Treated Poorly

The newly released hostages, all men revealed how poorly they were treated as we read in a report from The times Of Israel:

The three hostages who were released earlier today have all said since their return that they were held in harsh conditions, that they were frequently moved around, and that food was scarce, Kan news reports.

One hostage, Keith Siegel revealed this:

Keith Siegel was held by Hamas captors in Gaza City along with other hostages. He was kept in tunnels for some time but mostly was moved between homes. His captors would lock him in a room so that he would not be spotted. Food was extremely scarce. Siegel is a vegetarian but his captors would sometimes bring him meat which he ate in order to survive, according to the report. For many months, he did not know if his son Shai had survived the Hamas attack on Kibbutz Kfar Aza. But then he heard Shai’s voice on the radio and was immensely relieved.

The two others said that they were also treated harshly, a common experience for all the male captives:

Ofer Calderon and Yarden Bibas have recounted that they were held together in the early days of their captivity, Kan also reported. The terrorists beat them, put them in cages and abused them physically and mentally. They were moved often and held underground and in buildings, including with other hostages.

The captors treated Calderon like a reservist soldier, and thus he was released today in military clothing.

Calderon actually wanted a beer, but the soldiers advised against it:

On his release, he asked the IDF soldiers with him for a beer, and was told he would need to take it slow because he was weak.

Bibas was taunted by Hamas in the cruelest way:

Bibas said he was moved from place to place in Khan Younis — in homes and tunnels. He learned Arabic. He was subjected to grave psychological abuse, including being compelled to film a video after his captors claimed his wife, Shiri, and young sons Ariel and Kfir. had been killed in an IDF strike. His captors talked incessantly to him about them, the report says. Now, Kan says, “he is clinging to hope.”

As I said before, such psychological torture is common for these terrorists. However when they saw news of Israelis pushing for their release it lifted their spirits. The vast majority of the time they were treated ruthlessly:

Families of these freed hostages have recounted that they were frequently told they were “going home tomorrow,” that their captors would give them food and then take it away and laugh, and that some of them were handcuffed protractedly and subjected to heavy violence. Some were put into cages for “opposing the terrorists,” the report says. Some were held in humid tunnels with little air for long periods.

IDF Strikes Hezbollah

In yet another sign that Hezbollah has no intention of leaving southern Lebanon, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) carried out strikes on Hezbollah targets after the terrorist group deployed a reconnaissance drone into in Israel. We learn more about this from an article in the Jewish News Syndicate:

Israeli Air Force fighter jets attacked Hezbollah targets in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley overnight on Thursday after the Iranian-backed terrorist organization dispatched a surveillance drone over the Jewish state, the IDF said on Friday morning.

“The Hezbollah reconnaissance drone that made its way into Israeli territory yesterday and was intercepted by the Air Force constitutes a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the military stated, in reference to the Nov. 26 ceasefire agreement.

The drone that flew into Israeli territory was the first such incursion:

Thursday’s incident marked the first time since the truce went into effect that Hezbollah sent an unmanned aerial vehicle toward Israel.

Israel’s response was measured but strategic:

“Overnight, under intelligence guidance from the Military Intelligence Directorate, IAF fighter jets attacked several targets of the Hezbollah terror group in the Bekaa region of Lebanon that posed a threat to the Israeli home front and IDF forces,” the IDF statement announced.

Among the targets was a site with tunnels where weapons were produced and developed, as well as terrorist infrastructure on the Lebanon-Syria border through which Hezbollah smuggled arms.

“The IDF continues to be committed to the understandings regarding the ceasefire in Lebanon and will not allow the execution of terrorist plots of this type,” warned the military. “The IDF is deployed in the Southern Lebanon region and will work to eliminate any threat.”

Israel is complying but the Lebanese army and Hezbollah aren’t doing their parts:

Under the ceasefire’s terms, the Israel Defense Forces is to gradually withdraw from Lebanon’s south as the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) troops take over responsibilities for ensuring that Hezbollah remains disarmed south of the Litani River.

However, concerns are growing in Jerusalem about whether the LAF can fulfill its obligation to clamp down on Hezbollah’s presence in the south, and the IDF remains engaged in frequent operations in the border area.

They Just Won’t Leave

And Hezbollah keeps trying to remain in the southern part of Lebanon that they are supposed to vacate:

On Wednesday, an IAF craft hit an “engineering vehicle” in Southern Lebanon after Israeli forces spotted Hezbollah terrorists trying to rebuild infrastructure in the area in violation of the ceasefire.

Earlier this week, Israeli forces struck a vehicle carrying Hezbollah terrorists who posed an imminent threat, the army said on Tuesday.

Israel asked for an received a one month extension and was granted it by the US. Hezbollah was not happy about that and refuses to agree to it:

The IDF stressed that troops were actively working to eliminate threats and dismantle Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in Southern Lebanon, in accordance with the deal between Jerusalem and Beirut that went into effect on Nov. 27 and was extended on Sunday until Feb. 18.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem declared on Monday that the terrorist organization rejects any attempt to justify Jerusalem’s delay.

The extension is based on the Lebanese army controlling the area, something the IDF says isn’t happening:

On Jan. 24, the Israeli government announced that its pullout would take longer than the 60-day deadline set by the ceasefire agreement.

The withdrawal of Jerusalem’s ground forces remains “conditional on the Lebanese Armed Forces deploying in Southern Lebanon and fully and effectively enforcing the agreement, while Hezbollah withdraws beyond the Litani,” declared the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.

“Since the ceasefire agreement has not yet been fully enforced by the State of Lebanon, the phased withdrawal process will continue, in full coordination with the United States,” the statement continued.

Until the northern region of Israel is free of Hezbollah’s attacks they won’t allow the residents to return:

Israel “will not endanger its communities and citizens and will insist on the full implementation of the objective of the fighting in the north, which is the safe return of residents [of the Galilee] to their homes,” it added.

I don’t think Hezbollah will relocate and will attack from north of the Litani river every chance they can get. Their previous and current actions attest to this. If Israel wants its residents to live safely in the north, Hezbollah cannot continue to exist. Period. Just like in the south of Israel, Hamas cannot continue to exist either in a military or governmental state if the whole of Israel wants to be safe. The sooner both are out of business the sooner this never ending struggle ends.