Operation Iron Swords - Day 198 - 21 April 2024

“At any point, Hamas could have ended this burgeoning tragedy to
surrender and release every hostage. …
Hamas instigated and owns this humanitarian catastrophe.”
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA)

Contents

UPDATED - True Promise IR-IL NEW - War Termination NEW - Operations NEW - Operations - Gaza NEW - Operations - Judea-Samaria NEW - Operations - Lebanon NEW - Operations - Syria / Iraq NEW - Operations - Yemen UPDATED - Operations Maps NEW - By-Standers NEW - Axis of Resistance NEW - Allied for Democracy UPDATED - By the Numbers

The Netzah Yehuda, or “Judea Forever,” is a unit for ultra-Orthodox Jewish soldiers located in the occupied West Bank. In recent years, it has become a destination for radical right-wing settlers. Settlers are Israeli citizens who live in illegal settlements on private Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Unlike other IDF units, the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, primarily made up of ultra-Orthodox soldiers, had been permanently stationed in the West Bank since the early 2000s. The government created Netzah Yehuda to facilitate ultra-Orthodox and other religious soldiers’ military service, allowing them to maintain their religious practices, such as by allowing additional time for prayers and religious study and limiting interactions with women. Over the years, the unit became a destination for many "Hilltop Youth" — young radical right wing settlers who weren't accepted into other combat unit in the IDF.

In 2022, around the time the US opened its investigation into the unit over incidents of violence against Palestinian civilians, Israeli newspaper Haaretz published an article describing the battalion’s “long history of bad behaviour, driven by an ideology imbibed from the settler movement”. An Israeli defence official who had spoken to Haaretz was quoted as saying that dissolving the Netzah Yehuda “would be a declaration of war for the settler leadership”, adding that “Their view on the ground is that this battalion belongs to them, that it’s a force that works for the settlement enterprise”.

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, himself a settler, has articulated that there is a clear ideological link between the settler communities and the soldiers serving in the battalion. “As a settler, I’m telling you that the residents are happy every time that Netzah Yehuda is deployed in their sector,” Smotrich wrote on social media.

On 12 January 2022, members of the ultraorthodox Netzah Yehuda battalion of the IDF pulled Palestinian-American Omar Assad, age 78, from his car as he was traveling home and detained him, while applying a blindfold, gagging him, and binding his wrists, according to media reports. Assad. a US citizen, was found dead shortly after the soldiers left the scene. According to press reporting in November 2022, the military’s legal authority informed lawyers for two officers that it was preparing to indict them over misconduct in Assad’s death. As of January 2023, the IDF reportedly had conducted its own investigation of the unit and had dismissed or reassigned several commanders while transferring the entire battalion from the West Bank to the Golan Heights.

The IDF stated that fighters of the Netzah Yehuda Battalion are now participating in the war in the Gaza Strip, "with courage and professionalism, while maintaining the values and spirit of the IDF and the principles of international law. Over the past few years, the battalion's fighters have been at the core of operational activities around the clock, to maintain the security of the citizens of the State of Israel, alongside being a leading battalion in the integration of ultra-Orthodox fighters in the IDF. Further to the publications about sanctions against the battalion, the matter is not recognized by the IDF. If a decision is made on the matter, it will be examined. The IDF is working and will continue to work to investigate every unusual event in a factual manner and in accordance with the law."

Barak Ravid reported in Axios that "U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to within days announce sanctions against the Israel Defense Forces "Netzah Yehuda" battalion for human rights violations in the occupied West Bank, three U.S. sources with knowledge of the issue told Axios. It would be the first time the U.S. imposed sanctions on an Israeli military unit. The sanctions will ban the battalion and its members from receiving any kind of U.S. military assistance or training, the sources said. A 1997 law authored by then-Senator Patrick Leahy prohibits U.S. foreign aid and Defense Department training programs from going to foreign security, military and police units credibly alleged to have committed human rights violations."

"Sanctions must not be imposed on the Israel Defense Forces," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. He said the intention to impose the measures as the IDF fights Hamas is the "height of absurdity and a moral low" and that his government will "act by all means against these moves."

