Day Thirty-Three Of Swords Of Iron
Biden administration admits Israeli forces to 'manage the immediate aftermath' of the war and security situation.
8:00 pm
Street fights erupted between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demonstrators outside Los Angeles' Museum of Tolerance after a private screening of video showing the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. The Los Angeles Times reported that 150 people attended the private screening of “Bearing Witness to the October 7th Massacre,” that included graphic footage captured by Hamas’ body cameras and cellphones and was compiled by the Israel Defense Forces.
7:40 pm
"EU balks at US, Israeli pressure for new Hamas sanctions: EU diplomats cited a range of reasons to explain why the bloc hasn’t hit Hamas — already named as a terrorist group — with fresh sanctions. Israel and the United States are piling pressure onto the EU to impose new sanctions on Hamas in the wake of the October 7 attack on Israel in which some 1,400 people were killed. Some EU countries are pushing back, with Portugal’s foreign minister telling POLITICO that new sanctions were a “diversionary tactic” compared to the larger question of statehood for Palestinians. “This is not a central problem,” João Gomes Cravinho said of the proposed sanctions. “We all agreed that Hamas is a terrorist organization [and that] Hamas has committed absolute atrocities.” “The bigger question of developing a Middle East in which Hamas no longer exists, it will not be achieved through a combination of military strikes and sanctions,” he added. “It has to come about through the development of a settlement that provides the Palestinians with their own state and with all the characteristics of a state recognized by the international community.”
7:35 pm
"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been “destroyed emotionally” by his massive failure on national security and is now miscalculating by preparing to take overall control of Gaza’s security for an “indefinite period” after Hamas has been crushed, according to former leader Ehud Olmert.
"In an interview with POLITICO, Olmert argued Netanyahu was in a state of “nervous breakdown,” as he sought to avoid being thrown out of office for failing to safeguard national security in the murderous Hamas attacks of October 7. This meant Israel was now steering off course strategically, Olmert went on, insisting the priority should be to negotiate an endgame with the international community — involving a return to talks on the formation of a Palestinian state, rather than turning back the clock to full military oversight over Gaza."
7:30 pm
Hamas has no interest in governing Gaza but wants a never-ending war with Israel, members of the terrorist group told The New York Times in a feature piece published today. According to the Hamas leaders, that was one of the primary goals of their Oct. 7 invasion of the northwestern Negev, in which thousands of armed terrorists massacred 1,400 people, mostly civilians, wounded over 5,000 others and took back to Gaza more than 200 hostages. “I hope that the state of war with Israel will become permanent on all the borders, and that the Arab world will stand with us,” Taher el-Nounou, a Hamas media adviser, told NYT. .
Brazilian Security Authorities with the support of Mossad have reportedly managed to arrest the two Hezbollah leaders of plot to launch attacks against Jewish communities and synagogues across Brazil, while also recruiting more terrorists to their cause for further attacks in the region; the plot is said to have been planned by Iranian intelligence and executed by members of Hezbollah.
Footage showed Israeli UH-60L “Black Hawk” MEDEVAC helicopters landing at Assuta Medical Center in northern Tel Aviv, carrying at least 6 Israeli Soldiers who were Seriously Wounded today during Combat Operations.
Saudi-Israel normalization “remains on the table” despite the war with Hamas in Gaza, Riyadh’s investment minister said today. Khalid Al-Falih, speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore, reiterated Riyadh’s stance that a diplomatic rapprochement with Jerusalem is “contingent on a pathway to a peaceful resolution of the Palestinian question.
7:00 pm
The British House of Commons passed an unanimous motion to unequivocally condemn Hamas' terror attacks on Israel and demand the immediate return of all hostages held in Gaza.
"The U.S. launched an airstrike on a facility in eastern Syria used by Iranian-backed militias, in retaliation for what has been a growing number of attacks on bases housing U.S. troops in the region for the past several weeks, the Pentagon said. Wednesday's strike by two U.S. F-15 fighter jets was on a weapons storage facility linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard."
