Sunday, October 5, 2025

Free the hostages,
Remove Hamas,
End the war.
Two years, 48 hostages remain! Video: Nova Survivors Speak 

President Trump issued an ultimatum to Hamas giving the terror group until 6 PM ET on Sunday to accept the U.S. peace plan for Gaza that Israel has already accepted and is also backed by Arab countries.

On Negotiations: Trump said Hamas was ready for “lasting peace” and willing to release all hostages to restart negotiations. But the truth? Hamas has NOT agreed to disarm.  They will NOT release the hostages, unless they are part of the Palestinian movement that decides how Gaza is run. So essentially Hamas has rejected the actual deal. It's a clear rejection of Trump’s 'take it or leave it’ deal. When the media paint Israel as the obstruction to peace, remember that Hamas was the party that refused to accept the deal. Meanwhile, after meeting with leaders fromTurkey and Qatar, Trump ordered a halt to the Israeli offensive that was about to destroy terrorists, and Israel has halted operations in Gaza.  Israel expects the release of the 48 hostages held by Hamas as early as next week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday evening.

On the Flotilla: None of the 40 vessels participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla was carrying humanitarian aid, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry. Israeli Police spokesperson Dean Elsdunne pointed out that the complete lack of aid explains why the organizers refused Israel’s and multiple countries’ offers to hand over supplies safely, avoid entering an active war zone, and stay within international law.  Even Al Jazerra noted that while the flotilla carried a "symbolic amount of humanitarian aid," its main goal was to "break Israel's illegal siege"Israel, consistent with international law, maintains a maritime blockade to prevent weapons smuggling to Hamas. 

ISRAEL
>Video: The horrendous reason why Israel is being accused of genocide 
>Each civilian death is tragic. But responsibility lies with Hamas. The truth about the death toll in Gaza...https://www.brianlilley.com/p/the-truth-about-the-death-toll-in?
>Jihad Al-Shamie, the man who murdered two Jews outside a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur, was an asylum seeker on bail for rape.  Police say, he "may have been influenced by extreme islamist ideology."
>Protests in London against Palestine Action being proscribed as a terrorist action. Calling this a "Pro-Palestine" protest as crowds chant "long live the intifada" in London is a whitewashing of the protests. These protests are intentionally taking MET police away from guarding synogogues which have been attacked by persons shouting "pro-Palestine" language. These protests are in addition to the protests on the very day that two British Jews were slain at their synagogue.

USA
>Judge rules Trump administration’s efforts to deport noncitizens over Gaza war protests is unconstitutional. The US does not have hate speech laws — they pose too great a threat to public discourse. The alternative is granting those in power the ability to silence anyone who disagrees with them. Note: The Courts have ruled against speech inciting “imminent lawless action." https://time.com/7320705/us-hate-speech-first-amendment-history/


Two Scripted Series About October 7 Are Coming to HBO Max and Paramount+. "One Day in October" and "Red Alert" airing  on October 7, 2025. "One Day in October" is an HBO Max original four-part series based on real-life accounts from the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. The Israeli drama series “Red Alert” is about the acts of heroism that took place in Israel during the October 7 attack, will premiere globally on Paramount+ 

>>Student walk-outs are being scheduled at Canadian and American universities and high schools on October 7th -- not for the hostages nor for the victims of crimes perpetrated on that day -- but in support of those who committed them.  






Sunday, September 28, 2025

For those who observe: May you have an easy and meaningful fast this Yom Kippur.

Hostage Update:  723 Days
Hamas has released a video of hostage Alon Ohel.  The terror group is once again using the Jewish High Holidays as fuel to Israeli trauma. Hamas says it lost contact with two Israeli hostages while hinting at their location 48 Hostages remain in Hamas captivity.

This should outrage everyone: The Fight Inside Amnesty International over Its Hamas Report https://www.thefp.com/p/the-fight-inside-amnesty-international Section directors argued that even a belated acknowledgment of Hamas’s crimes might help Israel in the court of public opinion.

