Israel Loosened Its Rules to Bomb Hamas Fighters, Killing Many More Civilians, The New York Times
The New York Times reports, “At exactly 1 p.m. on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel’s military leadership issued an order that unleashed one of the most intense bombing campaigns in contemporary warfare. […] The order, which has not previously been reported, had no precedent in Israeli military history. Mid-ranking officers had never been given so much leeway to attack so many targets, many of which had lower military significance, at such a high potential civilian cost.”
Israel Probe Says Army Actions Had ‘Influence’ on Killing of Six Hostages by Hamas, BBC
It said the “ground activities in the area, although gradual and cautious, had a circumstantial influence on the terrorists’ decision to murder the six hostages.” The probe also found that the soldiers were unaware of the hostages’ presence when they began their operation in the Rafah area.
Three Palestinian Babies Freeze to Death in Gaza as Winter Sets In, CNN
“[Sela] died from the cold,” her mother, Nariman, told CNN on Wednesday. “I was warming her and holding her. But… [We] didn’t have extra clothes for me to warm this girl.” The video showed Al-Fasih’s face had turned blue.
Israel and Hamas Accuse Each Other of Foiling Hostage-Ceasefire Deal, The Times of Israel
Netanyahu’s office on Wednesday accused the Hamas terror group of lying about ongoing hostage-ceasefire negotiations and walking back terms it had agreed to. The terror group, which started the war with its October 7 attack last year, earlier Wednesday accused Israel of making new demands in the negotiations and causing a delay.
A Year Since Their Return, Former Israeli Hostages Are Struggling – Physically and Psychologically, Haaretz
Israel has still not established a dedicated rehabilitation path tailored to the needs of former hostages. “Families report a shortage of resources, guidance, and psychological care, as well as a lack of systematic follow-up,” states a report by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
Israeli Strike Kills 5 Palestinian Journalists in Gaza, Officials Say, NPR
The strike hit a car outside the Al-Awda Hospital in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in the central part of the territory. The journalists were working for the local Quds News Network.
Israel Intercepts Houthi Missile and Threatens Militant Group’s Leaders, The New York Times
Sirens wailed in Tel Aviv and other parts of central Israel early on Tuesday morning, and loud booms could be heard as far away as Jerusalem as the country’s aerial defenses repelled the attack. The Israeli military later said the missile had been successfully intercepted outside of its territory.
Our Only Option: Israelis and Palestinians Need More – and More Equal – Partnerships, Haaretz
Yonatan Zeigen, son of the late peace activist Vivian Silver murdered by Hamas on October 7, shares, “It is not too late to accept the existence of the State of Israel alongside a recognition of the Palestinian people, who are entitled to the same rights as us, and on the same land. This is the only way to earn a life of security, of prosperity and of liberty. The only ethos by which we can live a life that does not require the sacrifice of bereavement is one of equality between these two peoples.”
My Son Was Murdered in Israel. I Finally Found a Reason to Live, The Washington Post
Michal Halev, whose son was murdered on October 7 at the Nova festival, writes, “I only started to peek out of my den of pain once I connected with new friends: the extended family of the bereaved — a family that none of us chose to belong to. I then met peers from the Parents Circle-Families Forum, a group of more than 750 bereaved Palestinians and Israelis who have lost an immediate family member to the conflict — and, perhaps most notably, have found solace in their shared belief that Israelis and Palestinians must speak with one voice to bring an end to violence, to find reconciliation and to make peace.”
Netanyahu Throws Cold Water on Hostage Deal Prospects, and Reminds Us What a Curse He Is for Israel, The Forward
Dan Perry writes, “Netanyahu, desperate to cling to power through a megalomania hitherto unknown in Israel, is prioritizing political survival over the lives of hostages, soldiers, and civilians on both sides of the conflict. No previous leader of Israel was capable of such immorality; I’ve personally met almost all of them since the 1980s, and I am sure of it.”
How Trump and the GOP Plan to Dismantle the US Pro-Palestinian Movement, Haaretz
Ben Samuels reports, “Aggressively anti-Palestinian appointees, who tend to describe all campus protesters as Hamas supporters, will soon steer both foreign and domestic policy, creating a Trump administration united in seeking a crackdown on the pro-Palestinian movement in the US despite any other differences.”