Passover will begin in the evening of Monday, April 22, and will last through April 30 just after sundown. Jews in the land of Israel and some Reform Jews in diaspora will end Passover on the evening of Monday, April 29th. Passover, also known as Pesach in Hebrew, is a significant Jewish holiday commemorating the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt, as narrated in the biblical book of Exodus. It is one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays and is celebrated for seven or eight days, depending on tradition. The central ritual of Passover is the Seder, a ceremonial meal held on the first two nights (and sometimes the last two nights) of the holiday. During the Seder, the Haggadah, a text that recounts the story of the Exodus, is read aloud, and symbolic foods are eaten. These include matzo (unleavened bread), bitter herbs (to symbolize the bitterness of slavery), charoset (a mixture of fruits and nuts representing the mortar used by the Israelites in their forced labor), and others.

The prohibition of chametz (leavened food) is a significant aspect of Passover observance. This stems from the biblical command to eat only unleavened bread during the holiday. Many Jews thoroughly clean their homes before Passover to remove all traces of chametz, and some even perform a ritual search, called Bedikat Chametz, to ensure no chametz remains. Passover is also a time for Jews to reflect on themes of freedom, redemption, and renewal. It is a time for family gatherings, storytelling, and prayer, as well as for contemplating the relevance of the Exodus story to contemporary issues of justice and liberation.

War Termination

Operational Update

"The Chief of Staff visited the PADF and approved the next moves for the war," declared the IDF spokesman, Brigadier General Daniel Hagari, "we are aware of the difficulty of the evacuees from the north and are determined to allow their return." The Chief of Staff, Lt. Col. Hertzi Halevi today (Sunday), assessed the situation and approved plans for the continuation of the war at the Southern Command, with the Southern Command Commander, Major General Yaron Finkelman and other commanders.

Operational Update - Gaza

Two terrorists arrived at the Beit Anon junction in the Yehuda Brigade, one of the terrorists tried to stab IDF soldiers who were there, the forces responded by firing and neutralized him. At the same time, the other terrorist opened fire at the fighters who responded by firing and neutralized him as well. There are no casualties to Israeli forces. Fighters of the 92nd "Samshon" Battalion who were in the Yehuda Brigade area thwarted a combined attack this morning (Sunday) and neutralized the two terrorists who carried out the attack. Sgt. A. and Sgt. M. who took part in thwarting the attack this morning in the Yehuda Brigade: "We are fighters in the "Samshon" battalion, the 92nd battalion. We went on a routine guard here in the sector, a suspect came to us, and we carried out a suspect arrest procedure. As soon as we started handling the incident, they opened We took cover from the east. We got to the scene, and we neutralized the first terrorist very quickly, and we neutralized him as well Be 100 percent sure."

Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari announced on Sunday that the Chief of Staff had approved plans to continue operations on the southern front in the Gaza Strip, weeks after talking about a plan to storm the border city of Rafah with Egypt. Hagari said, "The Chief of Staff approved plans to continue operations on the southern front, and approved the next steps for operations in the Gaza Strip." Hagari stressed that the Israeli army is continuing the war "until the kidnapped people return to the homeland."

He said: "We are working around the clock based on intelligence information to free the kidnapped people in the Gaza Strip." He added: "Our forces completed operations targeting Hamas' military infrastructure in the central Gaza Strip. During this week, we attacked Hezbollah targets."

The Times of Israel reported that Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy approved the battle plans at a meeting at the Southern Command headquarters in Beersheba on Sunday. It quoted an army statement that said, "The situation was assessed and plans to continue the war were approved during the meeting attended by the head of the Southern Command."

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to increase "military pressure" on Hamas. Netanyahu said in a video statement on the eve of Passover: “We will deliver additional and painful strikes... In the coming days, we will increase military and political pressure on Hamas because this is the only way we have to free the hostages.” For weeks, the Prime Minister has been threatening to launch a ground attack on the city of Rafah in the far south of Gaza, where more than 1.5 million people have taken refuge, stressing the necessity of doing so to eliminate the last major stronghold of the Hamas movement in the Strip.

The Hamas Ministry of Health reported that 48 people were killed within 24 hours across the Strip until Sunday morning, bringing the total death toll in the Strip since the outbreak of the war to people, most of them civilians, according to the ministry.

