DAY 64 OF THE GAZA WAR:Friday War a Difficult Day, Heavy Fighting Continues, Houthis Threaten
Tel Aviv Diary, December 9, 2023
Tomorrow (Sunday) at 6 PM Israel (11AM US East Coast time) I will hold another Zoom briefing on the current state of the war in Gaza. Invitations will be sent out in the morning.
Yesterday was an especially challenging day. On the 63rd day of the war, with Israeli army troops deeply entrenched in Gaza, Hamas was still able to launch over 100 rockets at Israel. For the first time in weeks, there were two separate rocket barrages on Tel Aviv, both of which occurred in the middle of the afternoon.
EIZENKOT FAMILY AND THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE
Earlier in the day, many in Israel watched the funeral of Gal Eisenkot, son of MK Gadi Eisenkot. While since October 7th, excerpts of funerals are shown every single day on TV, this funeral was carried live, due to Gadi Eisenkot's status as a former IDF Chief of Staff and a current member of the war cabinet. Witness a father eulogizing his son is invariably heartbreaking experience, but the grief takes on an even more profound significance when the father himself was part of the decision-making process that culminated in that moment
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Seeing Gadi Eizenkot with tears in his eyes was particularly heart-wrenching. A moment was also captured where former Defense Minister Gantz was observed tearing up; Gantz also has a son currently fighting in Gaza. The tragedy of Gal Eizenkot’s death was further compounded by the news that Eizenkot's cousin (Gadi’s nephew) had been killed yesterday in Gaza.
I thought I would share the twitter post written about Gadi Eizenkot earlier today by Ira Katz Galay:
Gadi Eisenkot is a tragic figure.
A leader with tremendous virtues who pays the highest price due to a reality dictated by leaders worse and inferior to him.
A man of action and thought, modest, brave, cool-headed, and focused, a paragon of values who has been warning for months about the danger lurking at our doorstep - but always remained just a ‘warner at the gate’. Without press briefings or makeup and PR photos, he simply tried in his own way to change the course of the ship - in vain.
Apparently, in our country, he lacked the arrogance, showiness, and the incessant investment in campaigning and PR to gain influence. He is also not as handsome as the former head of the Mossad, Yossi Cohen, nor a poster figure like Aviv Kochavi.
In a way, Gadi’s tragedy is our own tragedy. A country where simple yet excellent people have become an unwanted commodity. A country addicted to the worship of charlatanism, bastardry, and inaction. A country addicted to empty wrappers and cheap goods instead of allowing the people of values and action to light the way and steer the ship.
The tragedy is not only Gadi’s. It is all of ours.
#WeAreAllGadi”
Compounding to the sadness of the day, the IDF Spokesman announced in the evening that two soldiers were seriously wounded during a failed attempt to rescue hostages. Hamas claimed the hostage was killed in the unsuccessful rescue attempt. However, the army stated the hostage the IDF sought to rescue was not at the anticipated location, and had already been killed by Hamas.
US VETOS SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION CALLING FOR IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE
The only somewhat positive news yesterday was the US decision to veto the Security Council Resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire. The council members refused to include any reference to the events of October 7th in the resolution. The US representative, Robert Wood, stated that the resolution was “divorced from reality” and “would not have moved the needle forward on the ground.” Wood declared that halting military action would allow Hamas to continue ruling Gaza and “only plant the seeds for the next war.”
In addition, the US also approved an emergency purchase of tank shells for Israeli tanks.
Today marked another day of intense fighting on all fronts. The IDF announced the deaths of five soldiers who fell on Friday in Gaza, (including Eizenkot's nephew).
The combat in Shuja’iyya and Jabaliya (in the northern part of Gaza) continues to be fierce. While some of the Hamas continue to surrender, many still choose to fight to the death.
Military correspondents are now discussing whether or not the battle in those areas can be completed by the end of the month. However, I am skeptical that one month will suffice to achieve any of Israel’s stated objectives for the war, as those same correspondents had previously asserted that the IDF would have conquered at least one of these areas before the first ceasefire.
IN THE NORTH
On Israel’s northern border, there was another day of repeated anti-tank strikes on Israeli positions. Israel responded more vigorously today, with attacks on manned Hezbollah sites. Hezbollah reported that 98 of its members had been killed by Israel so far in this confrontation.
One aspect that has not received sufficient attention is the number of Israeli wounded. For every soldier who dies there are numerous others who sustain serious injuries, yet survive. With advancements in battlefield medicine, an increasing number of soldiers who have likely died in combat in the past, now survive and receive treatment in hospitals. Just in the last day 19 soldiers were brought to the Sheba Hospital near Tel Aviv (Sheba is just one of number of hospitals that treat soldiers injured in Gaza). As a result, once the war is over the Rehabilitation Division of the IDF will face the task of providing services to a significantly increased number of wounded veterans
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HOUTHIS THREATEN MARITIME SECURITY
Tonight, the Houthi leader announced their intention to attack any vessel entering or departing from Israel. This declaration raises significant concerns about maritime security in the region.
OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF ISRAELIS WANT NETANYAHU TO RESIGN
In other news, a recent poll reveals that merely 19% of Israelis support Prime Minister Netanyahu's continued tenure in office. 41% want him to resign at the end of the war, while 31% want him to resign now. Despite Netanyahu’s efforts to deflect blame these numbers have been steady since soon after October 7th.
UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS REQUIRE “CONTEXT”
Bret Stephens’ article Campus Antisemitism, Free Speech and Double Standards provides a clear perspective regarding the testimony offered by the University Presidents to Congress. Stephens asserts the problem with the Universities is not their refusal to denounce antisemitic statements. Rather, the issue is that any statement aimed at any other minority group, i.e., any non-Jewish group, is considered a firing offense. It is hypocritical for an institution to spend time and resources training its staff to avoid an “micro-aggressions” and then consider antisemitic statements to a matter of free speech, or for that matter, to argue that the definition of hate speech is dependent upon the context in which the the statement was made.