The Gaza War Day 268, The War in the North

Yom Shnee

Monday

25 Sivan 5784

July 1 2024

UPDATE 9:30 AM ISRAEL TIME

The Criminal Quote of the Day

“Waiting for Bibi and Sarah with a hanging rope! Waiting for Bibi and Sarah with a hanging rope! Waiting for Bibi and Sarah with a hanging rope!”

This was chant screamed repeatedly toward the Netanyahu’s home in Caesarea last night by the anti-Netanyahu mob.

Your humble servant has to wonder where are the police? How have we reached the dangerous point in this country where protesters can openly and with impunity chant for the murder of our prime minister and his wife?

On the Ground in the South

If you can believe this, the Israeli border communities have been pummeled by more than 25 missiles fired from Khan Younis in central Gaza this morning:

And:

And:

And:

You may be asking, like all Israelis are, how it is possible after 268 days of war that we are back to where we were on October 6 of last year when HamISIS was firing missiles into our border communities?

In the first place, we are not “back to” anything. The missile fire from Gaza has not stopped during the last 8 months. Some weeks there is more; some weeks there is less, but missile fire has continued throughout.

Second, if you can believe this, HamISIS actually released a video yesterday showing that it has once again begun producing missiles in Gaza, and it is strikingly apparent that the IDF has yet to reach all of the launchers.

All of this comes amidst two disturbing reports this morning:

First, Israel has outrageously released 50 Gaza terrorist detainees back into Gaza–including the Chief of Staff of the Shifa Hospital (who was apparently in charge of the terrorists headquarters there).

Second, at a meeting yesterday between officers of the Southern Command, Defense Minister Galant, and PM Netanyahu, the following conclusions were apparently reached:

1. Even though no one wants to announce it, the “war” in Gaza is over–“war” being defined as “a broad ongoing attack.”

2. In the new definition of “war”, IDF ground forces will continue fighting HamISIS in Gaza for years to come in brigade, divisional, and battalion fighting as well as IAF strikes. This fighting will be in the form of “raids” similar to what we see every day and night in Judea and Samaria.

3. The IDF will continue to hold the Netzer Corridor between northern and central Gaza, the Philadephia axis along the Egyptian border, and the Rafah Crossing. In short, our soldiers will become sitting ducks in those locations.

4. There will be a full return to normality in the Gaza border communities. Of course, missile attacks like the ones this morning demonstrate what a delusion this is.

5. Israel will take control of “humanitarian aid” distribution especially as it relates to food and fuel. Why in the world is this Israel’s responsibility? Wasn’t the idea for Israel to completely divorce itself from Gaza?

The end result of this will supposedly be that IDF forces can take take time to refresh themselves and send military material and resources to the north for the expected expanded war with Hezbollah.

Also the “end of the war” will supposedly signal that investigations will begin as to what happened on October 7, and will create a space in which senior officers in the IDF including the Chief of Staff–who were responsible for the debacle–to resign (though one wonders how this can happen with a Hezbollah war pending).

On the Ground in the North

Another day with more barrages of missiles and drones from Hezbollah in Lebanon. One drone exploded in the northern Golan yesterday wounding 18 soldiers–one critically.

From the IDF Spokesman: 

On the Ground in Judea and Samaria

*IDF forces were hit by a powerful IED in the Nur Shams Palestinian settlement east of Tulkarm last night. Miraculously, no soldiers were wounded. Since then, our soldiers have been engaged in firefights with terrorists in the area.