Operational Update - Judea-Samaria

Last night (Saturday) an announcement was made about the intention to confiscate and destroy the house of the terrorist Murid Dahadha, located in the village of Atara. Dahadha, together with other terrorists, carried out a shooting attack on January 7, 2023, at the British police intersection, in which Amar Manor and the late Dr. Lara Tanos were murdered. After more than two days, the IDF, Shin Bet and MGB fighters completed an extensive counter-terrorism operation in the Nur a-Shams area in Menasha. 14 terrorists were eliminated, 15 wanted persons were arrested, explosives were uncovered, many weapons were located and confiscated.

Operational Update - Lebanon

Hezbollah launched more attacks against Israel on April 21. In separate statements, the group said its fighters targeted a building occupied by Israeli troops in the settlement of Shomera, fired Burkan heavy improvised rockets at gatherings in the Jal al-Alam site and targeted surveillance equipment of the IDF in the sites of Miskav Am, al-Malikiyah and the Doviev barracks. The attacks were carried out in support of the Palestinian people and resistance in the Gaza Strip as well as in response to recent Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, Hezbollah noted in its statements.

In addition, Hamas’ military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, announced that its branch in Lebanon fired 20 Grad rockets at the Shomera barracks in response to recent Israeli massacres in Gaza as well as in the occupied West Bank.

Hebrew media confirmed that several projectiles fired by Hezbollah and Hamas hit border sites and settlements. However, there were no reports of casualties. Separately, Hezbollah’s Military media released videos showing a recent attack on surveillance equipment in the al-Radar site, a missile attack on an IDF Humvee in Metula and a strike on a building occupied by Israeli troops in the same settlement.

Air force fighter jets attacked several terrorist targets in Lebanon. In one of the attacks, a terrorist was identified operating from a Hezbollah military structure in the Tir Harfa area. In a quick circle, fighter jets attacked the structure and destroyed it. Among the other targets that were attacked, an observation post in the al-Adaisa area and two military buildings of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the al-Khyam area.

Fighter jets attacked two military buildings where terrorists were staying in the Eyta al-Sha'ab area and Hezbollah terrorist infrastructures in the al-Nakura and Majdal Zone areas. Two launches from Lebanese territory were detected that crossed towards the Rosh Hankara area, the IDF attacked the sources of the fire. In response to the launches, fighter jets attacked a terrorist infrastructure in the El Katrani area.

A terrorist arrived at the Bekaot checkpoint in the Bekaa and Emekim division and tried to stab IDF soldiers who were in the position. The soldiers responded by firing and neutralized the terrorist. There were no casualties to Iareali forces.

Lebanese Hezbollah announced on Sunday evening that it had shot down an Israeli drone in southern Lebanon. He said in a statement that the plane that was shot down in the airspace of the Al-Aishiya area in southern Lebanon "was carrying out its attacks against our honorable and steadfast people." The Hermes 450 drone is designed for long-term tactical operations within reconnaissance and intelligence gathering units in the Israeli army. It is of medium size and can operate continuously for 20 hours.

This aircraft is manufactured by Silver Arrow, a subsidiary of Elbit Israel Systems, and is the third largest unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the Hermes family, which also includes the Hermes 900, Hermes 180, and Hermes 1500. The Hermes 450 is 6.1 meters long, weighs 450 kilograms, accommodates a payload of 150 kilograms, and has a power of 52 horsepower (39 kilowatts). This aircraft is distinguished by the fact that it relies on a single long wing and an upward tail made of light materials that facilitate its mission and enable it to continue flying freely. It operates within a highly encrypted electronic mechanism that makes it difficult to penetrate its systems during flight, according to what was published by the “Voice of Beirut International” website .

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, announced on Sunday that it had bombed the “Shomera Military Barracks” from southern Lebanon in the western sector of the Upper Galilee with 20 Grad missiles. Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement: “The Al-Qassam Brigades bombed from southern Lebanon the Shomera military barracks in the western sector of the Upper Galilee in northern occupied Palestine with 20 Grad missiles, in response to the Zionist enemy’s massacres in patient Gaza and the rebellious West Bank.”

