that Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza had become a “death zone,” and announced that it led an hour-long assessment mission for the hospital, confirming that 25 health workers and 291 patients, including 32 children in critical condition, remained in the hospital.

A few days ago, Al-Shifa Medical Complex attracted the attention of the whole world after the occupation army besieged it and bombed its surroundings repeatedly, then stormed it later under the pretext that the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) was using it for military purposes, which the movement and the health authorities in the Strip deny.

A ministerial committee tasked by the Arab-Islamic summit to formulate an action plan to stop the war on Gaza will kick off its work from China, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan announced. Ministers from Arab and Muslim countries are expected to start their flurry of political activity from China on Monday, Prince Faisal said in a video posted on the ministry’s account of platform X.

“The first stop will be in China and will then move to a number of capitals to deliver the clear message that there must be a ceasefire immediately as well as aid and humanitarian needs must be immediately delivered to Gaza,” Prince Faisal said after meeting with European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on the sidelines of a conference in Bahrain. “We must work to end this crisis and end this war on Gaza as soon as possible,” Prince Faisal said.

China’s state broadcaster CCTV cited the foreign ministry as saying that ministers from Arab and Islamic countries will visit China on Monday and Tuesday. The ministry said China will discuss with these foreign ministers ways to promote the cooling of the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the protection of civilians and a just settlement of the Palestinian issue. The officials visiting are from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia, Palestine and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, according to the ministry.

Human rights and solidarity voices are rising in the world with Palestine , coinciding with an unprecedented government disregard for street pressure and demands to stop crime. While charges of Israeli violations against civilians in Gaza continued amid Western international support for Israel, the question of the feasibility of international law, which emerged at this stage as the most controversial expression, was rising.

Humanitarian and human rights calls are intensifying around the world to stop the Israeli operation in Gaza, while the global human rights movement appeared to be facing a real transformation that may threaten to undermine existing international principles, which are sponsored by international humanitarian law and the legal principles regulating armed conflicts. Western governments, led by the United States, still refuse to call for a ceasefire.

Israeli violations against civilians in Gaza are claimed to represent one of the clearest precedents in the world for more than 70 years, and they were seen as evidence that the West gives unrestrained support for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. A leaked secret document, written by the military attaché at the Dutch Embassy in Tel Aviv, revealed that Israel is “deliberately causing widespread destruction of infrastructure and civilian centers” in Gaza. While the diplomatic document leaked by the Dutch newspaper NRC confirmed that the Israeli army is violating the laws of war, the Dutch government did not take a different position, but rather, like most European countries, continued to refuse to demand a ceasefire.

The Western position did not seem to Palestinians to be linked to the facts as much as there was a collective political will to support Israel and protect it from accountability, which raised the concerns and fears of international human rights organizations, which saw these positions as undermining the basic legal principles on which the current international system is based. In a special statement to Al Jazeera Net, Omar Shaker, director of Human Rights Watch in Israel and Palestine, said, “The double standards of Western governments not only harm the civil protection of Palestinians, but also have repercussions at the global level, because they challenge the basic commitment of these countries to international law.” and the rules on which the international system is based.” Shaker pointed out that failure to respect these obligations constitutes a real danger to human rights principles, and undermines the ability of the international community to protect civilians in all parts of the world.

Shaker added that what we are witnessing in the Gaza Strip is an undeniable war crime, noting that his organization documented clear war crimes committed by the Israeli government, such as displacing residents and targeting hospitals and medical facilities, in addition to the indiscriminate use of white phosphorus against densely populated areas. Shaker also noted that "the response of the United States and other Western leaders to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza highlights the double standards by which these governments deal with the conflict."

In his words, “These governments have correctly condemned attacks in other contexts in Syria and Ukraine, and the Hamas-led attack on October 7, but they have failed to point out the clear war crimes committed by Israel.” The concern of individuals and institutions working in the field of human rights was increasing in light of the declared Western protection of Israel’s violations against civilians in Gaza. Campaigns to restrict freedom of expression regarding Palestine are intensifying in Europe and the United States in a way that these countries have not recorded in the past.

Human rights organizations also faced ongoing demonization and smear campaigns in more than one Western country. In Britain, the human rights and solidarity movement in general faced accusations of anti-Semitism and hatred, the latest of which was made by the sacked Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, who accused all solidarity activists of being “hate demonstrators.” As for Germany, the government has issued strict instructions to consider some solidarity practices and chants as legal crimes, such as wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh in specific places, or chanting “From the sea to the river, Palestine will be free,” under the pretext that it is a call to deny Israel’s right to exist, which Considered anti-Semitic as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)

In a related context, Anwar Al-Gharbi, Director of the Geneva Center for Democracy and Human Rights, said in his statement to Al-Jazeera Net that what the global human rights movement is witnessing is unprecedented in contemporary history, as the Secretary-General of the United Nations is unable to establish a simple position such as demanding a ceasefire, according to recipe.

Al-Gharbi continued, “Despite this, it is the civil rights system that will produce positive results in light of the intense action by human rights associations and initiatives across the world, to which hundreds of international jurists and lawyers have joined.” The Swiss jurist of Tunisian origin, residing in Geneva, also called for the need to differentiate between the official and ineffective human rights system on the one hand, and the stable and continuing civil rights system on the other hand, which he sees as having a significant future impact.

Al-Gharbi stressed the great importance of the impact of human rights initiatives, especially since there is awareness of the seriousness of what is happening. According to his point of view, “When everyone becomes unable to stop the perpetrator, the feeling will strengthen that everyone is a target, and that the existing justice no longer protects him, and this is what motivated this large outburst from all countries.” Al-Gharbi concludes his speech by saying that “the international situation today, and the inability of the existing international legal system, has strengthened individual initiatives to achieve justice,” pointing to the idea of ??a boycott that is growing today, including the academic boycott.

The current war on Gaza records the growing public feeling internationally about the decline in legal protection of public freedoms. This prompted a number of employees of international media agencies to resign, as happened with the British channel BBC and the American newspaper The New York Times. In light of developments in the war on Gaza, the phenomenon of protest resignations has increased recently in the West, which indicates the failure of governmental and semi-governmental institutions and entities to adhere to equal standards in respecting freedoms and human rights. In the Netherlands, 12 directors and artists withdrew from the Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival (IDFA), which is considered the largest festival of its kind in the world. The British newspaper "The Guardian" indicated that the withdrawals came against the backdrop of the festival administration's condemnation of a Palestinian chant that occurred during the opening session of the activity. Earlier last week, 8 ministers resigned at once from the shadow government led by the opposition British Labor Party, after the latter voted against a draft resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza in the House of Commons.

Informal initiatives in the legal field have increased recently, the most important of which was the initiative of French international lawyer Gilles Devers, who succeeded in gathering what he called an “army of lawyers” from various nationalities in the world. Those responding to Devers’ call reached about 300 international lawyers and jurists. They intend to take their escapes to the International Criminal Court.

Regardless of the feasibility of this movement, human rights activists, such as Anwar Al-Gharbi, believe that it may reflect a decline in faith in the prevailing mechanisms for achieving justice through governments, which may contribute to reshaping the international human rights movement, from seeking justice from the prevailing system to creating it through civil pressure and individual initiatives.

Axis of Resistance

On the sidelines of his inspection of an exhibition of the achievements of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, during which the Fattah II hypersonic missile was revealed for the first time, Ayatollah Khamenei affirmed the failure of the Israeli entity militarily and operationally in its aggression against Gaza, and considered that the occupation was unable to achieve its goals regarding the destruction of the Hamas movement and its resistance. Despite the violent bombing and massive massacres it committed in the Gaza Strip, he stressed that targeting hospitals, women and children in Gaza is an indication of the occupying entity’s anger at its defeat.

