Yom Reva’ee
Wednesday
25 Cheshvan 5784
November 8 2023
UPDATE 10:00 PM
An important clarification from the IDF Spokesman two hours ago:
351 have fallen in defense of Israel. These 351 include soldiers as well as those policewomen, policemen, and MADA first responders who were killed on October 7.
A Reminder Of Why We Are Fighting This War (and)
Why There Should Be No Ceasefire Without The Release of Every Hostage
In the last 30 days, the Israel Police have collected 700 testimonies from the survivors and more than 50,000 videos made during and after the massacres of October 7.
One fact that has emerged: HamISIS terrorists and Gazan civilians massively raped babies, girls, women, and elderly women during their barbaric rampage.
In several cases, eyewitness survivors report they saw women raped repeatedly and then shot and killed. There were even cases of women at the Peace Party who were raped after they were dead.
The terrorists filmed themselves on their cellphones committing these atrocities. Many of those cellphones are now in the hands of the Israel Police. More than this, ZAKA volunteers who entered the communities after the massacres testified to the above.
And the world demands that we should be more humanitarian.
Missile and Mortar Attacks Today
In the South:
Kissufim (20:00); Kissufim (17:29); Kissufim (15:28); Kissufim (15:16); Nir Yitzhak (14:59); Nir Yitzhak, Holit, Sufa (14:09); Kissufim (12:16); Holit, Sufa (12:08); Kissufim (09:12); Kissufim (06:00).
All of the above was mortar fire directed at IDF staging areas.
In the North:
Avivim, Baram (19:23); Arab al-Aramshe (09:59).
The Situation on the Ground in Gaza
Clearly, the current phase of the war involves continuing to pressure HamISIS in the middle of Gaza City around the three main hospitals where the terrorists are holed up, and at the same time tackling the problem of the 500 km of endless tunnels.
Since the beginning of the war, IDF engineering forces have destroyed 130 tunnels shafts. Unfortunately, these are just a drop in the bucket–because of that, this war will take at least six months as terrorists continue coming out of as yet undiscovered tunnels.
According to the IDF spokesman at 8:25 pm tonight, more than 50,000 people in northern Gaza moved to southern Gaza today. Tomorrow, the IDF will open the evacuation corridor again.
5 More Ambulances For The Terrorists
The Egyptians permitted 5 new ambulances donated by Kuwait to enter Gaza today through the Rafah Crossing.
We already have seen in the last few days how HamISIS uses ambulances to ferry its terrorists around Gaza. You can be sure that the new ambulances will be used for the same purpose.
What Are The Conditions for the HamISIS terrorists Who Were Captured?
By order of Minister of Homeland Security Ben Gvir:
- 5 terrorists per cell
- Legs cuffed to each other
- Sleeping on stone benches
- Toilet is hole in the floor
- Allowed 1 shower per day
Your humble servant’s question: Why are they allowed a shower per day?
UPDATE 5:00 PM
It has been a day full of unfounded rumors such as:
From Sky News: “The IDF has surrounded the bunker of HamISIS head Yahya Sinwar.”
From Almaidin (Egyptian News): “Egypt is close to bringing the parties to an agreement on a ceasefire and prisoner exchange.”
From AFP (Agence France-Presse): “Qatar is conducting talks between Israel and Hamas for the release of 10-15 hostages in exchange for one-two days of ceasefire.”
And on and on.
—
At the same time, there have been some slippery statements from the IDF such as:
“Our goal is not to take Gaza City but to dismantle Hamas strongholds.”
Say what? When there are tunnels under virtually every house, how can the IDF not contemplate going house to house to root out the terrorists?
On the Ground
In the South, there has been slow but steady progress as the IDF continues to essentially lay siege to Shifa Hospital–and continues to deal with the tunnels.
An unexpectedly large number of people in northern Gaza have taken advantage of the “humanitarian corridor” to go to southern Gaza. One estimate is that 30% of the apartments/houses in northern Gaza have been destroyed.
In the North, the IDF has continued attacking anti-tank squads who are launching missiles at Israel.
UPDATE 8:00 AM
According to military sources and PM Netanyahu in a televised speech last night, the IDF is tightening the noose around the Hamas command and control center in and under the Shifa Hospital.
The focus all night was on the area immediately surrounding Shifa. The photo below shows light bombs lighting the area for our soldiers and pilots last night:
A bomb hitting beside the hospital:
Speaking of Shifa Hospital and Red Cross
The Red Cross, which has done nothing to free or even see our hostages, was involved last night in an effort to evacuate Palestinian patients from Shifa Hospital.
Israel gave the Red Cross permission to evacuate 50 patients, and so the Red Cross arrived with 20 ambulances. However, HamISIS would only allow 7 patients to be taken out of the hospital.
By the way, who is to say whether the patients in Shifa are wounded terrorists? Or simply terrorists escaping from the underground complex?
The Red Cross also reported yesterday that its “humanitarian convoy” of “life-saving medical equipment” into Gaza was hit by gunfire from “local” forces and caught fire.
To repeat, it is simply nauseating the extent to which the Red Cross is attempting to intervene on behalf of the “poor Palestinians” and doing nothing to help the situation of the children, women, and men held prisoner in the HamISIS tunnels.
On the Ground This Morning
*The IAF attacked another anti-tank squad on the Lebanon border (around 3:00 am).
*The first mortars of the morning have been fired by the Palestinian terrorists at Kissufim (06:00).
*The IDF, Border Guards, and Police have been extraordinarily active in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria operating in the Shuafat neighborhood of Jerusalem, Ramallah (1 terrorist killed), Bethlehem, Hevron, Shcchem, Jericho, and Qalqilya.
Biden Begins To Demand
Reports this morning are that President Biden “wants” a 3-day “humanitarian truce” to facilitate possible release of the hostages–though apparently there is no indication whatsoever that HamISIS is willing to release anyone.
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.