Saturday was a very difficult day in the North. It began early in the morning when Hezbollah dispatched a drone toward Karish, Israel’s largest offshore gas field, located 100 kilometers from the coast. An Israeli Saar 6, the Navy’s newest frigate patrolling in the area, detected the drone and successfully intercepted it with a missile. Throughout the morning, several attacks were launched from Lebanon against Northern Israel. Then, in mid-afternoon, four Hezbollah members were killed by Israeli forces in Southern Lebanon.
At 5:24 PM, Hezbollah fired 30 projectiles toward Kiryat Shemona. Shortly thereafter, at 5:56 PM, they fired ten rockets toward the Northern Golan Heights. One rocket struck a soccer field in Majdal Shams, a Druze village in the foothills of Mount Hermon. Twelve children were killed, and 30 were wounded in the attack, which occurred just as the air raid siren went off. This incident, involving a large Iranian-built rocket, a Falach 1, with a 50-kilo warhead, was the single deadliest attack of the war since October 7. The remote location hindered rapid medical response and evacuation of the wounded. We have always been one catastrophic event away from a full-scale war. While I don’t know if this attack will trigger the next all-out war with Lebanon, it is clear that Israel's response will need to be significantly more forceful than any actions taken until now.
Tonight, Hezbollah denied involvement in the rocket attack, which the Army unequivocally attributes to the terrorist organization. Meanwhile, Netanyahu remains in Washington. Fadi, a Druze from the Majdal Shams village, asked —
Where is Netanyahu? Fadi continued: “I am a Zionist, but there has never been someone who hurt Zionism as much as he has. He [Netanyahu] is busy talking to Trump and relaxing in a hotel in Washington when our people are being killed.
The head of the Druze community, Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, stated:
We are in great shock from the horrific massacre in the brutal terrorist attack. A civilized country cannot allow continuous harm to its citizens. Every possible red and black line has been crossed.
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MOTI RAVE
Friday morning began with the all too familiar announcement, “hutar l’pirsum,” (authorized for publication). This time, the distressing announcement reported the untimely death of First Sergeant (res.) Moti Rave (37), the operator of a D9 Big bulldozer, which was struck by an RPG.
NETANYAHU’S WASHINGTON MEETINGS
The first report I read on Friday morning stated that “an Israeli diplomatic official in Washington” (most likely Netanyahu himself) expressed concern that Vice President Harris's comments might jeopardize the hostage/ceasefire negotiations. While it is conceivable, albeit a stretch of the imagination, that Harris’s words have any impact on negotiations, it seems much more likely that the complications could arise due to Netanyahu's most recent added demands required to secure a deal.
Here are the tweets posted by VP Harris after her meeting with PM Netanyahu:
Today, I had a frank and constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu about a wide range of issues, including my commitment to Israel’s security, the importance of addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and the urgent need to get the ceasefire and hostage deal done.
And here’s what President Biden tweeted:
Today, I met with Prime Minister Netanyahu for a detailed discussion on the ceasefire and hostage deal. I also raised the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the critical importance of restoring basic services and protecting civilians lives during military operations.
Later in the day, VP Harris made the following detailed statement:
I just had a frank and constructive meeting with PM Netanyahu. I told him that I will always ensure that Israel is able to defend itself, including from Iran and Iran-backed militias.
From when I was a young girl, collecting funds to plant trees for Israel, to my time in the United States Senate and now at the White House, I've had an unwavering commitment to the existence of the State of Israel, to its security and to the people of Israel.
I've said it many times, but it bears repeating: Israel has a right to defend itself, and how it does so matters.
Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization. On October 7, Hamas triggered this war when it massacred 1200 innocent people, including 44 Americans. Hamas has committed horrific acts of sexual violence and took 250 hostages. There are American citizens who remain captive in Gaza: (and she names them all).
I have met with the families of these American hostages multiple times now. And I've told them each time they are not alone, and I stand with them. And President Biden and I are working every day to bring them home.
I also expressed with the Prime Minister, my serious concern about the scale of human suffering in Gaza, including the death of far too many innocent civilians.
And I made it clear my serious concern about the dire humanitarian situation there, with over 2 million people facing high levels of food insecurity, and half a million people facing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity.
It is time for this war to end, and in a way where Israel is secure, all the hostages are released; the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can exercise their right to freedom, dignity and self determination.
There has been hopeful movement in the talks to secure an agreement on this deal. And as I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is time to get this deal done. So to everyone who has been calling for a ceasefire, and to everyone who yearns for peace, I see you and I hear you. Let's get the deal done.
So we can get a ceasefire to end the war. Let's bring the hostages home. And let's provide much needed relief to the Palestinian people.
And ultimately, I remain committed to a path forward that can lead to a two state solution. And I know right now, it is hard to conceive of that prospect. But a two state solution is the only path that ensures Israel remains a secure Jewish and democratic state and one that ensures Palestinians can finally realize the freedom, security and prosperity that they rightly deserve.
And I will close with this then. It is important for the American people to remember, the war in Gaza is not a binary issue. However, too often, the conversation is binary, when the reality is anything but. So I ask my fellow Americans to help encourage efforts to acknowledge the complexity, the nuance, and the history of the region.
Let us all condemn terrorism and violence. Let us all do what we can to prevent the suffering of innocent civilians. And let us condemn anti semitism, Islamophobia and hate of any kind.
While the remarks above are not ones that Netanyahu would likely deliver, they also do not represent the views of someone who opposes Israel. Vice President Harris is indeed concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, as am I. Regardless of the fact that Hamas initiated this conflict and the fact that most Palestinians—at least those in the West Bank—seem to support Hamas, it does us no long-term good for all these people to continue to live in such misery.
