DAY 97 OF THE GAZA WAR: Israel Accused of Genocide in The Hague, Tunnels Exposed Under Khan Younis, Almost 2x as Many Israelis Prefer Gantz over Bibi.

Tel Aviv Diary January 11, 2024

DAY 97 OF THE GAZA WAR

The main story in Israel today has been the hearing in the International Court of Justice at the Hague. South Africa has charged Israel with engaging in Genocide against the Palestinians. All the TV stations here carried the proceedings. 

SOUTH AFRICA’S ALLEGATIONS

South Africa’s opening remarks commenced with a string of indictments, citing “the ongoing Nakba of the Palestinian people,” the existence of “Apartheid on both sides of the Green Line,”and the description of Israel's “genocidal acts in the context of 75 years of Israeli apartheid." The South African prosecutor urged the judges of the International Court to enact mandatory preliminary directives against Israel, specifically calling for an immediate cessation of Israel's military operations in Gaza.

In addition, the South African prosecutor claimed that “Palestinians in Gaza are being killed by Israeli weaponry and bombs from air, land, and sea. They are also at immediate risk of death from starvation and disease due to the destruction of Palestinian towns, the limited aid being allowed in, and the impossibility of distributing aid as the bombs fall. This makes life impossible; Palestinians have been killed in mosques, schools, and hospitals. The level of killing is so extensive that bodies are often buried in mass graves and are often unidentified.”

Some of the claims that the South Africans made are absurd. For example, the South African prosecutor asserted Israel is stopping Palestinian women from giving birth to decrease the number of Palestinians. Another patently absurd claim maintained by the South Africans was that 80% of the people suffering from starvation — worldwide — are located in Gaza. Just to put that statistic in perspective, the UN reports that 680 million people in the world are in danger of starving … There are 2 million people in Gaza, total.

To prove a claim of genocide, you have to prove the acts occurred, and you must also prove intention. The facts clearly do not support South Africa’s allegations. While our actions may not be flawless, they certainly do not amount to genocide. However, Israel is somewhat vulnerable in the area of intention. That vulnerability has been self-inflicted by a number of our ministers and Knesset members who have made statements that were used against us.

The South Africans cited Prime Minister Netanyahu's statement, "Remember what Amalek has done to you." They then interpreted the Prime Minister’s use of the term “Amalek” as a biblical justification for the wiping out of a nation, implying the Palestinians in this context. They also quoted Knesset Assistant Speaker Nissim Vaturi from the Likud, advocating for “erasing the Gaza Strip from the face of the earth.” 

ISRAEL’S DEFENSE AT THE HAGUE

Tomorrow will be Israel’s turn to present its defense, which will be two-fold. First, Israel’s defense team will focus on the context of Israel's actions in Gaza, emphasizing that Israel’s response has been in retaliation to an unprovoked attack and massacre by Hamas. Secondly, Israel's defense will underscore that Hamas is committing war crimes by embedding themselves among civilians, and additionally, by preventing civilians from evacuating areas Israel had previously warned would be targeted. Furthermore, Israel will demonstrate that legal advisors pre-approve all planned attacks to ensure compliance with international law.

The focus of today and tomorrow's hearings is not on whether Israel has actually committed genocide, but rather on whether there is sufficient evidence to suggest it might have. Based on the outcome of the hearing, the Court of Justice could issue various directives, such as requiring Israel to increase humanitarian aid, safeguard preservation of evidence, or, as South Africa requests, order Israel to stop the war. Israel remains optimistic that the court will not take the extreme step of demanding a halt to the war.

BACK TO GAZA

Fighting today continued in Khan Younis and in the camps of Central Gaza. Most of the Army’s efforts are focused in Khan Younis, where the IDF is meticulously exploring the tunnel network

.

The following update was released by the Army:

During the last 24 hours, the IDF revealed in the international media a tunnel in Khan Younis that was discovered by the combat team of the Commando Brigade, Yahalom (combat engineering) fighters, and an elite unit. It connects to an extensive and branched underground network. The tunnel, located in the heart of the civilian area in Khan Younis, is believed to have cost millions of shekels to construct. Following the investigation of the tunnel, it was determined that Israeli captives had been held there.

Forces of Brigade 98 are fighting in the underground space in Khan Younis, simultaneously with intense combat in the densely populated surface areas throughout the city, with a variety of forces and capabilities. Engineering fighters, the Yahalom unit, commando forces, and additional forces are leading the effort to locate tunnels, investigate, and destroy them using advanced technological and operational capabilities.

During the underground combat, the fighters discovered over 300 shafts, including those leading to significant underground tunnels, tactical combat shafts, and shafts used as weapon storage and combat complexes.

So far, over 100 tunnels have been destroyed and taken out of use, in which, among other things, terrorists have been eliminated.