On Recognizing Palestinian Statehood and the “Two-state solution”
>Australia, Canada, Portugal, UK and others recognize Palestinian statehood.   
Rather than focusing all attention on pressuring Hamas to free the 48 hostages and surrender power, these countries instead rewarded Hamas and the PA. The PA continues to deny Israel's right to exist in any borders https://palwatch.org/page/41540 Holdouts include Germany, Italy and Japan. Several EU governments remain in the “not now/conditional” camp — notably the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland and Greece. In Asia, Japan, South Korea and Singapore, as well as many Pacific allies remain non-recognisers, though positions are shifting quickly.  Note: The Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site, is inside the UK/Canada/Australia/Europe’s planned state of Palestine. 
>Italy to recognise Palestine only if Hamas excluded, all hostages freed 
>13 members of the Arab League and 9 members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation still don't recognise Israel

CHINA
The Covert Rise of China-Iran Military Ties and Israel's Dilemma - Oded Ailam (Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs)

CANADA
>The Canadian Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel has added "Palestine" to its postal address.
>Université de Sherbrooke keeps medical student despite alleged antisemitic, homophobic posts https://www.montrealgazette.com/news/provincial-news/article1182921.html He explicitly stated he supports killing Jews, where he threatened to carry out an attack on campus, and where he made countless appalling posts about the Black community, the LGBTQ community, and other minority groups 
@DrCaseyBabb

EGYPT 
Egypt has extended runways at its air force bases in the Sinai Peninsula so they can be used by fighter jets, built underground facilities that could be used to store missiles, and built up its military forces in the area in violation of the 1979 Camp David Accords that established peace between Israel and Egypt.

FRANCE
Official EU site now lists France's Consulate as in Jerusalem, “Palestine”

ISRAEL 
>IDF continues to increase pressure on Hamas in Gaza while surging aid 
 >AIPAC and Israel: Myths and Facts https://www.aipac.org/resources/aipac-israel-myths-facts
>Netanyahu announced Israeli Intelligence streamed his UN speech live to every Gazan and Hamas phone demanding release of the 48 hostages.  However, AP journalists inside Gaza saw no immediate evidence of this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv-c0tOWfGU Jordan and Egypt did not take their seats, but did not join the staged protest. Pakistan's delegation walked out but then stood on the sidelines to listen. Envoys from Bahrain and the UAE - both signatories to the 2020 Abraham Accords - remained in their seats.

PA/Hamas
>In Gaza City, a Hamas Sahm unit executed by close-range shooting, three Gazans accused of being associates of Yasser Abu Shabab and collaborators with Israel. The Palestinian civilian crowd has gathered around them and is cheering for Hamashttps://x.com/jonsac/status/1969817523324322272
>After recognition of Palestinian statehood, Mahmoud Abbas is demanding £2 TRILLION in reparations from the UK. 
>Head of the Palestinian Mission to the UK Husam Zomlot: "Hamas is part of the Palestinian struggle; I refuse to label it as a terrorist organization." https://x.com/GnasherJew/status/1969746120911028521
>Hamas representative in Iran, Khaled Qaddoumi, said that the October 7 massacre was “definitely a victory,” pointing to college students on campuses worldwide marching not only for Palestinians but explicitly for Hamas https://x.com/MEMRIReports/status/1972203341938855941

Gaza Flotilla
>Spain and Italy have just gone to war against Israel: Italy and Spain Send Navy Ships to Defend Greta Thunberg's Gaza Flotilla  (The Times-UK)

UK
>The UK has already changed the address of their consulate offices in Jerusalem to East Jerusalem, Palestine.
> The UK's Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service refused to suspend Dr Rahmeh Aladwan after she praised  the massacre on October 7.
>Dua Lipa Fired Her Jewish Manager, David Levy, after he signed a petition calling for anti-Israel band Kneecap to not be allowed to perform at the Glastonbury Festival. (Meanwhile, Niki Minaj wished her followers a happy Rosh Hashanah)

UN
>'It's a Farce': UN Security Council, Under Pressure From Islamic States, Schedules Meeting on Gaza During Rosh Hashanah https://freebeacon.com/israel/its-a-farce-un-security-council-under-pressure-from-islamic-states-schedules-meeting-on-gaza-during-rosh-hashanah/ - remember when the UN called on Israel for a ceasefire for Ramadan. Yet for Rosh Hashanah, while there is an unconditional recognition of Palestine, the hostages are once again left unacknowledged.
>The U.N. Genocide Report Against Israel Is an Assault on Critical Thinking

US
>Anti-Israel activist groups are organizing mass student walkouts across Seattle-area public schools and colleges on October 7 in support of Hamas https://thepostmillennial.com/exclusive-seattle-area-students-plan-walkout-to-celebrate-october-7-hamas-massacre#google_vignette
>Jewish mayor of Florida’s Miami-Dade County faces off against own son over Israel Jewish mayor of Florida's Miami-Dade County faces off against own son over Israel | The Times of Israel
>Trump's Gaza peace plan gets support from regional leaders https://www.axios.com/2025/09/24/trump-israel-gaza-peace-plan-un
>Macalimbon Hamed, a Hunter College grad and intern in Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani’s office as of April 2025, seen days after the October 7 Hamas massacre tearing down posters of Israeli hostages. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPJ5jLPj_Zf/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

YEMEN
>A drone launched from Yemen struck Eilat on Wednesday. Israeli authorities and multiple outlets say ~22 people were wounded. Footage from Jordan shows residents cheering the strike.

