Yom Shleeshee
Tuesday
1 Nisan 5784
April 9 2024
IDF soldiers on the ground in Gaza and in the north have indicated that they urgently need more basic supplies and armaments.
The IDF ombudsman reported last month that there has been a 265% increase in the number of incidents in which soldiers are short of combat equipment and basic protective gear.
Note that in addition to the tactical vest, soldiers can now wear neck armor to protect against stabbing attacks (IDF photo).
Here at OneIsrael we are beginning another campaign for our soldiers. This campaign will extend through Passover and to Shavuot.
Please consider donating to our campaign by clicking on the donate button in the right hand column on this page. All donations go directly to our soldiers.
UPDATE 9:00 AM
The War in Gaza
It was another sleepless night here in Ashdod with some of the most intensive air activity and concussive blasts from the bombing in Gaza since the war began.
One particular blast was apparently a bunker-buster bomb that destroyed the HamISIS Interior Ministry building and a number of terrorists inside including Hatem Al-Amri, the head of HamISIS in central Gaza.
The Graphic of the Day: The Extent of IDF Withdrawal
This graphic shows that the IDF has pulled out of most of Gaza–only remaining in the tiny corridor between northern and southern Gaza (graphic source on graphic).
When you stop and think about all the soldiers who fell in the effort to take control of most of Gaza, the government’s withdrawal decision becomes all the more shocking.
At its peak, the IDF had five and a half Divisions (around 40,000 soldiers) in Gaza. Now there is only the Nahal Brigade patrolling the road you see in the graphic above that separates northern and southern Gaza, and a few scattered commando units at sites unknown.
The Nahal Brigade consists of 4 Battalions which include about 4,000 soldiers.
The Photo of the Day
Some of the hundreds of protesters against the IDF withdrawal from Gaza who marched from Sderot to Gaza yesterday.
The Israeli public is still reeling from the government’s decision to withdraw. PM tried to allay the shock by announcing yesterday that he has set a date for the IDF to enter Rafah.
However, entering Rafah involves first evacuating the some 1 million people there to somewhere else. Just the evacuation could take months.
The Hostage Talks Crash Again
Apparently, Israel has agreed to release 900 terrorists in the first phase of a ceasefire/hostage deal–100 of whom are serving life sentences for murder.
No matter what Israel concedes, HamISIS has no motivation to accept a ceasefire and release of hostages.
Part of the reason for its lack of motivation is simply that the West, led by the U.S., is doing its negotiations for it and is pushing Israel to concede ever more; another part of the reason is the growing belief that most of the hostages are dead–yesterday HamISIS said it could not provide the names of 40 live hostages.
Thus, HamISIS issued a formal statement this morning rejecting the latest U.S. brokered ceasefire/hostage proposal.
The reasons:
*The proposal does not include a “permanent ceasefire” (aka “an end to the war”).
*The proposal does not provide immunity for terrorist leaders and other terrorists.
*The proposal does not include a complete IDF withdrawal from Gaza.
*The proposal says that northern Gazans will be returned to “shelter camps” and not their homes.
*The proposal says that any Gazan returning to northern Gaza must be checked by IDF soldiers.
In short, HamISIS is now emboldened to ask for the moon.
The Bidenites Continue Their Assault on Israel
The past few days have seen multiple reports that the Biden Administration has drawn up plans to require goods produced in Judea and Samaria to be labeled as coming from there. In essence, this effort would be another attempt to implement a boycott.
You might remember that Biden’s mentor, Barack Obama, supported such a move when he was president.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted this today:
—
Mike Pompeo
The only reason to do this is to encourage a boycott against Israel. It’s morally wrong, it’s an attack on our ally, and it’s another example of Biden caving to the antisemitic left.
—
How low will the Bidenites go?
By The Way: Those Poor Starving Gazans
A photo yesterday from a bustling market in northern Gaza:
Starving? Heartbreaking? You decide.
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.