Yom Chamishee
Thursday
27 Adar I
March 7 2024
UPDATE 9:00 PM
May His Memory Always Be For A Blessing
Sgt. David Sassoon, 21, from Magnot Hadar, a fighter in the Oketz unit, the Al Hamor Brigade, fell in battle in the southern Gaza yesterday.
Sgt. Sassoon’s death raises the IDF death toll to 247 soldiers since the ground offensive began in Gaza on October 27, 2023.
As a reminder, 340 more IDF soldiers, police, and first responders were murdered on October 7th.
According to the IDF, 3,053 soldiers have been wounded since October 7th–1,467 of these have been wounded since October 27th.
On the Ground In Gaza Overnight and This Morning
The foci of attacks have been Gaza City, Nuseirat, Rafah, and Deir al-Balach with artillery, air, and ground strikes at each location.
The Nauseating Quote of the Day
“We will not compromise on the release of the Noh’ba prisoners.”
A HamISIS spokesman on Israeli TV yesterday.
The “Noh’ba prisoners” are the approximately 400 prisoners who carried out the barbaric atrocities in the border communities on October 7th. Now, HamISIS says that there will be no hostage deal until they are released along with thousands of other Palestinian prisoners.
Every day, the delusional list of HamISIS demands grows. Every day, more hostages die. And all of this happens despite the fact that we apparently know where HamISIS head Yahya Sinwar is and where most of the living hostages are. Perhaps the time has come for Israel to mount a rescue operation even though it may put the hostages’ lives in danger.
Speaking of the Abominable Noh’ba Terrorists
According to the Israeli Maariv newspaper, these terrorists who should have been shot instead of arrested, are living the good life in Israeli prison.
Actually, in an Israeli military prison . . . because the regular prison system refused to incarcerate them.
Even though these prisoners are handcuffed all the time and blindfolded most of the day, they receive three meals a day, each of which includes “four slices of bread, cheese, fruits and vegetables.” Compare this to the one quarter piece of pita that our hostages receive each day.
They also have unlimited access to water and even have their own water bottles. And unlike our hostages who apparently are unable to shower, these prisoners receive two showers a week.
Maariv reports that a reservist who was at the “prison” says that he was “amazed to see how new nylon shirts and underwear are handed out to the prisoners at the end of the shower, as if they were in a spa.” This clothing is in addition to the sweatpants, socks and coats that each has.
Moreover, each is seen by a doctor everyday who administers “medicine, antibiotics, their wound dressings.” Again, compare this to the abominable treatment of our hostages.
The same reservist summed up the appalling situation: “True, we are a country of law and it is important that procedures and humanitarian treatment are followed; however, we are not talking here about prisoners of war or ordinary security prisoners. These are the worst of murderers, scum who burned, raped and slaughtered our women and children on October 7.”
Three Pieces of Good News In Israel
1. Yesterday, the Supreme Planning Council in Judea and Samaria approved 3500 new residential in Ma’ale Adumim, Efrat and Kidar.
So far this year, 18,515 housing units have been approved in Judea and Samaria, the largest ever number of housing units approved in one year. This increase is in large part due to the work of Deputy Minister of Defense and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Smotrich said this yesterday: “This year we have done great things for the settlement, this is a good start. At the same time as the housing unit approvals, we are promoting the series of the young settlement, land surveys and announcements, security components and roads in Judea and Samaria on an unprecedented scale. Our enemies seek to harm us and weaken our hold on the land and our message is completely the opposite. The State of Israel will continue to grow and develop in all its areas, and the settlement will continue to grow, prosper and flourish.”
Smotrich correctly added: “Today, everyone already understands: where there are Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria there is security, where there are no communities there are monsters of terror that threaten the entire State of Israel. The communities in Judea and Samaria are the security belt of the State of Israel – the protector of Israel.”
Yes, the brave community members in Judea and Samaria are Israel’s security belt.
2. This week Israel Railways has begun operating 12-car-long (315 meters) trains that can carry a 2,000 passengers.
From Israelis taking 70 million train rides/trips in 2019, this number is expected to rise to 200 million in 2030, and 300 million in 2040.
The next rail upgrade will be the introduction of more double-decker train cars.
3. Yesterday saw unprecedented demand for a $8,000,000,000 Israel bond offering by 38 billion registered investors.
This was especially heartening given the massive expenditures that have been necessary during the war, and because of the recent slight downgrading of Israel’s credit rating.
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.