Yom Shabbat
Saturday
11 Tevet 5784
December 23 2023
UPDATE 8:00 PM
5 More Soldiers Have Fallen In Defense of Israel
Sgt. Nir Rafael Kananian, 20, from Beit Keshet, a fighter in the Givat patrol, fell yesterday in a battle in southern Gaza.
Sgt. Birhanu Kassie, 22, from Beit Shemesh, a fighter in the Givat patrol, was killed yesterday in a battle in southern Gaza.
Maj. (res.) Shay Termin, 26, from Mash Pina, a fighter in Battalion 6623, the ‘Spearhead’ formation (55), was killed in battle in southern Gaza yesterday.
Sgt. Maj. Alexander Shpits, 41, from Karmiel, a fighter in Battalion 6623, the ‘Spearhead’ formation (55), was killed yesterday in a battle in southern Gaza.
Capt. Oshri Moshe Butzhak, 22, from Haifa, a team commander in the Nahal Patrol, was killed today in a battle in northern Gaza.
It is being reported by those on the ground that the death toll may actually be much higher as intense fighting took place in several locations in the last 24 hours. Let’s pray this is not the case.
144 IDF soldiers have fallen in defense of Israel on the ground in Gaza. 3 more soldiers have fallen on the Lebanese border.
May The Memories Of These Brave Soldiers Always Be For A Blessing
UPDATE 5:30 PM
The “Philadelphi Route”.
As you may not know, the Philadelphi Route (termed the Philadelphi Axis in Israel) is the narrow strip of land that runs along the entire length of the Gaza-Egypt Border from Kerem Shalom to the Mediterranean. It was established in the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty as an area under Israeli control to stop smuggling.
In 2005, after Sharon unilaterally withdrew Israel from Gaza, the Palestinian side of the border was taken over by the PLO which was subsequently kicked out by HamISIS in 2007.
We mention all of this because multiple reports say that Israel has informed Egypt that it is moving to secure the Philadelphi Route, and Israeli tanks are doing just that at the moment.
Missile, Mortar, and Aircraft Infiltration So Far Today
In the North:
Betzet, Shlomi (16:37); Kiryat Shmona (15:30); Manara (15:25); Iftach, Mount Hermon Regional Council–aircraft penetration (14:39).
In the South:
Nahal Oz, Kfar Aza (16:21); Be’eri (13:15); Kfar Aza (12:48).
Further Disruption to Shipping Lanes
As you know, most of the major shipping companies have announced that they will stop using the usual Arabian Gulf-Red Sea-Suez Canal route for the time being because the attack by Iranian proxy Houthis on vessels in the area.
Yesterday, Iran upped the ante by using a drone to attack a Liberian-flagged ship with connections to Israel off the coast of Rabal, India (in the Indian Ocean).
Iran brazenly took credit for the attack and a Revolutionary Guards spokesman said today: “If the aggression of Israel and the United States continues, they will expect more sea lanes to be closed.”
UPDATE 10:00 AM
On the Ground This Morning
In Gaza:
*The IDF spokesman says that “dozens of terrorists” were killed in a decoy operation overnight in the Issa neighborhood south of Gaza City. Our forces fired a “decoy shot” that caused the terrorists to move to another building where they were hit by a missile from the IAF.
The spokesman continued: “The fighters of the 179th Brigade Combat Team located in the Bakshi neighborhood in the center of Gaza a stockpile of weapons in a kindergarten: among other things, toy boxes containing dozens of mortar bombs, warheads, and RPG-type anti-tank missiles.”
*HamISIS issued this statement last night concerning the U.N. Security Council Resolution that calls for increased humanitarian aid to Gaza but no ceasefire:
“For the past five days, the American administration has worked hard to empty this decision of its content, and to bring about the approval of a ‘weak’ version. The decision is contrary to the will of the international community and the UN General Assembly, which seek to stop Israel’s aggression against the defenseless Palestinian people.”
So now suddenly, HamISIS cares about the Palestinian people?
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! What a joke.
And what a joke that they are defenseless. These are the same poor Palestinian people who participated in the 10/7 massacres and who are willing human shields for the HamISIS barbarian monsters.
On the Lebanese Border:
The IDF carried out an attack last night in Bint Jebel and this morning in the village of Kila in southern Lebanon.
In Judea and Samaria:
The IDF is continuing its large scale operations against terrorists in Jenin.
A Day Late and a Dollar Short
Rather, 77 days late.
The abominable U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres finally got around to condemning the 10/7 massacres yesterday–something he could not even do when he was here in Israel and especially not while he was in Gaza.
His post on Twitter:
“Nothing can possibly justify the horrific terror attacks launched by Hamas on 7 October, or the brutal abduction of some 250 hostages. I repeat my call for all remaining hostages to be released immediately and unconditionally.”
We can fully expect that his next post will condemn Israel and rant about the “poor Palestinians.”
Speaking of Abominable
In what has to be the most perversely laughable news of yesterday, the increasingly disgusting International Red Cross announced that it has appointed the former head of the egregiously abominable UNRWA to be its new CEO.
You may remember that Pierre Krahenbuhl was forced to resign in 2019 over charges of corruption, nepotism, and sexual harassment. One specific allegation was that he appointed Palestinian Maria Mohammadi–with whom he had an intimate relationship–to a senior UNRWA job with a salary of $200,000 per year.
This appointment speaks volumes about just how low the Red Cross has fallen.
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.