Thursday
Yom Chamishee
25 Kislev 5785
December 26 2024
BREAKING NEWS
4:00 PM ISRAEL TIME THURSDAY: The IAF is currently carrying out broad attacks against the Houthis in Yemen.
5:00 PM: The second wave of Israeli bombers is now striking Sana’a and other sites including the international airport and seaports.
Chag Chanukah Sameach! Happy Chanukah!
A New Prayer for Chanukah:
“Our Father in Heaven. Amidst the light of the Hanukkah candles that will illuminate Jewish homes and reveal the miracle of your presence in our world and recall the strength and heroic spirit of the Maccabees, and the salvation of the victory of those days,
We come and plead before you that you will similarly bring light to all those who remain trapped in darkness: To all the captives imprisoned in tunnels of darkness and are desperately seeking salvation and return to their homes. To all their families and those who wish for their safety and welfare, while dark shadows continue to fill their worlds.
“To all those who have been forced out of their homes, while their hearts and homes remain dark. To all the bereaved families whose lives have been permanently darkened. And all those who have been injured in body and spirit. Hashem, please fill your world with light! And fulfill for us that which is written: ‘A new light will shine upon Zion, and we will all quickly merit its light.’”
The above prayer was composed by Rabbi Yuval Cherlow in a collaboration between Tzohar and the Atid Le’Otef Movement.
PM Netanyahu Lights Chanukah Candles
PM Netanyahu’s comments:
“Today we are lighting the first candle of Chanukah to mark the victory of the Maccabees then, and also the victory of ‘the Maccabees of today.
Like then, we are striking at our enemies. The Houthis will also learn what Hamas, Hezbollah, the Assad regime and others have learned. This will also take time. This lesson will be learned across the Middle East,”
A Wonderful Chanukah Message
from the American Friends of Judea and Samaria (AFJS):
| Dear friends around the world, This week will be celebrating Chanukah, the festival that relates the story of the heroism of a people that led to a revolt during the Second Temple period. As it is written –bayamim hahem bazman hazeh –in those days at this time – these days, too, are times of special historical significance for our country, Israel. We are currently witnessing the profound heroism and great victories of our soldiers fighting on all fronts in Judea and Samaria, Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, and the courage of our fearless combat fighters and pilots in Yemen, Iran, and other parts of the world. The story of the Maccabees, whose strength, power, and bravery serve as an inspiration for us, began here, in Judea and Samaria: in the Gofna Mountains and the Levona heights in the Binyamin region, in Beit Tzur and Beit Zechariah in Gush Etzion, in Beit Horon, and in other places. We have attached a map below of Judea and Samaria where the various battles sites of the Maccabees are marked. This evening, once the Chanukah candles are lit, take the map and sit down with your children or grandchildren, and tell them the tales of the herosim displayed by every Jew. We are all steeped in prayer and fiercely embracing hope for the return of the hostages and the recovery of the injured. Wishing you a wonderful Chanukah. Am Yisrael Chai! The AFJS Team |
We are particularly proud here in Ashdod because it was “on the plains of Ashdod” where Judah Maccabee’s army defeated the enemy in 163 BCE and where in 145 BCE Jonathan Maccabee captured the city and killed 8,000 of the enemy.
UPDATE 9:00 AM ISRAEL TIME
On the Ground in Gaza
**A senior Hamas official ludicrously told a Qatari newspaper yesterday that Hamas had confirmed in the hostage/ceasefire negotiations that it is willing to hand over a full list of the living hostages after the situation in Gaza stabilizes and after the ceasefire takes hold.
**The IAF eliminated an Islamic Jihad terror cell via a strike on a vehicle in Nuseirat last night.
**At 17:26 pm yesterday alarms sounded in the areas in red below for a “hostile aircraft intrusion”:
It was later determined that the “hostile aircraft” was a drone launched from Yemen. The IAF intercepted and destroyed it.
On the Ground in Lebanon
The IDF released information yesterday about our ongoing operations in Lebanon which encompass 30 separate areas.
In the last two months, the IDF has seized 85,170 Hezbollah assets in the area including:
2,250 large missiles; 6,840 anti-tank missiles; 340 Kornet missiles; 60 anti-aircraft missiles; 20 vehicle/launchers; 9,000 IEDS; and 5,560 guns, and numerous other items.
The IDF further reported that since the start of the war 12 months ago, 3,851 Hezbollah terrorists have been killed and around 9,.000 wounded. 44 of those killed were killed since the November 26 “ceasefire.”
On the Ground in Judea and Samaria
*At 18:46 yesterday, a Palestinian terrorist carried out a ramming attack at the Gush Etzion Junction. An Israeli was seriously wounded; the terrorist later surrendered after an IDF manhunt.
**A Joint IDF and ISA announcement:
“IDF, ISA, and Israel Border Police forces concluded a two day long counterterrorism operation in the area of Tulkarm.
During the operation, IAF aircraft struck a number of armed terrorist cells on several different occasions. Additionally, IDF soldiers eliminated two additional terrorists during close-quarter encounters, dismantled dozens of improvised explosive devices hidden beneath roads, apprehended a number of suspects, and confiscated weapons.
Among the eliminated terrorists were: Qusai Amin Ibrahim Oqasha, a senior terrorist in the Tulkarm terrorist network, who replaced the terrorist Tarek Doush who was eliminated last week in a joint IDF and ISA aerial strike.
Along with Qusai, the terrorists Jomaa Salam Ubaid and Imran Harun, an additional senior terrorist in the terrorist network were eliminated.”
On the Ground in Syria
**The IDF continues establishing control over an area 20 km deep into Syrian territory.
According to a Syrian report, the IDF has taken control of the buffer zone, including cities, towns and strategic hills, reached the suburbs of Daraa, and taken control of the Yarmouk Basin and the fresh water sources.
Within this framework, several control centers were established, the most prominent of which is located in the city hall building of the city of Baath in Quneitra.
The same report notes that “in parallel with the military activity, heavy Israeli engineering equipment is carrying out excavation work on various hills, erecting earthen obstacles, and installing surveillance cameras and communication and intelligence equipment. This is as part of establishing an infrastructure for future control in the region, whether through a direct presence or by placing the residents under constant surveillance.”
**Meanwhile, ethnic violence has broken out in numerous places in Syria.
OneIsrael’s Chanukah Fund For Our Soldiers
Chanukah (Hanukkah) began last night and ends on January 2. Please donate to our OneIsrael Chanukah Fund for Our Soldiers.
OneIsrael is working with organizations to lift the spirits of our soldiers by bringing them warm clothing, souvganiot (doughnuts), and latkes.
Some of the souvganiot we are taking to our soldiers:
Please help us. You can donate by clicking the “donate button” on the right of this page.
And so it goes in Israel this morning . . . so far . . .
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.