DAY 32 OF THE GAZA WAR:A Month Later Israel Mourns, As IDF Tightens It's Grip,Civilian Flee South

Tel Aviv Diary, November 7, 2023

On Sunday at 6:00 PM Israel Time, 11:00 AM East Coast, I will hold a Zoom Briefing with time for questions. Invites will be sent out to subscribers on Sunday morning

Today marks one month since the heinous terrorist massacre perpetrated by Hamas in the Israeli settlements and cities around the Gaza border. It was a day of reflection and commemorations throughout the country, resembling a minor Memorial Day. Some memorials were held where members from the kibbutzim in the Gaza envelope are currently residing (e.g., the members of Kibbutz Be’eri are now being hosted by a hotel at the Dead Sea.) The Be’eri community memorialized the 85 Kibbutz members who were brutally murdered and the 37 who were abducted to Gaza. Kibbutz Be’eri was a medium-sized kibbutz, which was home to 400 members. One of the inconceivable facts of October 7 is that 25% of Kibbutz Be’eri was either killed or kidnapped on that heart-wrenching day.

Since October 7th, the army has officially informed the families of 348 soldiers, in addition to the families of 59 police officers and 10 members of the General Security Services that their loved one has died. The families of over 800 civilians have also received that most dreaded notification. 240 ISRAELIS remain hostages of Hamas somewhere in Gaza for 31+ days and counting …

GAZA

The army continues its gradual advance to surround Gaza City, doing its best to evacuate civilians from hospitals, which are the centers for Hamas activity. Reports indicate that terrorists have been shooting at Israeli troops from inside these hospitals, hoping to provoke a response by IDF forces against the hospitals.

Despite the challenges, the balance of caution and rapid action has kept Israeli casualties much lower than expected, a trend that will hopefully continue. This is possible partly due to highly effective technology and commanders who are very adept at their roles.

The next steps involve confronting the terrorists underground and in the hospitals. A video circulated today showing thousands of Gazans walking south with white flags, flanked by Israeli tanks. Hamas has demanded that those in possession of such videos refrain from posting them.

Most of the day passed very quietly, with no rockets from Gaza landing in the Tel Aviv area. This calm was broken tonight, with one barrage at 9PM and a second at 9:30 PM. Earlier, there appeared to be a failed launch that landed in the sea opposite Tel Aviv. Tonight was the first time Tel Aviv was attacked in three days. Despite these individual attacks, the overall number of rockets launched at Israel — including those in the Gaza area — continues to decline. Most are now being fired from the southern part of Gaza, as Israel has gained control of the northern portions.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Galant, as well as, former Defense Minister and member of the war cabinet MK Gantz each held separate press conferences tonight. Galant and Gantz engaged in a Q&A session, while Netanyahu, as usual, did not take questions. Gantz's request for a joint conference was refused by Netanyahu, which could be interpreted as indicative of a strained working relationship.

Little new information emerged from their press conferences — except for Galant's remark that Mohammed Def, head of Hamas's military command, is losing his ability to communicate with his forces.

In the North, there were two confrontations. Israel eliminated a Hezbollah squad before it could launch its anti-tank weapons. Hezbollah has reported that 60 of its fighters have been killed. Later in the day, 20 rockets were launched at Northeast Israel and the Golan Heights. Six were intercepted by the Iron Dome, and the rest landed harmlessly in open fields.

In an interview on ABC, Netanyahu stated yesterday that Israel will maintain security responsibility over Gaza for an undetermined period. Netanyahu, formerly known for his finesse with words, misspoke, leading the world to believe Israel plans to occupy Gaza. This caused a global uproar and even prompted a statement from the NSA spokesperson clarifying that while the US supports Israel's actions, it opposes the occupation of Gaza by Israel. Netanyahu also addressed rumors that Israel is carrying out genocide in Gaza, stressing that this is not the case, and moreover, the exact opposite is true — it is Hamas who wishes to eliminate Israel.

ECONOMY

While the government has promised generous financial support to both evacuated communities and businesses negatively impacted as a result of the war, little aid has been received a full month after the war began. A political dispute erupted over the allocation of billions promised to the ultra-Orthodox and settlers as part of the original coalition agreements. Despite a recent government decision to only allocate and disburse funds for war-related expenses, Finance Minister Smotrich has continued transfers of money based on coalition agreements. The Attorney General has halted any further transfers, insisting all allocated funds must be approved and explained by an official government decision.

According to a survey, 59% of business owners in Southern Israel are either closed or on the brink of closure, with the figure at 25% in Tel Aviv.

BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU RETWEET OR RE-POST

Today I learned to be cautious with what I tweet or retweet. After a TalkTV interview in the UK, which I thought went well, they tweeted a clip of the interview. A viewer's tweet, which I retweeted without paying full attention, praised me for enlightening one of the hosts, but also called the host, Nicola Thorp, “a Hamas supporter,” an assertion Thorp vehemently denied. I removed my retweet, apologized to Thorp. Thankfully, our conversation ended with a cordial exchange.

A viewer posted this after my interview

An excellent article in The Atlantic that my cousin sent me addresses why the left — especially in colleges — is being so mislead. The Decolonization Narrative Is Dangerous and False: I does not accurately describe either the foundation of Israel or the tragedy of the Palestinians.

This is a very lengthy essay, but critically examines the inaccuracies propagated by the left-wing today. Someone needs to distill the key points of this article into a presentation or video.

WOMEN IN THE ARMY

This current war has resolved the debate about women's roles in the Israeli military. Stories of women soldiers' bravery and effectiveness, including the security director of Nir Am, have been widely highlighted and admired. The Supreme Court's decision to allow women into elite commando units has been validated, with several women now in every pilot's course

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ULTRA-ORTHODOX

Once this war ends, the relationship between non-Orthodox Israelis and ultra-Orthodox Israelis will be a significant issue. A proposed law equating Torah study with military combat service has been discarded. On a positive note, nearly 2,000 Haredim have now volunteered for military service. The army has been processing Haredi conscripts in batches of 100. A Haredi soldier (a 26 year old father of 2) interviewed on TV last night noted a shift in community attitudes towards military service, proudly sharing that envy has now replaced decades of disdain. An issue of concern, is the impact of the absence of war-related funerals within one particular segment of society – the ultra-Orthodox community. The long-term effects of this fact remain to be seen.

USA

A number of antisemitic incidents in the US have been covered by Israeli media, particularly the murder of a 69-year-old man carrying an Israeli flag by a Pro-Palestinian demonstrator in Ventura, California. Slow to label it a hate crime, the police are now treating the death as a murder. The murder of a young Detroit synagogue president remains unsolved, with no suspects, however, Michigan police continue to claim there are no indication of a hate crime.

Meanwhile, Gal Gadot and her husband have planned a screening of a 45-minute film prepared by the IDF spokesman’s office, depicting footage of the unspeakable brutality Israelis endured on October 7th. There have been calls in Los Angeles to forcefully disrupt the screening. Hopefully, that will not happen. Lastly, New York Jewry marked the 30 days since October 7th with a memorial in Central Park.