Saturday
Yom Shabbat
20 Kislev 5785
December 21 2024
Special Notice:
OneIsrael’s Chanukah Fund For Soldiers
Chanukah (Hanukkah) begins on December 25 and ends on January 2. We are accepting donations for a Chanukah Fund for Our Soldiers.
OneIsrael will be working with organizations to lift the spirits of our soldiers by bringing them warm clothing, souvganiot (doughnuts), and latkes.
Please donate by clicking the “donate button” on the right of this page.
UPDATE 11:00 AM ISRAEL TIME
At 3:44 this morning, sirens sounded throughout central Israel:
Obviously, we were awakened by the sirens here in Ashdod.
About three minutes later, we were shaken by a large explosion.
That explosion was in Tel Aviv/Yafo, 38 km (24 miles) away.
Within the space of an hour, three statements from the IDF Spokesman:
First (03:47 am):
“Sirens sounded in several areas in central Israel following a projectile that was launched from Yemen. The details are under review.“
Second (04:10 am):
“Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in central Israel, one projectile launched from Yemen was identified and unsuccessful interception attempts were made. A fallen projectile was identified in the area. The details are under review.”
Third (04:45 am):
“Following the report regarding a projectile launched from Yemen to central Israel, a fallen projectile was identified in the area of Tel Aviv-Yafo.
Several lightly injured individuals were evacuated to receive medical treatment, and Home Front Command teams are currently operating with the security forces in the scene.”
Sirens sounded in “several areas”? A gross understatement.
Unsuccessful interception attempts? We all heard the boom.
Several lightly injured? Here is a summary of the MADA report:
“Sixteen people were lightly wounded by glass shards early on Saturday morning after a rocket fired from Yemen slammed into the Tel Aviv-Jaffa area, Israel’s emergency medical service, Magen-David Adom, reported.
Prior to the impact, sirens sounded across central Israel at 3:50 a.m.
MDA also treated 14 others who sustained minor injuries as they made their way to protected areas. The ambulance service additionally treated another seven who suffered from anxiety.
MDA said that ambulances, mobile intensive care units, and medicycle EMTs were dispatched to the scene and that the wounded, all of whom were in stable condition, were evacuated to Wolfson Medical Center in Holon and Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.”
Several lightly injured? It turns out that at least 30 were injured and 7 more were treated for trauma.
By the way, the missile–that eluded interception by both the Arrow and Iron Dome systems–miraculously struck a playground in Yafo missing all of the surrounding apartment buildings:
Just imagine what would have happened if the missile had hit the playground while children were playing there–or had hit one of the nearby apartment buildings.
On the Ground in Gaza
The IDF Spokesman yesterday ;
“The Kfir Brigade continues its operations in the Beit Lahia area of northern Gaza under the command of the 162nd Division. Soldiers from the Yahalom Unit, alongside engineering troops, have identified and dismantled three underground tunnel routes spanning approximately 7.5 kilometers in length and reaching dozens of meters in depth.
In one of the tunnel routes, IDF equipment that had been captured by Hamas terrorists on October 7th was discovered, along with maps of Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip, weapons, and living quarters.
The Kfir Brigade has been actively operating for over two months to locate weapons, dismantle terrorist infrastructure both above and below ground, eliminate terrorists in close-quarters combat, and conduct airstrikes on military targets in the Beit Lahia area.”
On the Ground in Judea and Samaria
The IDF Spokesman:
“Overnight (Thursday), the IDF, ISA, and Israel Border Police conducted counterterrorism operations and confiscated weapons in several areas in Judea and Samaria.
The security forces confiscated five weapons and large quantities of ammunition in As-Samu and Halhul. The forces also apprehended four wanted suspects in Halhul, Dayr Ghazale, and Silat ad-Dhahr.
Over the past week, the IDF confiscated dozens of illegal vehicles throughout Judea and Samaria, as well as more than a million shekels worth of terror funds, and approximately ten weapons.”
On these notes we wish all of our soldiers and you dear readers:
Shabbat Shalom!
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.