In part of his speech, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution referred to Western leaders’ support for the Zionist regime and their bias towards it. The leader of the revolution said: “The American President, the German Chancellor, the President of the Republic of France, and the British Prime Minister defend this entity and provide support to it. This means that these gentlemen believe in racial discrimination and have no objection to racial discrimination.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also touched on the duty of Islamic governments in confronting this ferocious Zionist attack on civilians, children and women inside the Gaza Strip . He said that some Islamic governments condemned the crimes of the Zionist entity, while others have not done so yet. He described these positions as unacceptable, indicating that what must be done is to cut off the vital artery of the Israeli entity.

He stressed that Islamic governments must prevent energy and goods from reaching this entity, and called on them to sever their political relations with the Zionist entity, at least for a limited period. In a speech to the peoples of the world, Ayatollah Khamenei called on them to continue gatherings and marches denouncing the crimes of the occupation and not to forget the oppression of the Palestinian people.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdullahian confirmed that the resistance factions are putting intelligent pressure on the Zionists and their protectors, and that there are many energies that have not yet been activated. The spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Islamic Shura Council, Abu al-Fadl Amoui , said in a statement to reporters, while reviewing the details of the committee’s meeting, that Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdullahian attended the extraordinary meeting of the National Security Committee to explain the latest developments in Palestine and the measures taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In an effort to stop the escalation and attacks by the Zionist entity on the residents of Gaza.

The spokesman for the Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee added: “In this meeting, the Foreign Minister explained the suffering of the people of Gaza due to the continued war crimes committed by the Zionist entity, and stressed that the United States is the most important supporter and partner of the Zionists in killing the people of Gaza in the Israeli operations room and in international forums, and of course.” "You lack an effective strategy."

Amoui recalled: Amir Abdullahian stated that as the crimes of the Zionist entity continue, it is possible for the conflict to develop, and while the resistance factions are working intelligently to organize pressure on the Zionists and their protectors, there are many energies that have not yet been activated. He stated that the Iranian Foreign Minister indicated in this meeting the support of world public opinion for the oppression of the Palestinian people and the immediate demand for a ceasefire. He stressed that world public opinion can no longer tolerate the crimes of the Zionists and that the humanitarian claims of the United States and the West are ineffective in international forums.

Saad Nimr, professor of politics at Birzeit University, said: “ The Israeli occupation is escalating very significantly, and this is clear in the arrests, killings, and bombing of homes, as if it is trying to take revenge on the Palestinian people after what happened on October 7th.” Numbers in the West Bank indicate that the issue has also turned into a state of revenge that the Israeli occupation is working on, dismembering the West Bank with more than 600 military checkpoints, dozens of attacks on Palestinians who move between cities by settlers, to whom 150,000 weapons were distributed and they began to move in a systematic manner. Organized gangs , all of this is experienced in the West Bank somewhat away from the media.

Wasel Abu Youssef, a member of the Executive Committee, said: “We, as a Palestinian people, say that we are steadfast on this land, adhering to our rights, our principles, and our resistance for the sake of our freedom and independence, the establishment of our independent Palestinian state with the occupier as its capital, and the return of refugees.”

The head of the Organization for Mobilizing the Oppressed, Brigadier General Gholam Reza Soleimani, confirmed that the collapse of the Zionist entity has accelerated, and that brutality, destruction, and killing of the oppressed have accelerated the collapse of this child-killing entity, and will not stop or delay it.

Brigadier General Soleimani said in the ceremony to renew the covenant of two thousand elements of mobilization with the principles of the late Imam Khomeini (may God be pleased with him), which was held today, Sunday, at the shrine of the late Imam, in southern Tehran, that the Al-Aqsa flood inflicted an irreversible defeat on the Zionist entity, which is using all its power against the people of Gaza, but the resistance and valor of the people of Gaza constituted another defeat for the Zionists, who thought that their massacres would weaken the resistance, but the resistance withstood this brutality with unimaginable resilience.