Media Fails
>CNN only doubts Hamas data when it undercuts famine lies

Sunday, September 21, 2025

Back from 30 days abroad. For those celebrating, wishing you a happy and sweet new year! 

Quite a few towns, especially in Italy, seemed to be suffering from cognitive dissonance. We saw rainbow flags next to Palestinian flags hanging from the town halls, in some cases the Palestinian flags appeared larger than the national flags. In Perugia, there was a table set up to get people to sign petitions in support of Gazans (Salviamoli Gaza) where rainbow flags and Palestinian flags hung side by side. There was no evidence that there were any concerns for the Israeli hostages nor condemnation of Hamas. (Note: Rainbow flags are typically associated with the LBGTQ community, who are not welcome in Gaza).

Hostage Update -716 Days, 48 Hostages
Hamas issues propaganda warning for hostages’ fate, as tens of thousands holding rallies in Israel for the release of the hostages in Gaza

AFGHANISTAN
After the quake, men rescued men, but not women because of "cultural restrictions"! 

EGYPT
>Saudi–Emirati partnership: Saudi Arabia and Emirati partners are jointly investing in a multi-billion-dollar Red Sea tourism project in Egypt
>Stop Leaving Egypt Out of the Conversation on Gaza’s Humanitarian Crisis https://spencerguard.substack.com/p/stop-leaving-egypt-out-of-the-conversation

EUROPE
>None of these countries [France, Canada, Australia, the UK] calling for a Palestinian state with the Palestinian Authority (PA) in charge have demanded that the PA halt its human rights violations against its own people. https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21846/palestinian-authority-slaughterhouse Note: Members of U.S. Congress sent letter to France, Canada, UK, and Australia, calling on them to reject unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state at the UNGA.
>Medieval antisemitism and modern anti-Zionism fuse in Spain.https://www.jns.org/medieval-antisemitism-and-modern-anti-zionism-fuse-in-spain/
>Buchenwald can refuse entry to people wearing Palestinian keffiyeh, German court rules

ISRAEL
>With the retrieval of the two bodies, Hamas is believed to be holding 20 living hostages and another 28 bodies. IDF, Shin Bet recover two hostage bodies from Gaza
>A reminder of Oct. 7 and a heroic mother
>I’m so excited that Jewish space lasers are now REAL! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLoxttlU5_g

GAZA/PA
>One of the 60,000 casualties in Gaza
>“Humanitarian organizations (e.g., Doctors without Borders and the Red Cross) knew Hamas was turning hospitals into terror bases and chose to remain silent.” https://ngo-monitor.org/reports/hamas-misuse-hospitals-docs/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
>The PA is still paying salaries to terrorists and “Martyrs” https://palwatch.org/page/41520


UK
Nearly nine out of 10 Britons do not back Starmer’s Palestine recognition

UN
>UN Watch Report Exposes Hamas Capture of UNRWA Education System
>I read the UN 'genocide' report so you don't have to.
>United Nations Security Council voted to snapback international restrictions and sanctions targeting the Iranian regime’s nuclear and missile program

USA
>On Israel, Mamdani is no longer a Democratic outlier
>Socialist gun club seemingly advertises gun training day with Palestinian terrorists

MEDIA
>CNN’s latest report on the UN’s “genocide” libel is a total clown show.https://www.camera.org/article/one-cnn-article-and-15-major-lies-about-a-un-commissions-genocide-claim/ also John Spencer: U.N. Genocide Report is an Assault on Critical Thinking https://freebeacon.com/israel/the-u-n-genocide-report-against-israel-is-an-assault-on-critical-thinking/
>Bias Personified: The Return of The New York Times’ Former Jerusalem Bureau Chief https://honestreporting.com/bias-personified-the-return-of-the-new-york-times-former-jerusalem-bureau-chief/

Sunday, August 17, 2025

 We’re taking a break. Middle East Update will be returning in mid-September.
 
