That’s right, I am showing my age. This is an image capture from the well known movie, “The Ten Commandments” directed by Cecil B. Demille, released in 1956, starring Charlton Heston as Moses and Yul Brunner as Pharoah Ramses. This image depicts the scene in which Moses receives the Torah from HaShem on Mount Sinai before he descends to see the Hebrews dancing around the Golden Calf.
The reason I have posted this image is because this evening starts the Jewish Holiday of Shavuot. It has been 49 days since Passover and according to the Jewish Calendar that is the day on which the Hebrews receive and accept the laws as ordained by HaShem. On Passover, we remember the exodus from Egypt. Then it took 49 days to make the journey to Mt. Sinai where the covenant between the Jewish People and HaShem is sealed forever. From my perspective it really does not matter whether one believes that these laws were divinely ordained, divinely inspired or just thought up by many generations of very smart people. All that matters is that for thousands of years we, the Jewish People, have believed that these laws were ordained by G-d and therefore they must be obeyed.
It was at this point in time that the Hebrews (consisting of the 12 tribes of Jacob, of which one is The Jews) coalesced into a nation. A nation with a land, only in promise not yet realized. By accepting this covenant the Hebrews inherited a uniform code of law that was universally accepted across ALL the nation, and applied to both its leaders (future Kings such as Saul, David and Solomon) and the people. This is what makes a people into a nation. A uniform set of laws, a people to whom they apply and a land on which those people can thrive.
By the way, if you are an archeologist enthusiast you might enjoy reading this article on where the real Mt. Sinai might be.
Gaza Rockets
No rockets were fired from Gaza and crossed the Israeli border in the past 72 hours.
Casualties
The IDF reported this morning that four infantry soldiers died in combat today in Rafah when they accidentally triggered a booby trap inside a residential building. They are Maj. Tal Pshebilski Shaulov - 24 (Z’’L), Staff Sgt. Eitan Karlsbrun - 20 (Z’’L), Sgt. Yair Levin - 19 (Z’’L) and Sgt. Almog Shalom - 19 (Z’’L). Apparently, before entering a suspicious home in Rafah, a member of the unit threw a grenade into the home in an attempt to trigger any possible booby traps. After realizing that there were no secondary blasts the troops entered and accidentally triggered a booby trap explosive that caused part of the three story building to collapse. Given the impending start of the Jewish holiday, all were buried today. The total IDF soldiers killed in action either in Gaza or Lebanese Operations is now 299 since the start of the War. This does not include those killed during actions on or around October 7.
Gaza Operations
The IDF 98th Division has been withdrawn from Gaza to enable the troops to go home for a bit to get some well deserved R & R. They were instrumental in assisting the special forces operation in Nuseirat to rescue the hostages. They were active in Nuseirat and surrounding areas in central Gaza. This is not a “withdrawal” of forces as other troops are gearing up to go into Gaza for other operations.
Meanwhile, IDF troops remain active in the southern Gaza area around Rafah and in the center of Gaza along the Netzarim Corridor. This Corridor is the road created by the IDF traversing Gaza from East to West in order to enable the IDF to quickly move troops and tanks for surprise operations in Gaza. Troops have found many weapons depots, rocket launching sites, snipers and tunnel shafts. There were also many close quarters battles with Hamas combatants. In Rafah, troops found major Hamas planning facilities with many valuable intelligence documents.
Lebanon Operations
This morning Hezbollah launched more than 50 rockets and drone attacks in the Upper Galilee and Golan Heights, landing in open fields, triggering more fires. Those projectiles headed for populated areas were neutralized by Iron Dome. The Israeli Fire and Rescue Forces are stilling battling the blazes. Then this afternoon they targeted a kamikaze drone at the Israeli village of Arab al-Aramshe, in the north, but Iron Dome successfully neutralized the drone before it could do any damage. Sirens went off anyway in order to ensure that civilians would take cover to avoid injury from falling shrapnel. Arab al-Aramshe is a Bedouin Village in the north.
For the first time since the start of the War, sirens went off in Haifa. It turns out that it was a “false positive”. It was triggered by an IDF launched Iron Dome missile launched to neutralize an inbound barrage of rockets elsewhere. There are many “false positives” going off in the northern part of Israel as the IDF has the sensors set to set off with the slightest object detected. This is because of the ongoing worries about these kamikaze drones that are so hard to detect.
Last night the IDF conducted several fighter jet attacks on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, including launch sites and observation posts. Hezbollah announced that several of its combatants were killed in the operation bringing their casualties to 336.
Another set of fighter jets conducted attack operations deep inside Lebanon in an area called Baalbek, near the Syrian border. This area is filled with weapons manufacturing facilities and transportation of arms sent by Iran through Syria. One arms factory was hit along with a military compound and a nearby Hezbollah compound. During the same operation, the IDF struck a convoy of fuel tankers and a building adjacent to the Lebanese border with Syria. During the operation several Hezbollah combatants were killed. Here is a video from Lebanon. This is the deepest inside Lebanon that Israel has struck since the start of the War.