Brigadier General Soleimani pointed to the large volume of bombs and missiles that were fired towards the oppressed people of Gaza, which came from weapons depots from America, Britain and Germany, as well as the fact that the Americans led the battle themselves, but he added, “The victory of the resistance against America, Britain, Germany, France and the Zionist entity is a great victory, as The Palestinian people won the media war also because the media mouthpieces tried to overturn the facts in this battle. The blood of the oppressed Palestinian people proved the validity of their cause and the free consciences of the world became media outlets defending Palestine.

Brigadier General Soleimani considered that the presence of the “Israeli” cancerous tumor constitutes the greatest obstacle to uniting the ranks of Muslims, but the defeat of this entity, its collapse , and the liberation of Jerusalem and Palestine will constitute the first victory for the Muslim peoples and the Iranian people in the second step of the blessed Islamic Revolution.

Colonel Kobi Merom/Miron, a reservist in the Israeli army, commented on the escalation at the Lebanese-Palestinian border region, describing it as "a severe war of attrition with a high pace and many incidents occurring every day". In a piece published on Israeli Channel 12's website, he warned that an all-out war with Hezbollah poses a major challenge to "Israel," stressing that damage to the Israeli "home front", as he put it, would be significant in case of a war, not to mention the severe material and human casualties.

"Hezbollah has made some significant accomplishments in terms of psychological warfare, such as the evacuation of 70,000 settlers from their homes on the northern borders and hundreds of thousands who are still threatened by Hezbollah's missiles all the way to the Gulf of Haifa." He concluded "Israel is compelled to retreat and respond against Hezbollah, the party that has the initiative and is continuously escalating".

The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine praised the support efforts carried out by the Sanaa forces for the Palestinian resistance through their courageous operations targeting the interests of the occupying entity. The statement published on the channel of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine said, “ The support and support efforts carried out by the Yemeni armed forces for the Palestinian resistance through their courageous operations targeting the interests of the Zionist enemy.”

The statement issued by the movement and its military arm, the Al-Quds Brigades, added to the latest operation, and the statement continued: “The last of which was stopping a cargo ship heading to the Zionist entity and detaining those on board.” He considered, “This heroic act reflects the faith of the Yemeni people and their leadership in the duty of Arab and Islamic support for the Palestinian people and the nation’s duties to support the Palestinian cause, stand by the resistance, and stop the brutal, unjust aggression against the besieged Palestinian people.”

Explaining, “This heroic and courageous act is a true translation of the positions and not being satisfied with speeches and statements of denunciation and condemnation that the enemy does not pay attention to.”

Allied for Democracy

A far-right Likud MK and deputy speaker of the Knesset Nissim Vaturi called for the Israeli army to “burn down Gaza”. “All of this preoccupation with whether or not there is internet in Gaza shows that we have learned nothing. We are too humane. Burn Gaza now no less!” he said as cited by the Times of Israel. Vaturi posted his message on social media which was later removed after the Israeli war cabinet approved the entry of two trucks of fuel per day to prevent the collapse of the sewage treatment system, which risked a mass-disease outbreak. “Don’t allow fuel in, don’t allow water in until the hostages are returned back!” Vaturi said. This is the second highly controversial and aggressive statement by a Knesset member after Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said earlier this month that one of Israel’s options in the war against Hamas could be to drop a nuclear bomb on the Gaza Strip.

Jewish religious beliefs permeate the various Israeli army units participating in the ground incursions into Gaza. The Kahanist songs sung by these forces indicate that the ideology of “Messianic nationalism” is widespread among them, especially as they raise the slogans of the return of settlement to “Gush Katif” to the invading tanks.

The thought of “Messianic nationalism” accompanying Jewish soldiers is summed up by belief in the expected Messiah, savior and savior, who will come at the end of time to save the people of Israel, according to their beliefs.

