DAY 120 OF THE GAZA WAR: Waiting For Answer From Hamas on Hostages, Overview of Actions in Lebanon, US Attacks Iranian Targets, Columbia University

Tel Aviv Diary, February 3, 2024

Zoom Briefing Sunday at 6PM Israel Time, 11 AM EST. Invitations will go out in the morning

136 HOSTAGES HELD CAPTIVE FOR 120 DAYS AND COUNTING …

We’ve been anxiously awaiting Hamas’s response to the proposal for a temporary ceasefire and the release of hostages. Watching Israeli television during this time feels a bit surreal. Reports suggest intensive negotiations are underway, a notion that seems implausible given the fact we’ve been waiting four days for Hamas to respond. Hamas is anticipated to affirm the deal, albeit with conditions. Only then might we see the onset of genuine negotiations. Currently, it's clearly just a waiting game. Moreover, it's uncertain if the proposed plan would receive approval from Netanyahu’s cabinet.

At the cabinet meeting on Thursday night, the following discussion unfolded:

Minister of Justice Levin: The right thing to do is to accept a deal for all of them [the hostages] and not just some. It is not moral to release some and only after negotiate terms for the release of the rest. We must increase the military pressure, which is likely to lead to their release.

Minister of Agriculture Avi Dichter. I also think that we should not enter a multi- phased deal. We need one deal, without two phases where 35 hostages are released first, and only in the second phase the rest are freed. I am not worried that some say the war will not resume [if we agree to a ceasefire]. The IDF will know when to continue the war even if the fighting is halted.

Minister Smotrich: Stop lying to yourselves as if there will not be international pressure from the US and the likes that will stop us [from resuming the war].

Avi Dichter [to Smotrich•]: I'm guessing you know this from your great military experience? [*who served a total of 6 mo. in as an IDF lawyer].

Minister of National Security Ben-Gvir: I would not talk about military experience as a criteria to predict what will happen. I remind you that this room is filled with great deal of military experience. Yet, despite this, before October 7th, they told me that Hamas was “deterred” and that I solely wanted to be provocative when I called for returning to targeted killings [of terrorists].

Minister Dudi Amsalem: It’s a huge mistake to stop [combat in Gaza] now. Why did we go to war? If we stop now we will both eat the smelly fish and be ousted from the city. We began this journey and said we have to remove Hamas. The Army has made significant accomplishments, and if we stop now for a long ceasefire, we are effectively raising the white flag.

Ben-Gvir: An agreement like this will give oxygen to Hamas. They will replace their missing operatives, rebuild their power anew. And moreover, have we gone crazy? If we release master terrorists, murderers of children, and monsters who beheaded people, what will they do now, direct traffic? Did we learn nothing from the release of Sinwar?

An Unknown Minister: So, how will we get the hostages released?

Ben-Gvir: Only through military action, ceasing the humanitarian aid and fuel, only then will the pressure increase.

Netanyahu: There are three things we cannot agree to: We cannot agree to an end of the war. We took this course to destroy Hamas; We cannot allow the release of thousands of prisoners; And we cannot agree to the complete withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza.

IN THE NORTH

The day saw limited rocket fire in the North. At 10 PM, as I write this update, the Galil sustained an attack.

ARMY SPOKESMAN’S PRESS BRIEFING

Tonight, the IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari conducted a very in-depth briefing regarding what has been going on in the North. Hagari divided the activities of the IDF into three segments—defense, offense, and preparation for war.

In terms of defense, Hagari reported that the Army presence on the Northern border has increased from one division to three. They have killed 150 terrorists, attempting to infiltrate or fire rockets at Israel.

Regarding offensive actions, according to Hagari, we have attacked 3,400 targets in Lebanon.  That includes 120 Hezbollah observation posts along the border, 40 ammunition and weapons storage sites, and another 40 command centers of Hezbollah. Furthermore, for the first time, Hagari acknowledged Israel's responsibility for conducting attacks within Syria.

GAZA

IDF actions in Gaza continue to primarily focus on Khan Younis, where the Army asserts it has nearly achieved full control. However, substantial military forces were deployed to both Gaza City and the Shati refugee camp, areas where the Army had previously claimed to have concluded military operations.

Here is an account describing the current combat in Gaza, released by the office of the IDF Spokesman, on Friday:

IDF forces have continued to operate in the last 24 hours to eliminate terrorists and destroy terror infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, in cooperation with Air Force units. Naval fighters are attacking terror targets along the Gaza Strip coastline, as part of the support for the combat forces of the Nahal Brigade operating in the center of the Strip

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Combat soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade continued to operate in the west of Khan Younis, and during the past day, the fighters eliminated more than 20 terrorists, most of whom were neutralized at close range. As part of the fighters' activities, the forces raided several terror targets and military buildings where grenades, explosive devices, military equipment, Kalashnikov rifles, and ammunition were found.

In further activities in the west of Khan Younis, forces from the Givati Brigade's combat team directed aircraft that attacked some military buildings, in which terrorists were operating. An armed terrorist cell operating in the area fired several anti-tank missiles at the fighters, who, within minutes, coordinated with Air Force units and eliminated the terrorists. In another incident, the fighters eliminated several armed terrorists operating close to them and found several RPG launchers alongside other weapons.

In the north and center of the Strip, forces of the 162nd Division continue to raid terror infrastructures and eliminate armed cells. In the Shati area, combat soldiers of the 401 Brigade eliminated about ten terrorists during the past day. Additionally, over the course of the night, Air Defense soldiers successfully intercepted a suspected aerial target that crossed from the Gaza Strip into the southern region of the country. An alert was activated in the Home Front Command application, according to procedure.

HOW ISRAELIS ARE FEELING…

On Friday night, Channel 13 unveiled poll results conducted by pollster Camil Fuchs:

US RETALIATES

On Friday night, the United States executed coordinated raids on seven targets across Iraq and Syria. These operations utilized a combination of B1 bombers based in the US, carrier-based aircraft, and drones to conduct comprehensive strikes primarily targeting storage facilities for drones, missiles, and other weaponry. The U.S. strategy aimed for a balanced approach—neither too aggressive nor too passive. The intention was to exert sufficient force to deter adversaries, without escalating to full-scale war with Iran. It remains too early to determine the success of this strategy.

While I am skeptical about the efficacy that the US response will have to achieve deterrence, time will tell its true impact. As I mentioned on i24News this morning, I believe the US is overlooking the fundamental issue. There's a prevailing misconception that some form of an understanding with the Iranians is attainable. However, since its inception in 1979, the Iranian regime has ingrained anti-American sentiment at the core of its identity. The most viable strategy is to adopt a long-term strategy to destabilize this widely unpopular regime.

Tonight, the US and the UK once again attacked Houthi targets in Yemen.

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HOSTS PRO-PALESTINIAN RALLY

On Friday, a large pro-Palestinian rally took place at Columbia University. At the rally calls were chanted for: "No Zionists at Columbia" and “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free, By Whatever Means Necessary.” As an alumnus of both Columbia College and Columbia graduate school, I am appalled by this development, though it is unfortunately, not surprising.

I have my own very distressing experience with Columbia's Arabists, which significantly impacted my life, and not for the better. During my undergraduate years, in the early '70s, the environment was very welcoming for Jewish students at Columbia. However, by the mid-'80s, when I returned as a graduate student, the atmosphere had drastically changed. The Middle East Institute, previously headed by a Jewish professor, was then led by someone with close ties to Arab states, marking a significant shift. Since then, the situation has only continued to deteriorate further and further.