IN THE NORTH

Although today was not as calm as yesterday, (especially compared to earlier in the week when tensions seemed to be escalating quickly), all rockets and missiles fired today were targeted at the border communities of Kiryat Shmonah and Metullah. Over the course of the day, ten missiles were fired, causing damage but no casualties.

IDF SPOKESMAN

Army Spokesman Danny Hagari is concluding his daily war briefings and has stated that he will now provide updates only once every two or three days. Hagari’s recent briefings have offered little in the way of new information, as the combat at this stage of the war is progressing at a much slower pace.

LATEST MA’ARIV POLL

Ma’ariv conducted another theoretical election poll, which continue to show that the current coalition would fall far short of forming a government. One interesting statistic is that 51% of the public thinks that Benny Gantz would be the most suitable Prime Minister, while only 29% believe that Netanyahu is still suitable for the position. According to the poll, 28% of Likud voters even prefer Gantz over Netanyahu.

KNOW WHAT ARE CRITICS ARE SAYING

I've chosen to share comments made by an online reader here. The individual is a New Zealander, residing in Germany. Please note that the selection below includes only two of the person's three posts and does not include my response.

You can read my response and her third post on the web version of Tel Aviv Diary from Tuesday. I have included these postings here because I believe too many of us live in our own bubble … and while the views expressed here are based on ignorance and fake news, I fear far too many people share the beliefs expressed below.

I subscribed to this newsletter because I wanted to understand the Israeli point of view — because how could regular citizens let their government and military get away with what they are doing to the Palestinian people. I was hoping to find humanity. It’s become clear to me that not only do you get completely different news than we get on social media in other countries, but that you have also been brainwashed to see Palestinian lives are worthless. As you have written so openly here. Because, of course, you have, you've accepted this occupation by living in Israel. You accept the continuous oppression of the Palestinians. Do you see the videos of IDF soldiers running over Palestinian children in their vehicles? While they are still alive? Snipers murdering women and children holding up white flags? Making disgusting racist jokes while they blow up entire neighborhoods? Desecrating graves? Urinating on Palestinian bodies? Nothing I have seen from Hamas is as brutal and full of hate as the actions of these so called brave soldiers. Don’t you wonder why thousands all over the world take to the streets every week calling for a ceasefire? Israel’s reputation amongst those who were uneducated before is now completely changed. The flag of Israel has become synonymous with the far-right, fascism and hate. And please, this has nothing to do with religion. You may have the support of governments in the west but the people will never ever forgive and they will never forget.

So genocide is the only option? These wars are what create resistance fighters in the first place, most of them are orphans. I do not believe the agenda is to retrieve the hostages or even to destroy Hamas. I’ve seen soldiers flatten entire neighborhoods. They've destroyed some of the oldest holy sites in the world. They are making Gaza inhabitable and turning all their cultural institutes into rubble. Israeli officials are already asking countries in Africa to take the remaining people, making them refugees once again. And then Israel will take Gaza to mine for oil. I believe the only solution is a 1 state solution — Palestine. Those who want to stay can become Palestinian citizens with equal rights and protection and those who refuse can leave. (I understand a lot of Israelis are dual citizens). I hope the charge of genocide from South Africa will finally hold Israel accountable and begin the path towards liberation and peace.

BUSINESS

The Israeli artificial intelligence startup Ask-AI announced the completion of its Series A funding round, raising $11 million led by the Canadian Leaders Fund. This round brings the company's total funding to $20 million.

Founded at the end of 2021 by the company's CEO Dr. Alon Talmor, the company develops generative AI tools for organizations. The tool provides a ChatGPT-like chatbot, primarily intended for teams involved in customer support and retention within an organization.

Ceragon Networks Ltd. (NASDAQ: CRNT), the global innovator and leading solutions provider of 5G wireless transport, today announced it has signed an agreement with a global integrator, in support of a network modernization project for a Tier 1 Operator in India. As stipulated in the agreement, Ceragon will support a massive modernization project focused on upgrading existing network capabilities, expanding capacity, improving country-wide connectivity, and delivering services that meet, and even exceed, India's growing needs.

This brand-new customer of Ceragon will be the first to deploy its newest solutions. The agreement, valued at approximately $150 million, comprises planning, product delivery and deployment services, and a multi-year contract for Ceragon's Managed Services that covers day-to-day monitoring, management, and maintenance oversite of the microwave and mmW (millimeter wave) network. The actual value of the agreement may vary by an increase or decrease of up to 25%, depending upon the actual deployment requirements during project roll-out. Ceragon is expected to deliver and deploy the new sites in Q2 of 2024. Deployment is expected to be completed within 7-9 quarters, with approximately 75% of the project value expected to be recognized in this timeframe. The remaining approximately 25% of the contract value is for Managed Services and maintenance and is expected to start being recognized within a year from deployment, respectively.