The last 24 hours, things escalated between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, rockets being shot at Israel, Israel attacks in Gaza, unrest inside mixed cities in Israel and even rockets shot from Lebanon into North Israel (again).
24 hours of Day 6 to the fighting
Iran says Hamas is targeting Iron Dome sites, airports
Iran is telegraphing how Hamas has planned and executed its war on Israel. Since the first rocket was fired on Jerusalem on Monday, Hamas has set the pace and tempo of this conflict. It appears to be a plan that has been in place for years – and may have had guidance directly from Iran.
Now Iran is warning that Hamas has new surprises awaiting Israel. Hamas is warning Israel against a ground invasion, saying it will be a trap. Iran is watching the conflict closely and says it shows that the balance of power has shifted against Israel.
From an article in the Jerusalem Post
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Did IDF deception lead to massive aerial assault on Hamas’s ‘Metro’?
Earlier in the day, the IDF said that a ground offensive was on the table as a viable option for the continuation of Operation Guardians of the Walls. The IDF was hitting hard at Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets from the air, but on the ground they would be expected to cause even more damage, albeit with greater risk to the Israeli forces.
At midnight, the IDF Spokesperson’s English department tweeted that “IDF air and ground troops are currently attacking in the Gaza Strip."
Foreign media jumped at the tweet, interpreting it to mean that Israel was sending ground forces into Gaza, a major escalation in the current operation and a sign that it was far from over.
The problem was that there was no ground invasion. Yes, the IDF had deployed troops along the border, but they did not cross into Gaza. What did happen was in the air, where 160 aircraft had assembled for a massive bombing run over the Gaza Strip. Their target was what the IDF called Hamas's "Metro", an underground network of tunnels which Hamas used to store its weapons and to move throughout Gaza, hidden from Israeli aircraft.
From an article in the Jerusalem Post
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One dead in Tel Aviv suburb as Gaza terror groups continue to attack Israel
Hamas rocket barrages on southern and central Israel continued throughout the day on Saturday with almost 300 projectiles flying toward Israel.
A man was killed in the central city of Ramat Gan after Hamas fired a volley of close to 30 rockets at central Israel in a large afternoon barrage on the sixth day of fighting between the Israeli military and Hamas.
From an article in the Jerusalem Post
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New antisemitism in Europe connected to Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israeli flags were burned in front of two synagogues in Germany and the words “Free Palestine” were spray-painted on another one in Spain.
The incidents this week are among the first manifestations of antisemitism in Europe connected to the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in which six Israelis and at least 50 Palestinians have died in the exchange of rocket fire.
From an article in the Jerusalem Post
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Israel must prove it has freedom to defend itself - opinion
Winning the current war against Hamas is not only about denying the terrorist army’s ability to target Israel with thousands of missiles at will every few years. A critical part of Israel’s purpose in this conflict is proving that the Jewish state retains freedom of military action against its enemies.
Israel must demonstrate that despite the changed international environment (with the Biden administration courting Iran, and providing Israel with only subdued backing), Israel is not defenseless.
From an article in the Jerusalem Post
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New round for Israel, Hamas - how it happened, how will it end? - opinion
Another round of Hamas high-trajectory rockets attacks against Israel. How did we get here? What are the reasons for this sudden development? How is this round different from previous rounds? What is Hamas trying to achieve in this round of clashes? How should this round end and what are the lessons learned from this deterioration?
From an article in the Jerusalem Post
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Recent updates from last night and today
Rockets fell in central Israel on Saturday morning, one of the most densely populated areas of the country.
Watch the pictures here
We pray and hope for peace over this whole region as soon as possible!