Operational Update - Syria / Iraq

Iraq's Islamic Resistance, "a coalition of anti-terror fighters", announced a significant strike on an Israeli target in Syria's Golan Heights, occupied by the Tel Aviv regime. The group made the declaration on Saturday, stating they had targeted the site "with drones." This action, they said, was part of their ongoing resistance against occupation and in solidarity with the people of Gaza, responding to "massacres committed by the usurping entity" against Palestinian civilians. The resistance vowed to strike the enemy's strongholds, as it has done multiple times against Israeli regime targets since October, coinciding with the regime's aggression toward Gaza. In addition to targeting Israeli interests, Iraqi Islamic Resistance forces have been hitting United States military bases in Iraq and neighboring Syria, protesting Washington's unwavering support for the Israeli aggression.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant, while he was near the Syrian border, announced an increase in the readiness of the forces for offensive missions to prevent the ongoing Iranian concentration in the region at all times. Galant said: “I patrolled the Golan Heights sector this morning with the division commander. I saw the very good preparation of the Israeli army forces here in the eastern sector and how we prevent the positioning of Hezbollah forces as well as the Iranian forces trying to reach the borders of the Golan Heights. We maintain complete freedom of action.” To strike any target and any enemy that tries to put us in danger.

He added: “At the same time, very significant preparatory efforts are taking place here to train, equip and prepare against any threat that may arise from the north. We are determined to return our population to the north and for this purpose we are collecting and studying intelligence information, deploying forces, training and qualifying so that we can carry out this mission accurately and quickly.” And with high quality.”

Galant arrived at the 210th Division, and conducted an assessment of the situation near the Israeli-Syrian border with the division commander, Brigadier General Zion Ritzon, and the officers of the division headquarters. The Israeli minister obtained an intelligence report about Iran and Hezbollah's attempts to establish their presence throughout Syria, and insisted on the Israeli army's movements to thwart armed elements in the field.

Israel has increased the frequency of its targeting deep inside Syria since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip. Israel rarely acknowledges publicly carrying out strikes in Syria, and reiterates that it will continue to confront what it describes as "Iran's attempts to establish its military presence there."

Operational Update - Yemen

Maps

All maps are lies. “Not only is it easy to lie with maps, it is essential,” wrote cartographer Mark Monmoneir in his book How to Lie with Maps. He showed that condensing complex, three-dimensional spaces onto a two-dimensional sheet of paper [in old days] is bound to be reductive. But it is impossible to comprehend the war in Gaza without reference to maps, otherwise the entire conflict is reduced to an endless series of meaningless acts of random violence and the suffering of civilians. The first characteristic of guerrilla warfare is the loss of a front line. Evidently, different mappers have different ideas of how to depict the war in Gaza, notably those that seek to depict Israeli progress in the ground campaign. Part of the problem is latency. The news that forms the basis of the maps takes time to filter out to mappers, and the cartographers take time in crafting their maps, and it takes time to curate them. These processes are uneven among mappers, so their maps may differ in detail. Probably there is some ideological bias, or at least thematic apperception, which is understandable in wartime. It may come as no surprise that al-Jazeera maps depict rather less Israeli territorial progress than other sources. Finally, there remains the epistemological question of just exactly what are the colored in areas depicting. Naively, this might be understood as areas of Israeli control, that are no longer contested by the HAMAS. Or possibly these are areas of Israeli presence, in many of which the possibility of an RPG-wielding HAMAS militant popping out of a tunnel unexpectedly remains a live possibility. With the "zero-range" combat characterized by small unit tactics on both sides, maps may be prey to a fallacy of misplaced concreteness.

Bystanders

Axis of Resistance

Iran's supreme leader met with military commanders in a curiously cramped small room 21 April 2024 thanking them for the attack on Israel. He tellingly says, "how many missiles were launched and how many of them hit their target is not the primary question, what really matters is that Iran demonstrated its will-power during that operation." Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei admired the Iranian Armed Forces for manifesting the country’s power and determination in the international arena by conducting the recent retaliatory operation against the Israeli regime. In a meeting with top military commanders on Sunday, Ayatollah Khamenei, the commander-in-chief of the Iranian Armed Forces, appreciated the military forces’ efforts and their success amid the recent developments.

The Leader said the armed forces displayed a good image of their capabilities and might and also an admirable image of the Iranian nation and could prove the manifestation of power of the Iranian nation in the international arena. The recent achievements of the Iranian Armed Forces created a sense of grandeur and magnificence of Iran in the eyes of the world and the international observers, the Leader stated. Ayatollah Khamenei noted that the issue of the number of missiles fired by Iran during the Operation True Promise or the percentage of the missiles having hit the targets, on which the other side has concentrated, is a “secondary and peripheral subject” while the main topic is the display of the Iranian nation and armed forces’ power in the global arena.

Lauding the armed forces for exercising prudence in their measures, the Leader said, “Various incidents come at a cost and have achievements. What is important is to reduce the costs with prudence and add to the achievements, and this is what the (Iranian) Armed Forces did very well in the recent developments.”

The Sultanate of Oman refused to comment on the possibility of Hamas leaders moving to Muscat.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Saturday, as ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas faltered. This step came after Qatar's statements that it was reevaluating its role as a mediator in the truce negotiations.

These events coincide with what was reported by the American newspaper, The Wall Street Journal , on Saturday, regarding the intention of Hamas officials to leave Qatar and move to another capital, noting that the movement recently communicated with at least two countries in the region regarding the transfer of its political leaders to them, but it did not name them.

The American Wall Street Journal quoted Arab officials as saying that the political leadership of the Hamas movement is considering moving its headquarters from Qatar to another country, in light of the failure to reach a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. Haniyeh's visit to Istanbul, which is his first trip to Turkey since Israel began its campaign against Gaza after the Hamas attack on October 7, raises questions about the Turkish role and whether Ankara will be the movement's new center, as well as the extent of Turkey's ability to mediate talks between... The two opponents and whether she has winning cards in her hands that enable her to use her influence to lead the mediation process.

Visiting fellow at the London School of Economics and professor of international relations, Selin Naci, told Al-Hurra website, “It is very likely that Turkey aims to position itself as a mediator in the conflict and perhaps take over Qatar’s role, especially with the lack of success of other countries in these talks, such as Egypt.” Regarding the possibility of Hamas leaders moving to Turkey, the Turkish analyst believes that “the Turkish people in general sympathize with the Palestinian cause, and the current ruling party supports Hamas because they have one background in common, which is the Muslim Brotherhood.” She said, "The Turkish government granted Hamas members legal and valid passports, and Hamas officials also enjoy freedom at the operational level in Turkey, and this is what caused a dispute between Turkey and Israel."

Therefore, Nasi does not rule out that “Turkey will be the new center for Hamas,” explaining that “the options available to the movement are very limited, and most of them may be linked in one way or another to areas of Iranian influence and control, such as Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen.” She said, "These destinations are not favored by the international community, specifically the American administration, and Hamas itself is not in its interest to be completely under Iranian influence because this undermines its strength and poses a threat to it."

The Turkish analyst said, "Turkey, which strongly desires to play an effective role in the Palestinian issue, could accept the idea of ??hosting Hamas, because this may strengthen its position to play the role of mediator." She continued, "During his recent visit to Qatar, on Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Western countries want to revive the two-state solution, indicating their readiness to accept the Hamas movement as a disarmed political party, pointing to Hamas' acceptance of this option, suggesting that Ankara will sponsor it." With this crossing. The Turkish analyst spoke about the Qatari position, saying, “Doha has felt a lot of pressure in the recent period, whether regionally or internationally, and the reports that talk about the weakness of the influence of the Hamas political office on the military wing may be true, which makes the task of mediation very difficult, and therefore it may want to Qatar can safely emerge from this impasse.”

On Tuesday, the Qatari embassy in Washington criticized comments made by Democratic US Representative Steny Hoyer, in which he called on Washington to “reevaluate” its relationship with Qatar and that it must threaten Hamas with “repercussions” if it “continues to obstruct progress towards releasing the hostages and reaching an agreement.” A temporary ceasefire," according to Reuters. Over the past few months, some other American lawmakers have suggested that Qatar supports Hamas, an accusation denied by Qatar, which is home to about 10,000 American soldiers, the largest US military presence in the Middle East. Qatar stated, on Wednesday, that there are limits to the role of the mediator, and said, “(Mediators) cannot provide things that the parties themselves refrain from.”

