IDF forces deep in Gaza as ground ops continue – day 32

35 Minutes agoRussia says Israeli nuclear remark raises ‘huge number of questions’Asked in a radio interview about a hypothetical nuclear option, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu had replied: “That’s one way.”By REUTERS

Minister of Heritage Amichai Eliyahu attends a ceremony at the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on June 19, 2023.(photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
Russia’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that a remark by an Israeli junior minister who appeared to express openness to the idea of Israel carrying out a nuclear strike on Gaza had raised a huge number of questions.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday suspended Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu of Otzma Yehudit from cabinet meetings “until further notice.”

Asked in a radio interview about a hypothetical nuclear option, Eliyahu had replied: “That’s one way.”

“This has raised a huge number of questions,” Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, was quoted as saying by state RIA news agency.

Zakharova said the main issue was that Israel appeared to have admitted that it had nuclear weapons.

 

Minister of Heritage Amichai Eliyahu arrives to a government conference at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem on January 29, 2023. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90) 

Israel does not publicly acknowledge it has nuclear weapons though the Federation of American Scientists estimates Israel has about 90 nuclear warheads.

Official statement confirming Israel’s possession of nukes?

“Question number one – it turns out that we are hearing official statements about the presence of nuclear weapons?” Zakharova said.

If so, she said, then where are the International Atomic Energy Agency and international nuclear inspectors?

Eliyahu’s remark drew condemnation from around the Arab world, scandalized mainstream Israeli broadcasters, was deemed “objectionable” by a US official, and Iran called for a swift international response.

“The UN Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency must take immediate and uninterrupted action to disarm this barbaric and apartheid regime. Tomorrow is late,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on platform X on Monday.

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44 Minutes agoAttempted stabbing attack reported near Jerusalem, no casualtiesBy JERUSALEM POST STAFF

breaking news(photo credit: JPOST STAFF)
An attempted terror stabbing was reported at the Kalandiya checkpoint near east Jerusalem on Tuesday morning, Israel Police said.

No casualties were reported.

As per initial reports, Israeli forces took aim at a suspect who approached officers at the checkpoint draped in a Hamas flag and refused to heed officers’ requests to stop.

A knife was reportedly found in her possession. She was later arrested.

Go to the full article >>an hour agoIDF takes over Hamas military stronghold in northern GazaIsraeli Navy takes down Hamas ‘strategic targets’ across Strip • IDF: Explosions near al-Quds hospital signify Hamas weaponry presentBy JERUSALEM POST STAFF

Israeli forces took control of a Hamas military stronghold in the northern Gaza Strip, the IDF announced on Tuesday morning.

IDF fighters from the Seventh Armored Brigade were accompanied by Israeli Air Force fighter jets which struck a terror cell of some 10 Palestinian terrorists before guiding the ground forces to the stronghold.

Anti-tank missiles and launchers, weapons, and various intelligence materials were located in the compound by the troops.

The IDF also struck dozens of mortar launchpads across the Strip overnight, the Israeli military said.

The Israeli Navy also operated in the Strip early on Tuesday morning, striking “strategic targets belonging to Hamas, including outposts containing what the IDF said were technological assets.

 

Israeli forces are seen operating in the Gaza Strip on November 7, 2023 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT) 

IDF: Explosions near al-Quds hospital signify Hamas weaponry present

Elsewhere in the Strip, a terror cell that barricaded itself near the al-Quds Hospital was gunned down by Israeli fighter jets guided by the IDF’s 36th Armored Division.

As per the military, the cell planned to launch an attack on the ground forces from its barricaded position.

The aerial strike on the cell caused a large secondary explosion on the ground adjacent to the hospital, indicating the presence of a cache of explosions and other Hamas weaponry stored in the vicinity of the hospital.

This is a developing story.

Go to the full article >>Show Morean hour agoIDF troops on the ground in Gaza takeover a Hamas stronghold, November 7, 2023By JERUSALEM POST STAFF

an hour agoIDF fighter jet strike at Hamas terrorist infrastructure, November 7, 2023By JERUSALEM POST STAFF

an hour agoIsraeli minister calls for action against civil groups with Hamas tiesMinister Amichai Chikli invoked a decisive stand against the propagation of terrorism through civil entities.By ZVIKA KLEIN

New Knesset member Amichai Chikli seen at the Knesset , ahead of the opening Knesset session of the new government, on April 05, 2021.(photo credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)
Israel’s Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister, Amichai Chikli, provided a detailed account to international ministers of close to ten countries, such as Canada’s Minister of National Defense, Bill Blair and Italy’s Interior Minister, Matteo Piantedosi, calling for action against civil groups with ties to Hamas.

In addition to the letter, sent mainly to interior ministers around the world, a specific report outlined unsettling behaviors by pro-Hamas figures in their respective countries.

The letters were obtained by The Jerusalem Post. The Ministry acknowledged their existence and content.

One of the individuals highlighted in the report to the Italian minister was Mahmud Hanun, who, among other roles, is the head of the “Charity Association for Solidarity with the Palestinian People” (ABSPP) in Italy, which was a member of the “Union of Good” coalition. The “Union of Good” was designated in Israel and the United States in 2008 as a terror organization due to allegations of channeling funds to Hamas. In 2021, the ABSPP accounts were closed due to suspicious transactions.

Celebrating terrorists

The Ministry’s report shed light on Hanun’s activities. “Hanun posted in March 2019 that Abu Laila was murdered by the ‘Zionist-Nazi army,'” the report detailed, referring to Omar Abu Laila who was killed after carrying out a fatal attack on Israelis. It further described how Hanun “eulogized” teenage attackers in Jerusalem through a song, glorifying their violent acts.