Iraq/Syria/Egypt/Jordan Operations
IDF fighter jets were also busy this morning and neutralized a drone that must have been launched from Iraq that was heading towards Israel’s southern city of Eilat. Earlier the Iranian back proxy Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed credit for the launch.
Aid
The Biden Administration announced a $400 million dollar aid package for the Palestinians.
Yesterday 193 aid trucks entered Gaza. The contents of 1,000 trucks has accumulated on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom border crossing with Israel that is waiting for distribution to the population by the UN and NGO aid organizations.
Hostages/Ceasefire
According to Qatari and Egyptian mediators involved in the negotiations, Hamas has still not provided a response to the current proposal. But reports in Reuters suggest that Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the Hamas accepts the proposal and is ready to negotiate over the details. So it is a bit hard to read what is going on. It is likely that the leadership in Qatar is ready to accept the proposal but the leadership in Gaza is still deliberating.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said today that Israel has reaffirmed its commitment to the proposal. But, the reality is that Prime Minister Netanyahu has said, in very clear terms, that the proposal as set forth by President Biden was not 100% of what Israel proposed. As the Prime Minister’s Office has made it clear that there is no possibility of a permanent ceasefire as long as Hamas is a military force and/or governing power in Gaza.
It is my perspective that each party is interpreting the proposal in a way that suits their purposes. Meanwhile, Hamas has maintained its consistent position that it will not agree to anything that does not include a very clear guarantee that the IDF will evacuate Gaza and that a permanent ceasefire is in place.
All four of the hostages rescued from Operation Arnon were discharged today from the hospital so they could go home. Doctors who treated the rescued hostages said they were suffering from malnutrition, were beaten regularly and experienced great psychological distress during their captivity.
IDF General
United States CENTCOM chief Gen. Michael Kurilla arrived in Israel today and met with Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi. Details of their discussion were not disclosed.
As the days proceed more and more details about Operation Arnon emerge. Here is a video taken from the cameras on the helmets of IDF special forces during the intensity of battle. I think you will find it worth your time to watch. It does a good job of giving you a sense of the intensity of the moment.
By the way, Avi Isaacharoff one of the writers/producers of Fauda is also a military analyst for one of the leading newspapers in Israel. He is also a veteran of IDF special forces unit called Duvduvan (“cherry”) that frequently goes into Judea/Samaria (West Bank) conducting operations not too different from those depicted in the show. Here is link to his article, but it is in Hebrew. Essentially he is saying that he is absolutely “floored” by the execution of this most complicated rescue operation and that it exceeds anything he saw during his term of service or anything depicted in his TV show. By the way, he and his cowriter Lior Raz have been commissioned to write the script for a movie about what took place on October 7. I do not know if they will produce it or it will be produced by another entity. It is my guess that a movie will also be made about Operation Arnon at some point.
International
As those of you who have been following me for awhile will know, I have a favorite person in my Rogue’s Gallery within the International Community - the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese. That is some title isn’t it. I wonder what this woman gets paid. Well, on Sunday in the aftermath of the highly successful Operation Arnon, the rescue of the hostages, the issued a statement condemning the rescue operation, saying:
Israel has used hostages to legitimize killing, injuring, maiming, starving and traumatizing Palestinians in Gaza.
I think that at the UN your pay scale is proportional to the length of your title and the number of preposterous statements you make each week. And you receive bonuses if your statements castigate Israel only.
Speaking of the UN, the UN Security Council approved an US backed resolution calling for a three phase hostage deal by a 14 to 0 vote. Russia abstained.
Politics/Protests
The Knesset (Parliament) passed a vote to advance the ultra-orthodox draft exemption legislation by a vote of 63 to 57. Defense Minister Gallant was the only member of the Government voting against. To be honest the proposed legislation is not a full draft exemption but changes the age at which the ultra-orthodox are exempted to an earlier age, from the current age of 26 to 21. In an indirect way the government claims that this will encourage the ultra-orthodox to either enlist or join the work force at a more reasonable age. Most of the country, and for sure the opposition parties, insist that this is inadequate given the urgent needs of the IDF today. The legislation will now go into committee for hearings and discussion, before a set of final votes might make it into formal law. Should it pass, it will be contested at the Supreme Court that may easily rule that it is inadequate for ensuring equal treatment under the law.
And In Your Copious Spare Time…
Here is an absolutely incredible and insightful analysis of the man most in control of events in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar. The authors interviewed both Israeli and Palestinian officials familiar with this “evil incarnate” to compile this well written dossier on the man, his childhood and the forces that influenced him. It also describes his correspondence with his Hamas leadership associates in Doha, Qatar. Among the highlights:
We have the Israelis right where we want them.
Loss of Palestinian lives are necessary sacrifices.
Israel's journey in Rafah won't be a walk in the park.
I guess today is the day for promoting the Wall Street Journal. Here is an absolutely incredible article describing the details of Operation Arnon.
And finally here is another podcast from Dan Senor’s Channel - “Call Me Back”. In this interview with Israeli military correspondent Nadav Eyal may details and background behind the operation are provided:
On Spotify:
On Apple Podcast: