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By the numbers:
Daily Brief (October 18, 2023)
Failed rocket launch caused an explosion near Gaza hospital. Yesterday, Palestinian authorities announced over 500 were killed in the Al-Ahli hospital, blaming Israel. Later footage showed a failed Islamic Jihad rocket launch. More details in our Fake of the Day section.
Biden visit, Biden 'uninvited' to Jordan & Abbas, after misfired Hamas rocket damages Gaza hospital
President of Egypt Abdel Fattah Al Sisi said his country won’t be taking any refugees from Gaza and suggested that Israel should move them to the Negev desert. “If the Palestinians are transferred to Egypt… Sinai will be a base for operations against Israel and in this case, Egypt will be labeled as a base for terrorists,” he said.
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Military Update
Following precise ISA intelligence, the IDF killed two Hamas terrorists: Muhammad Awdallah - commander of the anti-tank missile system of the Gaza City Brigade of the Hamas terrorist organization, and Akram Hijazi - a terrorist from the Hamas naval forces, and an arms dealer and terror funder responsible for directing terror attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip.
The IDF calls on the residents of Gaza to evacuate to the humanitarian area in al-Mawasi, in which international humanitarian aid will be provided as needed
IDF: Increase of failed Hamas/PIJ rocket launches inside the Gaza Strip; The Hamas terrorist organization continues to use civilians in the Gaza Strip as human shields and civilian compounds for military purposes
Since Hamas’s initial attack on Israel, it has continuously used civilians in the Gaza Strip as human shields, regularly launched barrages of rockets and used civilian compounds for military purposes.
These rocket launches are carried out from areas adjacent to civilian buildings and compounds such as hospitals, UN schools, mosques, restaurants, diplomatic buildings, and hotels.
The Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations fire rockets indistinctly at Israeli civilians, often causing harm to civilians in the Gaza Strip. Hamas is continuing to use the residents of the Gaza Strip as human shields, and does not hesitate to risk the lives of Gazan civilians to shield their attacks. Here’s how it works (infographic below):
Attached is an infographic regarding the increase in number of failed Hamas/IJ rocket launches in the Gaza Strip:
Hostage Situation
A senior Hamas official told NBC News’ Richard Engel that the group is willing to immediately release all civilian hostages — foreign and Israeli — if Israel stops its airstrikes on Gaza. However, Hamas later acknowledged it does not actually hold all the hostages.
Some are held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another group based in Gaza and yet others by “random Gaza citizen opportunists.”
“There has not been a complex hostage situation like this in the modern era. It’s an active war zone filled with tunnels,” said Christopher O’Leary, a former FBI official who previously ran a multi-agency U.S. government hostage recovery unit.
Hamas was pushing for an exchange of prisoners,” said a diplomat familiar with the matter, “but they have finally accepted that wasn’t going to be the case.”
Hamas insists on keeping all Israeli soldiers captive, but it “appears to have understood that civilians will have to be released without a trade,” he added. “Discussions are ongoing and have been more positive recently, but no breakthrough yet.”
Hatred Knows No Bounds
A Berlin synagogue was attacked with Molotov cocktails early Wednesday as antisemitic incidents in the German capital have been rising following the violent escalation in the Middle East.
Arabs rioted across the Middle East in Lebanon, Jordan and elsewhere across the Middle East outside U.S. embassies, after the Gaza hospital explosion.
Police guards around Holocaust memorials in concern of desecration of memorials by Neo-Nazi groups.
As those traumatized by it already know, Hamas launched a unique terror tactic, live-streaming horrors on victims’ social media.
Some maintain that Hamas is pursuing a policy of “human sacrifice,” rather than human shields. As in, it’s purposely sacrificing its own people, Palestinians.
World Support
Photo of the day! Biden with Rachel Edri from Ofakim (she “fought off” Hamas terrorists by feeding them cookies [true story])
Firefighters, medics from abroad are heading to Israel to help war effort. Volunteers from the US have been preparing meals at mobile kitchens for thousands of IDF soldiers and people in need.
Following an air raid warning, German Chancellor and his staff were evacuated from their airplane, ready for take off, as rockets were fired toward the Center of Israel.
A Treasury official said the U.S. is renewing plans to pursue Hamas funding streams and called on allies and the private sector to do the same or “be prepared to suffer the consequences.”
Nepalis mourn relatives and broken dreams in wake of devastating Hamas massacre
10 Nepali agriculture students killed in October 7 onslaught; Ashish Chaudhary, 25, planned to use money saved by working in Israel to build a farming business at home
On the Bright Side
Arkady Gaydamak, the former owner of Beitar Jerusalem, spent 150,000 shekels at a toy store in Herzliya for Israeli children displaced by the war.
Fake of the Day (Year? Decade?)
Yesterday a rocket explosion shook Al-Ahil hospital in Gaza. Shortly after, Hamas and Palestinian officials blamed Israel for the attack and said at least 500 people were killed. Following a thorough investigation, the Israeli IDF announced that the hospital was hit by a failed Palestinian Islamic Jihad missile.
An intercepted conversation between the members of the terrorist organization was published by official Israeli accounts. According to it, the barrage of missiles was fired by PIJ “from the cemetery behind the hospital” with one that “misfired and fell on them”. Later, numerous photographs and videos were published showing the site of the explosion and the amount of damage.
IDF: Israel did not strike Gaza hospital and the alleged number of killed is inflated.
Here is a visual analysis following the IAF’s examination on the subject:
Here is an infographic of all the failed rocket launches in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war.
Here is a photograph from the IDF launch identification system on the subject:
How You Can Help
LOOKING FOR EQUIPMENT… campaign to purchase equipment for the emergency squads in the settlements.
Beit Lechem Yehuda organization has repurposed its logistic center in order to supply essential products and food products for the families who fled from the Kibutzim in the south and our heroic soldiers who are fighting in the south and in the north. Visit link or email bly (at) bly(dot)org(dot)il .
How Jewish parents can help their children with a flood of pain on social media.
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Have a great rest of the week,
Yuri
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