With the beginning of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip , hundreds of “Haredi” (religious) young men volunteered to fight on the Gaza front, even though the conscription law does not obligate them to military service, as they devote their lives in religious schools to teaching Judaism and Torah.

These changes in the Israeli army, with the expansion of the war on Gaza, reflected the competition between the Israeli parties and movements, by employing the biblical religious dimension in order to mobilize the ranks of the Israelis, to engage in fighting in the ground battles in Gaza, which threatens what they call “the spirit of the army, as a national army.” According to estimates and analyzes of Israeli researchers. An investigation by the Center for Media and Democracy (Shomrim) reviewed the penetration of “Messianic nationalism” thought into the ranks of Israeli army units fighting ground battles in Gaza, and its use of rabbis who come to the battlefront and motivate the soldiers to take revenge on the Palestinians, urging them to perform collective Talmudic prayers and rituals even in northern Gaza. , and promoting the reconstruction of the “Old Synagogue” in Gaza.

Han Shalita, the investigative journalist who prepared the investigation into the transformations taking place in the Israeli army during the war on Gaza, said that the initial impression from monitoring many phenomena indicates that the army has abandoned mental preparation based on faith, as it is “the path of the Zionist project,” as she described it. He replaced it with readiness “based on religious justification.”

The journalist says, "Such an approach results in the politicization of combat goals and their imbuing them with Biblical religious considerations, and it integrates well with the transformations that Israeli society has undergone in recent years."

According to the investigation, the Knesset elections a year ago and the formation of the far-right government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu , which relied on the religious and Haredi parties, the settler movement, “ religious Zionism ,” and the “Jewish Greatness” party, were the first stages of transformations and changes in the Israeli army, which were expressed within its combat units with calls for revenge. From the Palestinians due to the events of last October 7.

In light of the growth of the ideology of “Messianic nationalism” within the ranks of the occupation army units, and the influence of the soldiers during the ground battles in Gaza by the rabbis’ calls to fight and take revenge, especially from the “religious Zionism” trend, the Israeli army is content in its responses that religious political statements and Kahanist songs will be dealt with, without revealing the mechanisms. To deal with this thought, according to Shalita.

In contrast, the Israeli army refuses to address the biblical religious preparation that is taking place under the auspices of the generals, according to what was revealed by the investigation of the “Shomrim” website, which confirmed that the penetration of the “biblical religious” movement into the ranks of the military units fighting in Gaza is taking place in cooperation with senior officials. Officers in the field, whether actively participating or turning a blind eye to these biblical religious transformations and movement.

Through the videos that Israeli soldiers publish on social media networks, according to the Shomrim Center’s monitoring, it appears that the only mental preparation for infantry soldiers before going into ground battles in the Gaza Strip depends on Talmudic and Biblical rituals.

The investigation pointed out that the Golani Brigade hosted Rabbi Everjan Hrentgen for a group prayer, before the ground incursion into Gaza began, and it was said that “it was a great honor for him to bless us” when he entered the hall crowded with soldiers.

In order to sharpen the soldiers with determination and energy, the herald described Rabbi Ifergan by saying that he is “a blessing added to all the means of physical and spiritual protection that we already have,” noting that this rabbi, according to the investigative journalist, “was obliged by the court two years ago to pay a tax worth 30 million shekels ($7.8 million). On the income of his followers and believers, he became a spiritual protector.”

Another guest also came to receive the soldiers before the ground incursion into Gaza, and he is the rabbi of the city of Safed, Shmuel Eliyahu, who in 2020 the Supreme Court ordered to be subjected to disciplinary procedures, after racist and political statements, and whose son is Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, who recently said that “dropping a bomb Nuclear power in Gaza is a possible option.”

The Shomrim Center wondered about the messages that the Israeli army is sending by introducing rabbis into the circles of soldiers in various combat units, and about allowing someone like Rabbi Eliyahu to be the spiritual reference that encourages soldiers before going to war in a populated and densely populated civilian area.

