The Reflex of Weaponizing Antisemitism, The Times of Israel
J Street Israel Director Nadav Tamir writes, “Our government constantly flirts with antisemites from the global far-right and provides them with a platform for their views in exchange for support of the government’s annexation and occupation visions. Those same ministers, led by Prime Minister Netanyahu, excel at accusing as antisemites anyone who dares to criticize Israel’s policies. Anyone who criticizes the extensive killing of civilians in Gaza or the emptying of Jabalia of its population is immediately labeled an antisemite.”
Netanyahu Signals Progress on Hostage Deal but Gives No Timeline, The New York Times
The prime minister’s pledge to secure the hostages’ release by any means necessary did little to quell the anger of opposition lawmakers, many of whom shouted over him and some of whom were ejected from Parliament during the address. Yorai Lahav-Hertzanu, a lawmaker from the centrist Yesh Atid party, was ushered out as he shouted that Mr. Netanyahu had betrayed the hostages.
Israel Is Demolishing Northern Gaza and Fortifying Military Positions, Imagery Shows, The Washington Post
More than 100,000 Palestinians have been driven from the affected areas over the last 11 weeks, according to the United Nations, leaving an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 people – less than an eighth of the prewar population. Hardly any aid has reached the area since the beginning of October due to Israeli restrictions, humanitarian groups say, and experts warn that famine may have already taken hold in some places. As areas are emptied of Palestinians, Israeli forces have demolished entire neighborhoods, established military fortifications and built new roads, according to a Washington Post analysis of high-resolution satellite images.
Defense Minister Katz Confirms for First Time: Israel Assassinated Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, The Times of Israel
“We will strike [the Houthis’] strategic infrastructure and decapitate its leaders. Just as we did to Haniyeh, Sinwar, and Nasrallah, in Tehran, Gaza, and Lebanon — we will do in Hodeidah and Sanaa,” Katz says.
How an Israeli Community Helped Its Children Heal From Trauma After the Oct. 7 Attack, NPR
Kibbutz Be’eri’s 900 residents were all evacuated to the same hotel in Ein Bokek the day after the Oct. 7 attack. In the months that followed, they worked to maintain their unity and help the kibbutz’s children recover from the trauma they went through.
Premature Babies Among Hundreds at Risk as Israeli Forces Besiege Gaza Hospital, Director Warns, NBC News
“Bullets had penetrated the intensive care unit, the maternity department and the specialized surgery department,” said Dr. Husam Abu Safiyai in a statement issued via WhatsApp.
Former Hamas Hostage Hanna Katzir, Whose Health Declined in Captivity, Dies at 78, The Times of Israel
Hanna Katzir, who endured seven weeks of Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip last year, has died at age 78 after months of struggling with medical complications from her time as a hostage, her hometown of Kibbutz Nir Oz announced Tuesday.
Second Police Officer Killed in Jenin Refugee Camp as Palestinian Authority Cracks Down on Militants, Haaretz
Clashes in the camp continue and members of the Jenin Battalion posted a video in which they threatened to carry out suicide bombings. Nonetheless, senior sources in the Palestinian security forces insisted that the operation would continue until the militants were removed from the camp.
It’s Impossible Not to Know What’s Going on in Gaza, Haaretz
Motty Perry and Ariel Rubinstein, organizers of the 1978 Officers’ Letter, write, “There are those who believe that the flattening of Gaza will convince the Palestinians to relinquish their national aspirations. Is that so? We know of one people whose national aspirations only grew stronger after losing one-third of its sons and daughters. We also know a neighboring people, less ‘chosen,’ that has weathered blow after blow and only become more resolute.”
After Decades Fighting Demolitions, Palestinian Sees Own Home Wrecked, The Washington Post
Rebecca Tan reports, “For two decades, Abu Diab, 62, led the fight to protect local homes from demolition, drawing support from the United States, which condemned Israel’s destruction of part of his home earlier this year. So when three dozen Israeli officials, including police escorts, showed up with heavy machinery and plowed through Abu Diab’s gate, the neighbors watched not only with shock but fear. A chilling message was sent across Palestinian communities in East Jerusalem, residents said: No one is safe.”
Netanyahu Wants to Return Israel to Oct. 6 and His Judicial Coup, The Hill
Jonathan D. Strum writes, “It is important to recall that during the first few weeks of the Gaza war, the Netanyahu government was inept and paralyzed in the aftermath of the brutal Hamas attack. It was the protest movement that held Israel together, mobilizing civil society to provide food, clothes and shelter for Israelis who had been living near Gaza and in the north. It should also be recalled that members of the Netanyahu government called the anti-judicial coup protestors ‘traitors,’ called for air force pilots leading the protests to be shot and even called leaders of the protests the ‘antichrist.’”