DAY 254 OF THE WAR: Israel Buries 11 Of Its Soldiers, State Comptroller Investigation Delayed, Next Steps in Gaza?
Tel Aviv Diary, June 16, 2024
Today marks another sad day in this country's long list of sorrowful days. As if it wasn’t distressing enough that we learned yesterday evening of eight soldiers killed in the morning, we then were told another soldier succumbed to wounds suffered from an explosion last week. Last night, there were reports of significant attacks in central Gaza, something that is usually the harbinger of grim news. This morning, we were informed that two soldiers had died in central Gaza last night when their tank drove over a powerful anti-tank mine, marking the first time in this war that such a mine destroyed a tank. This terrible incident raises the number of soldiers who died yesterday in Gaza to 11. Eleven more funerals, 11 more families forever shattered, and 11 lives — both young and less young men who will never fulfill their dreams.
The pain in this country continues to spread far and wide, and it’s unclear how or when it will end. As I write tonight’s update (a little after 8 PM), it was announced that we lost yet another soldier in Gaza today— Staff Sergeant Tzur Avraham.
Additional information has emerged regarding the attack on the Nah’mehr, revealing that an RPG struck the vehicle. It appears that the Nah’mehr had stopped, and the commander stepped out to talk to another officer, leaving the rear hatch open. The RPG penetrated straight into the interior. The ensuing explosion was highly intense since the APC was carrying a significant quantity of explosives, triggering a set of secondary explosions. Previously, there had already been theoretical talk about transporting explosives in unmanned vehicles — something that could have decreased the depth of this tragedy.
NOW WHAT?
We have now been engaged in combat inside Rafah for a month and a half, gradually extending the fighting to most of the city. Before we entered, it was estimated there were 10,000 Hamas terrorists in Rafah. The Army estimates that since the start of the Rafah operation, we have killed approximately 500 terrorists. Most of Hamas fighters have already left Rafah, while some percentage remained to confront our forces there.
So, what next? The Army has told the government that there is nothing more to accomplish in Gaza. Since we have not been willing to develop an alternative government to Hamas, it’s time to declare victory, negotiate the best deal we can to secure the return of the hostages, and bring this war to an end. Concluding the war in Gaza will either stop the war in the North or momentarily at least free up our forces for any upcoming conflict. However, the political leadership currently shows no interest in this approach. At today’s cabinet meeting, Netanyahu stated that Israel is “an Army with a State” and that he will not accept the view of the Army. Netanyahu continued, asserting that he told the Army to take specific actions to achieve the goal of ending Hamas despite their objections.
Early this morning, while walking my dog, I received an AP push notification announcing that Israel declared a 12-hour daily ceasefire in Rafah for humanitarian aid. I was surprised since I had heard nothing about such a decision in the Israeli media. In short order, the news made it to Israeli outlets, and suddenly, it became a political dispute. National Security Minister Ben-Gvir immediately tweeted, “How dare the Army call a humanitarian ceasefire the day after all of our soldiers were killed.” Defense Minister Gallant immediately claimed he was completely unaware of such an announcement. Prime Minister Netanyahu also expressed total ignorance on the matter and demanded to know who had made this decision. Eventually, after all the reactions, it turns out the whole situation was a tempest in a teapot. It turns out that the Army had issued a routine, albeit in retrospect, poorly worded statement that the route between Kerem Shalom to a point in Khan Younis — the European Hospital — would not be attacked to ensure that as much aid as possible could be delivered.
RESERVE SERVICE
At today’s cabinet meeting, it was planned to extend the emergency orders to keep reservists in service for longer. However, following the weekend’s events and the opinion of the Attorney General — i.e., that such action could not be taken legally without addressing the broader issue of not drafting an entire segment of the society— the decision was deferred. Ultimately, the government’s ministerial legislative committee approved a temporary three-month extension of the regulation.
STATE COMPTROLLER INVESTIGATION
On Sunday, in a controversial decision, the Supreme Justice issued an interim order, instructing State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman to pause certain aspects of his investigation into the failings related to the October 7 Hamas attacks, which involve the IDF and the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency.