On Friday, Netanyahu flew to Florida to meet with former President Trump, providing the PM with a prime photo opportunity. No press was permitted to accompany Netanyahu to Florida, and thus, no difficult questions could be posed.
At the conclusion of the meeting between Netanyahu and Trump, the former President told reporters that he “always had a very good relationship with Netanyahu" and stressed that the "hostages need to be given back immediately.”
Later that night, Trump wrote on social media:
Any Jewish person who votes for Kamala, or a Democrat, should immediately have their head examined. Likewise Catholics, who are being persecuted by this Administration, should not be voting for radical left Kamala.
Below is an excerpt from what I discussed last night on i24News regarding the relationship between Israel and three U.S. Presidential figures. I shared similar thoughts today in the i24News Hebrew broadcast.
So where do we stand now? At the moment, Israel has provided a new proposal to the hostage deal negotiators. Israeli negotiators are expected to go to Cairo tomorrow. Reports indicate that Hamas has already rejected the latest Israeli demands; however, this could simply be a tactical move within the negotiation process.
A WORTHWHILE LISTEN
Here’s a story I stumbled across accidentally, and it is definitely worth a listen.
GAZA
Israel has instructed residents of an additional sector of Khan Younis to temporarily relocate because Hamas is using their areas to launch rockets, and therefore, the IDF is expanding its operations in the region.
The following statement was made by IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi to the troops in Khan Younis on Friday:
It took thirty hours to extract the bodies from the depths of the earth, truly from a hidden place, behind a tunnel, behind the reinforcements, these are very, very complicated matters, and you did it in a way that truly commands great respect. We were near these bodies in the past, but we didn’t know how to put our hands on them. Now we knew how to reach them, and we did. We brought back five bodies that otherwise we might never have recovered.
We really want to bring back hostages alive, and this requires pressure, killing Hamas commanders, killing Hamas operatives. A hostage release agreement is something we are pushing for to achieve, under good conditions, and this is a top priority mission. This [returning all the hostages] is a defined war objective, and we don’t need anyone to define it for us. It’s a basic moral issue. And we will not relent against Hamas until we bring back the hostages. And we will not relent against Hamas until we dismantle the last battalion, the last company, and we are working very hard. We are constantly thinking about how to press forward.
The IDF Spokesman released the following statement regarding combat today in Gaza:
The combat teams of the 7th Brigade and Paratroopers, operating under the command of Division 98 in Khan Younis, have so far eliminated approximately 100 terrorists in the area.
In several successful operations, Air Force aircraft, directed by Division 98, attacked and eliminated seven terrorist cells that had launched mortars at our forces during the fighting in the area, with no casualties reported. In additional strikes in the area, aerial attacks eliminated terrorist cells preparing to fire at our forces.
Fighters from Unit 414 identified two armed terrorists operating in the Rafah area. In cooperation with the Air Force, an aircraft attacked and eliminated them. Shortly afterward, a terrorist was spotted taking the weapon from one of the eliminated terrorists and was also eliminated from the air, along with another terrorist.
Combat teams from the Givati and 401 Brigades, under the command of Division 162, eliminated several terrorists in the Rafah area who posed a threat to our forces. They also located tunnel shafts and weapons, including long-range rocket launchers and explosives in the Tel al-Sultan area.
Approximately 45 terrorist targets were attacked in the last 24 hours by fighter jets, attack helicopters, and Air Force aircraft. These included terrorist cells, tunnel shafts, military structures, and various terrorist infrastructures. In one of the strikes, aircraft directed by Southern Command attacked two launch pits from which rockets had been launched during the war towards the Beersheba area.
The Hamas Health Ministry announced the deaths of 31 at a school in Deir-al-Balah in Central Gaza. The IDF explained the attack as follows:
Based on intelligence information from Aman, the Shin Bet, and Southern Command, Fighter jets recently attacked terrorists operating in a command and control complex of the Hamas terrorist organization, which was concealed in the vicinity of the Khadija School in Central Gaza.
The surrounding infrastructure served as a hiding place for Hamas terrorists, from which various terror activities against IDF forces and the State of Israel were planned and executed. Simultaneously, many weapons were developed and stored in the complex.
Prior to the attack, numerous steps were taken to minimize the risk to civilians, including the use of ordnance adapted to the type of attack, precise targeting, and additional intelligence information. The Hamas terrorist organization systematically violates international law, cruelly exploiting civilian institutions and the population as human shields for its terror activities and needs.
U.S. Central Command Update [July 26]
In the past 24 hours, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed six Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen.
Separately, USCENTCOM forces engaged and destroyed three Houthi uncrewed surface vessels (USV) operating off the coast of Yemen.
It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region. These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure.
After becoming Prime Minister, one of Netanyahu’s initial acts was a visit to Washington with his wife and two young boys. His first meeting was with President Clinton on July 9, 1996. In his book, Netanyahu relates how cordial Clinton was towards him and, even more so, his family, including taking his two young sons on a tour of the Oval Office. There, he is said to have explained the Middle East to President Clinton. Clinton was most interested in hearing whether Netanyahu would honor Peres's agreements and negotiate a withdrawal from Hebron. Netanyahu said he would but insisted that the Palestinians had to keep their security commitments. Dennis Ross, who participated in these talks, describes how Clinton felt that Netanyahu was lecturing him. Clinton stated to his advisors after Netanyahu left, “He thinks he is the superpower, and we are here to do whatever he desires.”
The next day, Netanyahu addressed a joint session of the Republican-controlled Congress. His speech was interrupted by applause more than a dozen times, especially when he declared:
There will never be a re-division of Jerusalem. We will not drive out anyone, but neither shall we be driven out of any quarter, any neighborhood, any street, of our eternal capital.
This was the first of four speeches that Netanyahu would eventually deliver to the U.S. Congress.