The investigation recalled what Eliyahu said in 2018, when he said, “Anyone who raises his hand against a Jew, it is a duty and a commandment for soldiers, policemen, and citizens to kill him.” Before the start of the ground incursion into Gaza, Rabbi Eliyahu announced in a message addressed to Israeli soldiers that “there are no people who are not involved, and before you intervene, we will all make a religious and national response and we will win,” he said.

None of this comes as a surprise to Professor Yigil Levy, a researcher of the relationship between the army and society in Israel, as he previously reviewed in his book “The Supreme Commander: The Army Theocracy in Israel,” saying that the rule of the clergy penetrates the powers of the army, in an attempt to influence designated areas of behavior exclusively for its political leaders.

In his interview with the “Shomrim” website, Levy answers the reason for this transformation in the army, saying, “This is mainly due to the attempt of the Hesder religious school and the religious preparatory schools to justify the nature of the path they chose, by redesigning the army’s behavior and culture.”

Levy says, "The Israeli army tolerates religious influence and accepts it as a fait accompli, because it has become more dependent on religious recruits, and is looking for new sources of legitimacy for military sacrifice," a transformation that threatens the spirit of the Israeli army as "the people's army."

Israeli researcher Levy says, “The military rabbinate exploited the soldiers’ fears in order for religion to enter the place where the basic fear of death exists, and this is evidenced by the ultra-Orthodox “Haredi” and nationalist religious public mobilizing collectively to meet the need to fight in Gaza.”

Levy spoke about the relationship between the army and society in Israel, where Israeli soldiers, including secularists, view Talmudic teachings as a kind of talisman, “believing it to be a spiritual jacket no less than a military jacket.” He said, "Confrontation based on faith is one of the ways that allows soldiers to deal with the feeling of danger and uncertainty during battle. Wrapping war in the mantle of religious war gives a renewed meaning to sacrifice in the army. Indeed, religious war charges soldiers with intense hostility toward the enemy."

The latest NBC news poll shows the US President's handling of the war on Gaza is a driving force behind Biden's low approval rating. The latest NBC news poll shows the US President's handling of the war on Gaza is a driving force behind Biden's low approval rating. Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates, who led the survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies expressed that “Joe Biden is at a uniquely low point in his presidency, and a significant part of this, especially within the Biden coalition, is due to how Americans are viewing his foreign policy actions."

President Biden delivered two different messages on the Israel-Hamas war to pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel Americans, NBC News has reported, based on copies of official White House correspondence. While one letter showcased Biden’s support for Israel against Palestinian group Hamas’s “terrorism”, the other spoke about the US administration’s efforts to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip.

According to NBC, the letter sent to pro-Israelis invoked the Holocaust in relation to the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel. It also pledged continuous support to Israel and efforts to return the captives taken by Hamas and being held in Gaza. “The people of Israel lived through a moment of pure evil” that “resurfaced horrible memories” and amounted to the “deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust”, NBC reported Biden’s letter, dated November 1, as saying. “The United States stands with Israel,” it continued. “We will continue to ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself against terrorism in accordance with international humanitarian law.”

On the other hand, Biden’s letter to pro-Palestinians focused on aid to Palestine and made no mention of the Holocaust or of US support for Israel. “We mourn the many innocent Palestinians who have been killed,” NBC reported Biden’s second letter saying, dated November 8. It added that the administration “is working closely with partners to ensure that life-saving assistance – including, food, water, and medicine can urgently reach innocent Palestinians in Gaza” and emphasised that “the United States stands unequivocally for the protection of civilians during conflict”.

While the two letters do not appear to contradict one another, or Biden’s policies, NBC reported that it was not common for the White House to craft different versions of a letter on the same topic that vary so much in their emphasis. It added that the incident “reflects the political tightrope Biden is trying to navigate as pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian elements of his coalition fray over the war”, and with less than a year to go before elections.