 

Amichai Chikli speaks at the AJC Global Forum in Tel Aviv, on June 14, 2023 (credit: MIRIAM ALSTER/FLASH90) 

Chikli, quoting from the report, also noted a memorialization trend amongst supporters of Hamas. “In September 2020, the assailant Ahmed Jarar, the head of the cell that killed Rabbi Raziel Shevach, was memorialized through a song,” Chikli conveyed, pointing out the connection between Jarar and his father, Nasser, a senior member of Hamas’ military wing.

In his letter to Blair, Chikli wrote, “Unfortunately, Hamas were not alone in perpetrating this despicable terrorist act. Iran funded it, as well as the Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) who took an active part. It’s worth noting that in Canada, there has been an organization operating for approximately two years
known as SAMIDOUN, which is declared to be a ‘civilian arm’ of the PFLP. According to the report, representatives of the designated organization are active in many countries in Europe and North America, led by Khaled Barakat, who is part of the leadership of PFLP abroad.”

“Barkat is involved with establishing militant cells and motivating terrorist activity in Judea and Samaria, as well as abroad,” Chikli said. “We expect that they will be designated as a terrorist organization in Canada as well,” he urged, invoking a decisive stand against the propagation of terrorism through civil entities.

Go to the full article >>Show More1 Hours agoPalestinian Authority should take control of Gaza after war – LapidBy JERUSALEM POST STAFF

breaking news(photo credit: JPOST STAFF)
The Palestinian Authority must take control of the Gaza Strip following the war, but only under the watch of Israeli security forces, opposition head MK Yair Lapid told KAN Reshet B on Tuesday morning.

Lapid challenged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statements to ABC overnight, saying that the only body that can take responsibility for the Strip after defeating Hamas in the PA. However, the Yesh Atid chairman did state that the IDF must have control over security in Gaza in the short term.

Go to the full article >>1 Hours agoIsrael set for massive Iron Dome build-up in US $14 billion aid package – reportAs per the report, the package would also include funds for some 14,000 interceptors, giving the IDF the ability to operate “conservatively 25 new batteries” across Israel.By JERUSALEM POST STAFF

The Iron Dome air defense missile systems is seen during operational trials conducted following the conclusion Operation Shield and Arrow on May 14, 2023(photo credit: DEFENSE MINISTRY)
US President Joe Biden’s proposed $14 billion aid package to Israel includes funds to assemble up to 100 more Iron Dome launchers, significantly expanding the IDF’s air defense, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

As per the report, citing unidentified US officials, the package would also include funds for some 14,000 interceptors, giving Israel the ability to operate “conservatively 25 new batteries” across Israel, Wes Rumbaugh, a missile defense analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Bloomberg.

However, Rumbaugh stated that it is likely new launchers and interceptors built using US funding would replace dated equipment still in operation in Israel.

Bloomberg’s report comes as Israel has been facing a heavy rocket barrage from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, with Hamas and Hezbollah taking responsibility for attacks carried out since the former’s mass infiltration and massacre of 1,400 Israelis on October 7.

Israel also faced attacks from Syria and the Houthis rebels in Yemen, including shooting down a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis which was reportedly intercepted outside of the Earth’s atmosphere.

 

PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu meets with US President Joe Biden in Tel Aviv, last month. (credit: MIRIAM ALSTER/FLASH90) 

Republicans cause issues in US House, Senate

Biden sought the US Congress and House of Representatives to approve a $106 billion military aid package for both Israel and Ukraine last month, saying that “Israeli and Ukrainian victories on the battlefield are essential to protect America’s national security.”

But Republicans who lead the House of Representatives, object to combining the two issues, joined by some party members in the Senate.

Opinion polls show public support for Ukraine aid declining and many Republicans, particularly those most closely aligned with former president Donald Trump, have come out against it.

Last month, following the launch of Operation Swords of Iron, the US Pentagon announced plans to send the two Iron Dome missile defense systems it had previously purchased from Israel back to Jerusalem.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Go to the full article >>Show More2 Hours agoIsraeli minister: Gov’t not responsible for operating defense forcesBy JERUSALEM POST STAFF

breaking news(photo credit: JPOST STAFF)
Israel’s government is not responsible for “operating” Israel’s defense establishment, Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter told Army Radio on Tuesday, explaining that “the two defense circles” which the government relied on failed on October 7.

“In the defense world, there are two circles – the intelligence circle and a physical circle of borders, fences and forces,” Dichter, a former Shin Bet director, said. “On October 7, both circles collapsed.

“The government relies on the two circles, guides them, and finances them – but does not operate them,” Dichter claimed.

Go to the full article >>Show More3 Hours agoIsrael will have indefinite control over Gaza’s security, Netanyahu saysLast week the prime minister held a briefing for the foreign media, where he said that a ceasefire is not on the agenda.By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a special plenum session presenting the new emergency government at the assembly hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem on October 12, 2023(photo credit: NOAM REVKIN FENTON/FLASH90)
Israel will have security responsibility in the Gaza Strip for an indefinite period following the war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed in an interview with the ABC network overnight on Monday.

“We have seen what happens when Israel does not have the security responsibility,” he said, referring to the October 7 massacre. “When we do not have this security responsibility what we have is an eruption of Hamas terror on a scale we could not imagine.”

Netanyahu further reiterated his vow to not agre