GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 136

Hostage Hope

Preparing For The Worst Possibilities

We read in an article on The Jerusalem Post that Hezbollah is ready to attack all of Israel:

Hassan Fadlallah, a Lebanese member of parliament and senior Hezbollah official, told Al Jazeera that everywhere in Israel was within range of Hezbollah missiles, Ynet reported on Monday.

He stated that Israel "wants to apply military pressure to calm its residents who live in the north. From day one, threats to destroy Lebanon have been issued. Israel is not in a position to set conditions."

He further added, according to Ynet, "Every point in Israel is within the range of Hezbollah missiles. The resistance has prepared all scenarios and is ready for the worst possibilities."

Just what those scenarios is up for debate, but what isn’t debatable is that tensions are running higher and higher between Hezbollah and Israel. If the statements made by Israel military leaders are to be accurate, Israelis displaced by the hostilities in the north will be able to return once there is no threat of terrorist attacks. If the statements we saw above are also accurate, all of Israel is at risk and nowhere is safe to live until all of Hezbollah and really terrorists from all sides have to be eliminated. Does the Israel Defense Force have the ability to do that? They say they do so we’ll have to wait and see who is going to survive a war between the two sides.

The West Bank Must Be Addressed

If you don’t know what the West Bank is, a look at a map can clear it up. Right now this area of Israel is also seeing increased violence and unrest as seen in a report from The Jerusalem Post:

An explosive device was thrown on an Israeli car on a road near Homesh in the West Bank, Israeli media reported on Monday.

One person was wounded lightly, according to KAN.

The military said forces were sent to the scene, provided medical treatment to the wounded, and were searching the area for suspects.

If you want to read more on this incident, it can be found here. Stabbings and other violent attacks have been part of life in this area as well as tensions between Palestinian settlements and Israelis that other countries have decried. We read about one country wanting to impose sanctions on what they deem are violent Israeli settlers in the West bank in an article from i24news.tv:

Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares declared on Monday that Spain would impose sanctions on violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank unilaterally if its European Union counterparts fail to agree on the matter.

Albares made the announcement ahead of an EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, where Spain intends to advocate for the approval of these sanctions.

Albares emphasized the urgency of addressing the issue and asserted Spain's commitment to pushing for approval of the sanctions during the EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels.

The article goes on to add that France is taking actions against these settlers:

Earlier in the day, Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin expressed optimism that EU member states would unanimously support the imposition of sanctions. The announcement comes after French authorities recently banned 28 Israeli settlers from entering the country, citing their involvement in attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

The UK and United States are also imposing sanctions on individuals. Clearly the reasons for the outbreaks must be dealt with and I believe the West Bank is another front of this war that Israel has to deal with sooner than later.

New Information On Hostages

The IDF released video and pictures of hostages still in captivity that show them being taken and moved to southern Gaza. We get more on this from an article in The Times Of Israel:

The IDF on Monday released what it said was recently discovered footage showing mother Shiri Bibas and her two young children surrounded by gunmen in the Gaza Strip hours after they were abducted by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, and expressed serious fears over the captive family.

The clip from surveillance cameras in Khan Younis showing Bibas holding Ariel and Kfir, who were 4 years and 9 months old, respectively, at the time of the kidnapping, is the first proof of life of the three members of the family since they were dragged into Gaza, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a press conference. The boys’ father, Yarden, was kidnapped separately and is also still held in Gaza.

While it is proof of life of them surviving the October 7th attacks, it is not proof they are still alive now. However, it is still good news for those who only knew they were missing. Concerns of their fate now is very real:

Hagari said the IDF was “very concerned about the fate of Shiri and the children,” but declined to elaborate on the additional “scraps” of information and intelligence that has led the army to fear for their lives.

He said the IDF does not currently have enough information to confirm whether they are dead or alive, but is “making every effort to obtain more information about their fate.” If and when there is definitive information “one way or another,” he said, “we will first tell the family and then the public.”

Hamas said that the three were killed in an IDF strike back in November, a report the IDF said is unverified. Hagari added these comments concerning the video:

“Seeing this young mother, clutching her babies, surrounded by a group of armed terrorists, is horrifying and heart-wrenching, but it is also a call for action, that we must bring the hostages home. Fast,” the army spokesman continued.

“Those who have the audacity to question our need to operate in Gaza, but don’t have the basic decency and humanity to demand that Hamas release our hostages first of all, they all should take a good look at this terrified mother, Shiri, clutching her babies,” Hagari added in English. Demanding that Hamas release them, he vowed, “We will leave no stone unturned until our hostages are home.”

And we pray that is exactly what happens.