DAY 58 OF THE WAR: Battle in Gaza Intensifies, Houthis Looking For Trouble, Killing of Yuval Doron Castleman Continues to Make Waves
Tel Aviv Diary December 3, 2023
It was a day of fighting at both the northern border and in Gaza. On the Lebanese border in the north, 12 people (eight of whom were soldiers) were wounded — all ranging from moderate to light injuries caused by a Hezbollah anti-tank missile. Israel responded by attacking Hezbollah targets.
In Gaza, Israel began a ground offensive in both the northern and southern areas. In the north, the army aimed to capture the three neighborhoods they had seized before the ceasefire. Military commentators, who previously predicted the capture of at least two areas within a day or two, now speak of a difficult and prolonged fight. Alongside the northern Gaza operations, Israel also announced a ground action in the southern Gaza. According to Palestinians, Israeli tanks were already moving down the main road of Gaza heading south. Israel has advised residents of Khan Younis to move further south or west towards the sea.
One lesson learned from the early part of the war, before the ceasefire, was the advantage of moving slowly rather than quickly—resulting in more Hamas casualties and fewer IDF losses. The issue, however, with this slow-moving tactic is the uncertainty of the US and the global community's tolerance for an extended conflict.
The Biden administration keeps asking questions the Israeli government cannot answer, or even properly discuss. Namely — What do we want to do in Gaza afterward? All the Netanyahu government can say is what they don’t want, but not what they do want. I wrote long before the ground war began that Israel needs a political strategy. Clausewitz is famous for saying, “War is merely the continuation of politics by other means.” Fighting with no clear political goal may end in disaster. We need to have a stated vision even if, in the end, we do not implement that vision.
Our complicated geo-political situation is compounded by incidents in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea involving the Houthis. The Yemeni Houthis attacked two ships, one with a ballistic missile and the other with a drone. The missile-stricken British ship, carrying over 7,000 containers, is seriously damaged and at risk of sinking. Houthi insurgents also attempted to attack a US destroyer, which shot down the approaching UAVs. The potential sinking of a large merchant ship could lead to increased global shipping insurance rates and, consequently, higher cost of goods. The US and Britain may be compelled to intervene in the Red Sea, despite Saudi Arabia's failed military attempts to thwart Houthi aggression, dating back to March 2015.
Details about the hostage negotiation process have also emerged. On a recent Thursday night, Hamas did not present a list of captives. Israel had insisted that the lists of hostages scheduled to be released must include women and children — until all of the abducted women and children were returned home to Israel. Hamas wanted to move on to other hostage groupings — raising fears that the women and two children who remain in Hamas captivity may never be released.
There are reports that the Israeli government rejected an army proposal to rescue hostages, choosing instead to prioritize ongoing negotiations with Qatar. If true, this decision could be seen as a significant misstep by Netanyahu's government.
The shooting of Yuval Doron Castleman on Thursday during the terror attack has continued to make waves. As a reminder, Castleman (37), a lawyer and former border police officer, spotted a terrorist attack unfolding. He rapidly stopped his car, killed the first terrorist, and wounded the second with his pistol. A soldier from Sayeret Golani opened fire and killed the remaining terrorist. Then, two reserve soldiers arrived at the scene. One began firing, Castleman immediately understood he could be mistaken for a terrorist, so he put down his gun, raised his hands in the air, took off his jacket to show that he had no bomb, bent down, and yelled that he was an Israeli.
The Golani soldier yelled out “cease-fire, cease-fire”. Nevertheless, one of the reservists shot Castleman numerous times, and he later died at the hospital. The reservist who shot Castleman was interviewed immediately following the attack and boasted about what he had done, asserting that any reservist would want to “put an x on his gun”. The reservist readily admitted he had been part of the far-right “Hill Top Youth,” and that he lived in an illegal settlement. At Saturday night's press conference, Prime Minister Netanyahu was asked about the shouting and also the whole issue of widely distributing guns to private citizens. Netanyahu supported giving guns and spoke at length, not once offering condolences to the family and effectively stating that such things are going to happen.
Today, Netanyahu was roundly condemned by the media and by both Gantz and Eisenkott. The discussion noted that even if the Castleman had been a terrorist, once he raised his hands in the air and surrendered, it was clear that one was not supposed to fire — all the more so in an area likely to contain civilians. By early afternoon, as the extent of both the tragedy, i.e., a hero shot by one his own, and what seems like a clear violation of the IDF rules for opening fire, Netanyahu called Castleman's father to offer his condolences and promised a full investigation.
Lastly, there's growing concern over the impact of social media on young people's views towards anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiments. TikTok, in particular, seems to significantly influence users under 30 (who spend 30 minutes or more daily on the platform), making them 17% more likely to hold antisemitic or anti-Israel views, compared to those who do not use the platform.
BUSINESS
Israeli startups continue to face challenges in fundraising, with a significant downturn both globally and locally, exacerbated by nearly two months of war in Israel. In November, the Israeli ecosystem's fundraising data was discouraging. However, one company, Next, an Israeli insurtech unicorn, made a significant impact. Next announced a substantial fundraising round of $265 million at the beginning of the month, (constituting nearly half of the total monthly fundraising amount reported, which was $572 million). This achievement was notable, as there were no new unicorns this month, and Next’s fundraising was the only mega-fundraising event, defined as securing $100 million or more.