Regarding the extent of the success of Ankara’s mediation in the Palestinian-Israeli crisis, the Turkish analyst raised two questions related to this matter. The first is the extent of influence that Turkey has on the political wing of Hamas compared to Qatar, and how its role will lead to settling the Palestinian-Israeli issue. Nasi said, "After the attack carried out by Hamas against Israel, on October 7, Turkey took many steps and quickly offered to mediate between the two parties regarding a ceasefire and the release of the Israeli hostages."

But she added, "What Ankara offered at that time was hasty and irrational, because everyone knew that Israel at the time would not accept anything before taking revenge on Hamas, and after that Turkey felt frustrated that its mediation was not taken seriously." She added, "Turkey is currently trying for the second time to use its relationship and connections with Hamas as an advantage and a pressure card against Israel, but Ankara's repeated statements in defense of the movement and its criticism of Israel publicly since the start of the war have made it far away throughout the past period from being accepted in the role of mediator by the international community." .

Therefore, the international relations professor believes that “to ensure the success of Turkey’s attempt to return to the game and play a constructive role in the post-war settlements in Gaza, Ankara must express its sympathy with Israel and condemn what happened with the Israeli people.” She said: "But I do not know how this could happen, given Erdogan's repeated statements that Hamas is not terrorist."

Turkey was the subject of many movements related to Hamas on Saturday, as the Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, met with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry. The two parties stressed that "ending the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories must be a top priority for the international community, and stressed the necessity of a two-state solution and the introduction of aid to civilians." Shukry said that Egypt will host a Turkish delegation to prepare for the visit of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to Turkey in the near future, according to Reuters. This coincided with Haniyeh's visit to Turkey, on Saturday, during which he discussed with Erdogan efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid there, during a meeting in Istanbul.

However, Taha Odeh Oglu, a researcher on Turkish affairs and international relations, told Al-Hurra website that “Turkey is not expected to be the next center for Hamas, and preferences point to the states of the Sultanate of Oman and Algeria, as they are considered neutral states that are not in dispute with Israel and are accepted by the international community.” He added, "Turkey emerged exhausted from the local elections in the recent period, and the Justice and Development Party led by Erdogan is facing fierce competition with the Republican People's Party. Therefore, Erdogan does not want to risk hosting Hamas leaders at this time."

However, the fact that Hamas leaders do not reside in Turkey does not negate Ankara’s role as a mediator during the coming period, according to what Oglu believes, and he explained that this is currently being embodied during the various visits, whether by Haniyeh or by the Egyptian Foreign Minister. Odeh Oglu touched on the reasons for Turkish support for Hamas, saying that it "primarily serves Erdogan's agenda internally to enhance his popularity among the Turkish people and his party members and supporters who sympathize with the Palestinian cause, especially after the recent criticism directed at Erdogan in the local elections." He added, "Turkey wants to tell everyone, whether locally or internationally, that it can solve the crisis and manage the negotiation file by pressuring Hamas to release the Israeli hostages, and by using its good relationship with Washington to bring the views of the two sides closer together, especially before the expected visit of President Erdogan to Washington, next May." “On which the Turkish President relies greatly.”

He said that Erdogan's plan depends on "Turkey will use its relationship with Hamas to convince it to accept the terms of the truce, in exchange for Washington convincing Israel not to initiate a military operation in Rafah and to cease fire." On Sunday, Israel said that Hamas had rejected the truce proposal in Gaza that it had received.

Allied for Democracy

For the fifth consecutive day, hundreds of Columbia University students and activists persisted in an open sit-in at the Gaza Solidarity Encampment on the New York State campus. Outside support swelled on Saturday as protesters returned to bolster the students, armed with sleeping bags and books. "This is nothing compared to what people in Palestine are dealing with. People in Gaza are starving. They have lost everything. Their homes and their apartments have been bombed. So we really feel like we have a moral obligation to continue doing what is right," emphasized graduate student Layla Saliba, highlighting the underlying motivation driving the ongoing protest. Saliba underscored a noticeable shift within the solidarity encampment since Thursday's university call-in, stating, "The mass arrests and the suppression of students - I'd say that's galvanized us."