After reviewing classified position papers from security agencies, Justice Gila Canfy-Steinitz ordered the comptroller to halt his investigation until a court hearing on related petitions, scheduled for July.
The investigation, announced by Engleman in December 2023, has sparked debate. Watchdog groups advocating for governance have petitioned the court against the comptroller's initiative, arguing that it exceeds his mandate, could jeopardize the IDF's operational capabilities, and might overlook political accountability for the catastrophic invasion and massacres.
NEW NAVY SHIP
The INS Komemiyut LSV (landing craft) arrived in Israel and will be operationally integrated into the Israeli Navy. The LSV has finished its voyage from the port of Pascagoula (Mississippi) in the United States and docked at the Israeli Navy Base in Haifa. This is the second LSV acquired by the Israeli Navy. Equipping the new vessels with Israeli electronics and weaponry will take a few months. These ships, purchased with a potential war with Lebanon in mind, will provide the IDF additional flexibility in fighting such a war.
THOUGHTS OF A LONG-TIME MID-EAST PEACE ACTIVIST
An interesting opinion piece was written by Gershon Baskin, a long-time peace activist who has had extensive contact with Hamas over the years. An open letter to Palestinians: You can break this cycle: It is time to make clear that you seek to build your own country with honor and dignity – not in place of Israel, but next to it
TASK FORCE ON ANTISEMITISM AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
There was also an interesting article in Ha’aretz today regarding the Committee investigating antisemitism at Columbia University. Here is a short excerpt, but I recommend reading the full article.
Columbia University Task Force on Antisemitism:
One professor encountering a Jewish-sounding surname while reading names before an exam asked the students to explain their views on the Israeli government's actions in Gaza. Another told their class to avoid reading mainstream media, declaring that 'it is owned by Jews.' Notably, this is about faculty in classrooms, not some random students at a protest.
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PIECE OF HISTORY
Entebbe
On June 27th, 1976, Air France Flight 139, with 248 passengers on a flight from Tel Aviv to Paris, was hijacked after taking off from an interim stop in Athens. Two members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and two Germans carried out the hijacking. After an interim stop in Benghazi, the flight landed in Entebbe, Uganda. The Ugandan government, led by Idi Amin, supported the hijackers. The hijackers demanded the release of 40 Palestinians held by Israel and 13 others held by four countries. They segregated the Israelis and non-Israeli Jewish passengers, confining them to one room of the terminal. The hijackers released all of the rest of the passengers but kept the Israelis and the Jews. The crew, refusing to abandon their passengers, also remained as hostages.
The terrorists had set a July 1, 1976 deadline but extended it to July 4th after the Israeli government indicated a willingness to negotiate. In the meantime, the Israeli government under Prime Minister Rabin instructed the army to devise a rescue plan for the hostages. This plan was given the final go-ahead on July 3, when Israeli Hercules aircraft took off carrying 100 Israeli commandos led by General Dan Shomron. The elite Sayeret Matkal unit spearheaded the operation.
Israeli forces swiftly stormed the terminal, resulting in three hostages being killed in the crossfire. All of the hijackers were eliminated. As the commandos began returning to their aircraft, they came under fire from the control tower. Three Israeli commandos were wounded, and the unit’s commander, Yoni Netanyahu, was fatally injured. The entire operation lasted less than an hour. Out of 106 hostages, 102 safely returned to Israel. Additionally, one hostage, Dora Bloch, who was hospitalized in Uganda, was murdered by Ugandan soldiers.
Today’s Zoom Briefing
Impressive that the Air France crew chose to stay with the hostages. Not likely to happen today.
Such a sad day - so many young men lost. Marc I apologize if I've read past it too fast, but have you explained in a post why it is a portion of the Israeli population believes they should he exempt from military service? I know I've read bits and pieces of the debate here, but I don't think I've seen why they believe they should be exempt - are there religious traditions or writings that lead them to believe this?