HOSTAGE UPDATE: 681 Days  
The remaining hostages "are in immediate danger."
Netanyahu says partial hostage release deals are ‘behind us’ as Arab diplomat tells ToI that mediators are expected to push 60-day truce that will turn into a comprehensive ceasefire https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-may-dispatch-negotiators-to-doha-for-talks-on-freeing-all-hostages-ending-war/
→A ceasefire accompanied by the release of all hostages is a mirage—an illusion of Western projection. Hamas especially does not want an end: it wants the conflict to fester, for the hostages to rot underground, for the agony to last. By reversing the pressure—not on the hostage-takers, but on those trying to rescue them—they (Western democracies) legitimize blackmail. By recognizing a Palestinian state unconditionally, they turn a terrorist strategy into political capital.  https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413384
 
MEDIA FAILS
Journalistic Casualty:  Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif was the head of a Hamas cell and was responsible for rocket attacks. The only major newspaper to report this accurately was Germany’s Bild.
[Dr. Shany Mor: Al-Jazeera is laundered as a heavily quoted "news organization" by the West (which does not quote so freely Russian or Chinese organizations) precisely because of its highly effective dissemination of antisemitism, not despite it.] https://www.camera.org/article/los-angeles-discounts-hamas-documents-as-substantiation/
Misinformation about Israel spreads fastest when it comes from unexpected sources. When it comes from figures trusted with children’s education, it’s even more dangerous. https://honestreporting.com/the-dangerous-direction-of-ms-rachels-pro-palestinian-misinformation/
There were glowing profiles of Hamas-lovers in GQ and the New York Times this week.
 
AUSTRALIA
Anthony Albanese’s decision to prematurely recognise Palestinian statehood has now earned him open praise from Hamas
 
CANADA
The Toronto International Film Festival had uninvited the documentary The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue from Canadian filmmaker Barry Avrich
, a documentary on a retired Israeli general’s successful attempt to rescue his family during the October 7, 2023, terror attacks by Hamas, from its lineup because filmmakers 'didn't receive permission from Hamas to use videos. After public pressure, TIFF reconsidered and will show the film 
See also Hamas Livestreamed Its Massacre to the World - that's Public Domain (Times of Israel)
 
CHINA
China may be preparing to assist Iran in reacquiring and expanding its surface-to-surface ballistic missile program
 
CUBA
Middle East Forum Condemns Cuba’s Detention of Fellow Amine Ayoub -Detained while transiting through because of Israeli stamps in his passport. https://www.meforum.org/press-releases/middle-east-forum-condemns-cubas-detention-of-fellow-amine-ayoub
 
GERMANY
German arms maker, Renk, CEO: We will continue to export arms to Israel, citing its sense of “responsibility” to the Jewish state. https://www.globalbankingandfinance.com/RENK-ISRAEL-b8d98105-a3a9-4eff-a24d-69d6ef8e0d0c
 
ISRAEL
This Sunday, the entire state of Israel will come to a halt as local municipalities, businesses, and leading companies shut down, joining the call for the immediate release of ALL hostages and an end to the war. – Hostages and Missing Families Forum
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: Israel's upcoming operation in Gaza is not about permanent occupation. The goal is to dismantle Hamas's war machine and, at the right moment, hand administrative control to reliable international partners — trusted Arab states that understand the stakes. See also Is Israel Occupying Gaza? https://substack.com/inbox/post/170670870
A member of Hamas's elite Nukhba Force who invaded Israel during the October 7 onslaught and participated in the kidnapping of three soldiers, was killed in a strike in the Gaza Strip last week, the military announces. The IDF said the bodies (they were killed in captivity) of Ron Sherman and Nik Beizer were recovered by the military from north Gaza. Tamir Nimrodi, kidnapped at the same time, remains held in the Strip.
The IDF is operating in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, the West Bank, and monitoring events in Iran.
Israel is simultaneously increasing the military pressure on Hamas, working with America on a deal to end the war, and surging aid to Gaza civilians.
 
LEBANON
Hizbullah Chief Says 5,000 Fighters Killed and 13,000 Wounded in War with Israel (Reuters)
Israel, U.S. Oppose UNIFIL Renewal, Citing Failure to Prevent Hizbullah Infiltration in South Lebanon - (Jerusalem Post)
Unprecedented Shift In Lebanon's Attitude Towards Iran: Our Government's Decision To Disarm Hizbullah Stands; We Will Not Tolerate Your Intervention In Our Internal Affairs; Relations With Lebanon Must Be Conducted Via State Institutions, Not Via Hizbullah, (MEMRI)
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem threatened today that there would be "no life in Lebanon" if the Lebanese government moves forward with a U.S.-backed plan to disarm the Iranian-backed terror group.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/hezbollah-chief-threatens-no-life-in-lebanon-if-government-tries-to-seize-weapons/
 