Council member Tiffany Caban denounced the university's response, stating, "Here they are showing leadership, and they're being censored and punished for it and it's wrong."

The students' core aim remains expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people and advocating for their rights to freedom and independence. This includes demanding divestments from the Israeli occupation and the cessation of financial aid to Israel. Despite facing charges of trespassing and suspensions for defying school regulations, the students remain resolute in their stance. The ongoing sit-in within the encampment erected in the university square signifies their unwavering determination.

Support for the students extends beyond campus borders, with thousands rallying outside the university in solidarity with the ongoing sit-in. Amidst the diverse showing of support, Allyson Fairbanks, a Jewish woman, condemned both Israel's military response in Gaza and Columbia's handling of the situation. "They're on the wrong side of history, Columbia University," Fairbanks asserted. The students affirmed their commitment to protest until Columbia divests from companies funding genocide in Gaza.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today released the following statement in response to the ongoing protests occurring at Columbia University: “I am horrified and disgusted with the antisemitism being spewed at and around the Columbia University campus — like the example of a young woman holding a sign with an arrow pointing to Jewish students stating ‘Al-Qasam’s Next Targets,’ or another where a woman is literally yelling ‘We are Hamas,’ or another where groups of students are chanting ‘We don’t want no Zionists here’ — and I condemn this hate speech in the strongest of terms. Supporting a terrorist organization that aims is to kill Jews is sickening and despicable. As I have repeatedly said, hate has no place in our city, and I have instructed the NYPD to investigate any violation of law that is reported. Rest assured, the NYPD will not hesitate to arrest anyone who is found to be breaking the law.

“We will not be a city of lawlessness, and those professional agitators seeking to seize the ongoing conflict in the Middle East to sow chaos and division in our city will not succeed.

“I do, however, want to be abundantly clear: Columbia University is a private institution on private property, which means the NYPD cannot have a presence on campus unless specifically requested by senior university officials. The NYPD has an increased presence of officers situated around the campus to protect students and all New Yorkers on nearby public streets, and they stand ready to respond if another request is made by the university, as they did on Thursday, when the NYPD successfully cleared encampments on Columbia’s South Lawn without any injuries.

“I urge Columbia’s senior administration officials to improve and maintain an open line of communication with the NYPD to ensure the safety of all students and staff on campus, as well as for the safety of all New Yorkers.

“I know the conflict in the Middle East has left many of us grieving and angry. New Yorkers have every right to express their sorrow, but that heartbreak does not give anyone the right to harass or threaten others or to physically harm someone they disagree with.

“As mayor of the city with the largest Jewish community in the world outside of Israel, the pain these protests are causing Jews across the globe is not lost on me, especially as we start Passover tomorrow evening. I also see and hear the pain of those protesting in support of innocent lives being lost in Gaza.

“In this moment of heightened tension around the world, we stand united against hate.”

In the spring of 1968 several issues converged on the Columbia campus. The continuing war and the elimination of exemption for graduating seniors and firstyear graduate students intensified anti-war activities. These included mass demonstrations and blockades directed against military recruiting and training on campus, the Dow Chemical Corporation recruiters, and official University membership in the Institute for Defense Analysis, a military research consortium. The University's program of expansion in the neighborhood, involving buying out single-room occupancy housing and also elimination of some older regular apartment buildings had been protested over the years by some groups of local residents and student sympathizers on the grounds that it deprived poor and black people of housing and reduced the degree of racial and economic integration of the neighborhood.

On 23 April 1968, the Students for a Democratic Society called a rally at the sundial in the center of campus to protest the disciplining of six of its leaders for conducting an indoor demonstration against the IDA, indoor demonstrations being against the rules laid down by the President. The crowd went to Morniugside Park where they knocked down a fence around the gym construction site, clashed with the police, and one member was arrested. They then returned to the campus and occupied Hamilton Hall, the classroom and administration building of the undergraduate College. The group, then a coalition of black members of the Student Afro-American SOciety and the mainly white SDS, surrounded Acting Dean Coleman's.office so that he .couldn't get out.

The white radicals then, early in the dawn, broke into the main administration building, Low Library, and occupied President Kirk's office, where they searched his files and copied correspondence which interested them. They stayed barricaded in, expecting police action to remove them, which never came. Dean Coleman was eventually released after a 24 hour seige. Red flags floated in the sun over Fayerweather and Mathematics. Communes were formed, and an'intense group life went on in the "liberated" buildings.

