Yom Rishon
Sunday
14 Av 5784
August 18 2024
May Their Memories Be For A Blessing
L-R: Sgt. Mordechai Yosef Ben Shoam; Maj. (res). Yotam Itzhak Peled.
Both soldiers were killed in the same incident in the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza when their vehicle was hit by a roadside IED bomb. They had left the Zir Netzer area in a convoy to the outskirts of the Zeyton neighborhood, in order to deliver equipment to the forces operating in the area.
Mordechai, 34 years old from Giva Binyamin, was a heavy truck driver in Battalion 9110. He is survived by his wife Nathalie and a 9-month-old baby girl.
Yotam, 34 years old, from Rosh Ha’Ain, was the commander of an administrative support company in the 8119 battalion. There is no news at this time about his family.
Diminished “Protests” But More Vitriol Than Ever
Last night was the usual anti-Netanyahu protest in Tel Aviv. The numbers were down but the message was more violent than ever.
One theme of the “protests” was expressed by a couple who declared to an interviewer: “If Bibi doesn’t resign, we will make sure they kill him.”
We can only hope that they will be arrested this morning.
Here is a sign on a fence in the North this morning:
The sign reads that Netanyahu is an agent of Hamas and Qatar.
On the Ground in Gaza
The talks in Doha and now Cairo continue to be on everyone’s mind.
The quote of the day yesterday came from PM Netanyahu’s brother Iddo:
“Whoever says that it is possible to withdraw from Philadelphi does not understand how the world works. The sensors won’t work and we won’t be able to go back there, nothing will help.”
Of course, he is correct. Technology is highly overrated, and once we leave the Philadelphi Corridor, we almost certainly will never go back–and HamISIS’ supply line from Egypt will be wide open again.
In a related piece of news, it was revealed yesterday that an American-Egyptian offer was made in Doha to reopen the Rafah Crossing. According to the offer, the U.S. would provide “security guarantees” to make sure that the Crossing does not once again become a conduit for terrorists. The offer was rejected by PM Netanyahu.
From the IDF Spokesman this morning:
“In central Gaza, IDF troops eliminated several terrorists, including a terrorist who launched rockets toward troops operating in the area. No IDF injuries were reported. Shortly following the launches, an IAF aircraft struck and eliminated the terrorist.
Additionally, over the past day, the Israeli Navy struck numerous terrorists that posed a threat to the troops in central Gaza.
Over the past day, IDF troops expanded operational activity in the area of Khan Yunis, eliminating armed terrorists and locating and dismantling dozens of Hamas terrorist infrastructure sites in the area. Furthermore, with the direction of ground troops, the IAF eliminated the terrorists that carried out the launches yesterday (Friday) toward Nirim.
IDF troops are continuing operational activity in the Tel al-Sultan area in Rafah and over the past day, eliminated several terrorists and struck multiple terrorist infrastructure sites.
Yesterday (Friday), the IAF struck a launcher from which projectiles were fired toward the area of Re’im yesterday evening. No injuries were reported.
Over the past day, IAF aircraft eliminated approximately 40 terror targets, including military structures, weapons storage facilities, and more.”
On the Ground in the North
*Another day another 100 missiles and drones from Hezbollah: two IDF soldiers were critically wounded by an exploding drone, and fires burned in many locations:
A fire burning yesterday near Ayelet HaShachar in the north. One of a dozen fires yesterday.
*An IAF strike in Tsur killed Hossein Ibrahim Kassab, a force commander in Hizbullah’s Radwan unit.
*It turns out that the attack on Nabatieh in southern Lebanon two days ago actually destroyed a large Hezbollah military storehouse of Burkan missiles–the heavy missiles that Hezbollah has been using with greater frequency to target IDF military bases and even Israeli communities.
On the Ground in Judea and Samaria
*The IDF Spokesman:
“The IDF and the Shin Bet announced that in a joint operation an aircraft attacked a vehicle from the air in Jenin, killing two senior Hamas terrorists. According to the IDF and the Shin Bet, the terrorists Ahmed Abu Ara and Rafat Duasi from Alkhartiya were involved in the planning of the shooting attack in the Jordan Valley, in which Yonatan Deutsch was murdered. It was also reported that Ahmed Abu Ara was involved in other attacks, and Rafat Doasi from Al-Khartia was a senior member of the Hamas military infrastructure in Jenin.”
*A shot was fired tonight at an IDF post near the community of Einav in Samaria. No casualties were reported; the terrorists escaped.
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.