Yom Shishee
Friday
16 Nisan 5783
April 7 2023
UPDATES 1:00 PM Israel Time
BREAKING NEWS . . . Two Israeli sisters in their 20s have just been gruesomely shot to death in a Palestinian terror attack on their vehicle in the northern Jordan Valley. Their mother who was in the back seat of their car is barely alive with “multi-system wounds.”
As we surmised at 8:00 am this morning, the missiles have stopped, and we are back into the absurd “silence will be answered with silence” dictum seems to be PM Netanyahu’s favorite. It is a dictum that has reduced Israel to a reactive force, and totally destroyed our deterrence.
Simply put, no terrorist is afraid of anything anymore.
Hezbollah sent a heavily armed infiltrator all the way to Megiddo to detonate IEDs–and in the last day surely knew that the missiles were going to be fired at Israel from Hezbollah’s home in southern Lebanon. They weren’t afraid to do this because they know the IDF is terrified to respond. What has been ludicrous today is to listen to the IDF spokesman dissemble this morning that “Hezbollah was in no way responsible for the missiles from Lebanon.”
Hamas and Islamic Jihad are not afraid to fire dozens of missiles at southern Israel–and even to shoot anti-aircraft missiles at our aircraft because they know that the IDF and our government will only passively respond—and only then, after warning them in advance where and when we will drop a bomb. It is beyond ludicrous.
The Palestinians in Judea and Samaria are not afraid to carry out shooting, stabbing, Molotov, IED, “rock” and all other types of attacks because they know that their is no price to be paid.
The Muslims on the Temple Mount are completely unafraid to riot and clash with police because they know that even if they get arrested (as 350 were yesterday), they will be released before they serve 1 day in jail (as happened yesterday).
It is altogether a sickening thing to watch our government and IDF General Command walk on eggshells in order to not offend the terrorists.
One final thing. PM Netanyahu’s popularity as that of his Likud Party has plummeted in the last week to the point that Israelis now even prefer the abominable Benny Gantz as prime minister.
All Israelis see is a weak Prime Minister who seems to be afraid of his own shadow.
UPDATES 8:00 AM Israel Time
It may be over almost before it started. After being struck by nearly 100 missiles in the north and south in the past two days, the Netanyahu government and IDF have opted for an extremely weak response which has left many Israelis living in those areas infuriated.
As announced last night, the new strategy is not to respond severely to each attack on us, but instead to have a “situational assessment.”
Before last night’s Security Cabinet meeting, PM Netanyahu blustered: “Israel’s reaction, tonight and later, will exact a significant price from our enemies.”
What utter nonsense that statement has turned out to be.
During the night, Israel “attacked” 10 targets in Gaza. The IDF spokesman crowed this morning that 50 tons of bombs were dropped on those 10 targets–targets which included the usual empty buildings, ramshackle “outposts”, agricultural fields, and sand dunes.
How many terrorists were killed? 0.
How many terrorists were wounded? 0.
During the night, Israel “attacked” 3 targets in south Lebanon.
How many terrorists were killed? Possibly 1.
How many terrorists were wounded? 0.
According to Lebanese sources, the Israeli so-called “attacks” targeted empty agricultural land (just like we target in Gaza).
After the Cabinet meeting last night, terrorists in Gaza launched more than 50 missiles at Sderot and nearby communities stretching up to south Ashkelon:
Missile Attacks From Gaza
50+ missiles fired between 12:53 am–6:43 am
00:53 (12:53 am): Karmia
01:03: Sderot
01:14: Sderot, Nir Am
o1:51: Nirim
04:01: South Ashkelon
05:01: Yated
05:08: Sderot, Nir Am
05:27: Sderot, Nir Am (direct hit on house in Sderot)
05:47: Kerem Shalom (mortar attack)
06:41: Sderot, Nir Am, Sha’ar Hanegev
06:43: Nahal Oz
As of 7:30 this morning, the local regional councils around Sderot issued this statement:
After a tense night in our area . . . We are currently returning to normal and opening the beaches and businesses while maintaining vigilance and listening to the instructions of the Home Command. We ask the residents to continue to follow the council’s announcements and instructions.
Yes, it is back to situation as normal. The terrorists attack us with impunity and pay no price at all for their terror.
Elsewhere:
At 21:10 (9:10 pm last night), there was a Katyusha rocket attack on Metulla in the north.
At 00:13, thee was a shooting attack at Adam Square in Samaria (an IDF officer was badly wounded).
At 00:28, there was a shooting attack at Hawara Checkpoint in Samaria.
At 02:13, there was a shooting attack Karmi Tzur in Samaria.
All night long up until now, there are clashes on the Temple Mount.
We will have more updates later today if circumstances warrant, but for now all is quiet except in Jerusalem.
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.