A general student strike was called, which was respected by most faculty and students to the extent that such classes as met did so outdoors or in offices, not classrooms. Hanoi leaders continue to predict that the antiwar movement would eventually force the American Government to withdraw from Vietnam.

Operation Iron Swords - By the Numbers

The British newspaper "Daily Mail" reported in a report on Sunday that fears are growing in Israel that only about 40 of the 133 hostages remaining in the hands of Hamas since October 7 are still alive. The report merely quoted a statement by a “source” who said that access to intelligence information “has become much easier than it was before October 7, when our access to Gaza was limited and we did not have many possibilities regarding sources.” The report claimed that this assessment was based on intelligence information collected by the Israeli internal security service, Shin Bet, but the latter denied the validity of this claim.

Israeli media quoted a comment from the Shin Bet in which he said that “the aforementioned report is incorrect and does not agree with the Shin Bet’s opinion,” and that the numbers mentioned in it “are the opinion of the writer only and are not based on information reported by the Shin Bet.” This report came less than two weeks before US officials told the Wall Street Journal that they estimated that most of the hostages who were being held by armed groups in the Gaza Strip were no longer alive.

CNN reported at the same time that Hamas informed the mediators within the framework of the hostage negotiations that it did not “have 40 hostages alive who meet the criteria for release” in the first phase of a new prisoner exchange deal between the two sides, according to an Israeli source, In addition to another source familiar with the details.

For his part, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that of the 129 hostages who were being held, 33 of them were killed.

• 1,900,000 IDPs in Gaza
• 76,465 Gazans injured, 28% adult male
• 70,000 tons of explosives dropped on Gaza
• 70,000 housing units completely destroyed
• 70,000 Israeli IDPs from Lebanon border
• 45,000 bombs dropped in Gaza
• 43,000 Gazans killed, including buried under rubble
• 34,097 Gazans martyred
• 33,000 Gaza targets attacked
• 20,528 Palestinians in Israeli prisons [Haaretz, 20 Mar 2024]
• 15,140 Israelis injured [i24 TV]
• 15,000 rockets launched from Gaza
• 14,520 Gazan children martyred
• 13,000 HAMAS combatants killed [N12]
• 13,000 HAMAS combatants killed [IDF]
• 11,000 arrested by Israelis in the West Bank in 2023
• 10,000 Gazans missing under the rubble
• 9,920 Gazan women martyred
• 9,400 Palestinians in Israeli prisons
• 9,000 IDF needing psychological assistance
• 8,365 arrested by Israelis in the West Bank since Oct.7th
• 7,209 IDF injured admitted to rehabilitation [IDF]
• 6,800 IDF officers and soldiers injured [Channel 12]
• 6,000 HAMAS combatants killed [HAMAS]
• 5,500 IDF wounded [reports]
• 4,800 West Bank Palestinians wounded
• 4,700 sites targetted in Lebanon
• 3,850 wanted persons arrested throughout Judea and Samaria
• 3,484 administrative detainees
• 3,188 IDF wounded [IDF]
• 2,100 Gazan women are missing
• 1,609 terrorists killed on the first day
• 1,650 wanted persons arrested throughout Judea and Samaria affiliated with Hamas
• 1,160 Israelis killed on the first day
• 604 Israeli officers and soldiers killed since the start of the war
• 468 West Bank Palestinians martyred
• 364 people [including fighters] killed in Lebanon
• 260 Israeli officers and soldiers killed in Gaza
• 240 Hezbollah fighters killed in Lebanon
• 126 people recovered, including 91 Israelis, 11 bodies, and 24 foreign workers
• 116 living hostages in Palestinian custody
• 70 civilians killed in Lebanon
• 29 IDF deaths were caused by "friendly fire"
• 15 Israelis killed in the West Bank and Israel

Not every number is reported every day, so sudden jumps generally reflect reporting artifacts rather than actual upticks. Many of these numbers fluctate, up and down, with no apparent explanation. This list records the highest number reliably reported for each matter, under the theory that reality with catch up with reports, as is relentlessly the case.