 
PALESTINIANS/GAZA/WEST BANK
GHF Myths and Facts https://ghf.org/myths-vs-facts-about-ghf-setting-the-record-straight/
Remember back in June when Hamas hijacked their bus and murdered 9 workers, the 20 surviving workers were dropped at Nasser Hospital were Doctors Without Borders refused to treat the injured workers, leaving them to die in the courtyard.
Hunger in Gaza Has Many Authors, but Israel Isn't One of Them  (Washington Post) The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has delivered over 120 million meals to date, including more than 1.5 million on Wednesday alone.
Israel identified a convoy of cars labeled as belonging to the World Central Kitchen (WCK) that was comprised of armed terrorists. The IDF, after identifying the terrorists and confirming with WCK that the vehicles were not part of its operations, struck the convoy. https://x.com/WCKitchen/status/1955316399846437138
Video Hamas forces riding trucks of supplies directly into tunnels under Gaza! https://www.facebook.com/reel/789719070271783
This is an amazing resource. https://www.hamaskillsgaza.com/
Hamas Will Not Surrender Control over Gaza without Being Forced to Do So - Col. (ret.) Richard Kemp (Telegraph-UK)
→Hamas's Plan to Undermine America's Arab Allies (Gatestone) https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21827/hamas-undermining-america-arab-allies
British Commander, Colonel Richard Kemp: "I Was in GAZA — Hamas Caused EVERY Death I Saw” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AACdh8FmX3c
 
SUDAN
Hamas terrorists recently got Sudanese diplomatic passports. https://www.meforum.org/middle-east-quarterly/sudan-civil-war-and-genocide
 
SYRIA
112 Druze Women and Girls Are Still Being Held Captive by Islamists in Syria  (Jerusalem Post)
FBI Affidavit Reveals Turkey as Conduit for ISIS Financing while Syria Frees ISIS Captives https://www.meforum.org/mef-online/fbi-affidavit-reveals-turkey-as-conduit-for-isis-financing-while-syria-frees-isis-captives
 
UK
British Outlets Bury Terror Affiliation of Anas al Sharif
https://camera-uk.org/2025/08/11/british-outlets-bury-terror-affiliation-of-anas-al-sharif/
 
USA
DSA delegates voted in favor of officially adopting and promoting an explicitly anti-Zionist stance: The DSA has agreed to give the National Caucus the ability to censure and expel members (and I believe dissolve entire branches) if they see them as being insufficiently devoted to the cause of antizionism. This includes voicing public support of groups like J Street. NOTE: members of DSA include US Representatives AOC and Tlaib, and NYC mayoral candidate Mamdani They’ve introduced a similar resolution for adoption by the Democrats. https://demmajorityforisrael.org/media/press-release/statement-on-proposed-divisive-dnc-resolution/
Adelphi University has placed its Students for Justice in Palestine chapter on disciplinary probation for creating a hostile environment toward Jewish students through inflammatory social media posts.
‘Global intifada’ – Thousands march at New York anti-Israel rally 8/16. The rally was organized by several far-left and anti-Israel groups, including the ANSWER Coalition, the Democratic Socialists of America, CodePink, the anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace, and CAIR.
CEO Of F-35 Manufacturer Lockheed Martin: "If We Can Work With Saudia, Qatar And UAE On Really Bolstering Their Air Superiority Capabilities… There'll Be Really Significant Opportunity For The Company"
 
UN
Over 200 NGOs urge UN to work with GHF 
https://www.christianpost.com/news/over-200-faith-groups-ngos-call-on-un-to-support-ghf.html
NGOs are objecting to Israel’s demand for basic vetting - including whether their staff have ties to designated terror organizations. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OCHA OPT)’s Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), representing 200+ NGOs, published a statement today claiming that Israeli requirements would “prevent them from providing critical, life-saving humanitarian assistance to Palestinians.” In fact, the only thing “preventing” aid delivery is the UN/NGO boycott of Israel.
Israel’s measures are intended to increase transparency among international NGOs operating in Gaza and the West Bank. OCHA’s objection reflects a coordinated effort to resist accountability and continue operating without meaningful oversight of personnel linked to designated entities. On Oct. 7th, we all saw the results of such disastrous policies. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNEeGXRBd20/?igsh=Nm00N2RnOHBxcnM5
UN Watchdog Lowered Bar to Declare Gaza Famine https://freebeacon.com/israel/un-backed-famine-watchdog-quietly-changed-standards-easing-way-to-declare-famine-in-gaza/
 
YEMEN
U.S.-aligned Yemeni forces have intercepted 750 tons of weapons, including chemical weapons, being smuggled to the Houthis by Iran in recent months.
The Houthis continue to fire missiles at Israel. Today, the Houthis fired during the protests, they’re always aiming to hit civilians.