3:47 pm
IAF jets struck a number of Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon, according to the IDF, in response to rocket and missile attacks on the border. These included site with "technological assets," according to the IDF. Also, the IDF struck a terrorist cell in southern Lebanon preparing to carry out an attack near the Biranit camp.
A statement from Detroit Police Chief James White says that “a suspect has been taken into custody for the murder of Samantha Woll.” Woll was the president of a synagogue in a suburb of Detroit and a former campaign staffer of Michigan State Attorney General Dana Nessel. Chief White said this was an “encouraging development” but it “does not represent the conclusion of our work.” Details of the probe remain confidential, he said. Woll was stabbed to death near her home one evening about two weeks ago. But despite a national rise in anti-semitism, Detroit police say they do not believe her murder was a hate crime.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby says Palestinians “should be the determining voice” in deciding who will govern the Gaza Strip after the war ends. When asked whether the Biden administration wants the Palestinian Authority, which currently governs parts of the West Bank, to oversee Gaza, Kirby said Biden believes “that the Palestinians should be in charge of their future.” He added, “Now, what exactly does that governance structure looks like, and when does it get put in place, and who are the players that are going to help adapt that — all that we’re working out.”
“In the immediate aftermath of conflict, it’s certainly plausible that at least some period of time, Israeli defense forces are still going to be in Gaza to manage the immediate aftermath [of the war] and the security situation,” Kirby said. “But it shouldn’t be the long term solution. It should not be about the IDF reoccupation of Gaza as a long term governance solution."
US antisemitism envoy Deborah Lipstadt slammed the “spread of antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories in recent weeks, including the uptick on the largest social media platforms” in China. “While the United States fully supports freedom of expression, we deplore and condemn antisemitic imagery and rhetoric proliferating online, in the United States, the [People’s Republic of China] and across the globe,” Lipstadt tweeted.
A senior US defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that armed forces alligned with the Houthi rebels in Yemen shot down a US drone. The Houthis claimed it was an MQ-9 Reaper drone was flying in Yemeni air space when it was shot down by their air defenses. Kirby says the US wants to determine whether the drone was in international airspace at the time or over Yemen. The rebel group claims to have fired at least four batches of missiles and drones towards southern Israel since Oct 7. In one instance, a US warship shot down a Houthis ballistic missile which left Earth's atmosphere while headed towards Israel. The missile was developed by Iran, which is aiding the Houthis as they fight Saudi Arabia, which is backed by the US.
Democrats ask Biden to halt Israeli settler violence
Democratic senators sent a letter to Biden urging him to increase his administration's efforts to abate violence committed by Jewish Israelis against non-Jews. The senators argued that antisemitism threatens stability in the Middle East, as well as harming American interest. According to the Yesh Din human rights group, there have been 172+ incidents of "settler violence" and harassment against Palestinians in at least 84 Palestinian towns and communities in the West Bank since Hamas’s October 7 terror onslaught.
The Democrats acknowledge his efforts, but said more must be done due to what they say are the threats posed by settler violence.
“We urge your administration to enhance its diplomatic efforts to prevent further violence,” the US lawmakers wrote. The letter was organized by Sen. Jon Ossoff and shared with The Times exclusively with The Times of Israel.
“As Israel confronts the atrocities of the October 7th Hamas attacks, and threats in Gaza and southern Lebanon, it is crucial that US and Israeli policy reinforce the stability and security of the West Bank,” the senators say. “Alarming incidents of violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians represent an acute destabilizing risk that must be mitigated to prevent wider conflict in the region.”
“If additional action to prevent these violent attacks is not taken, we worry that civilians and US national security interests will suffer grave harm,” the letter states, noting the likelihood of exacerbating anger in the West Bank and across the Arab world.
Netanyahu warns settlers against extremists
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself warned settler leaders today that the government will not tolerate extremists. Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, there have been a number of reported incidents of settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank including multiple deaths.
Netanyahu warned against an extremist minority carrying out violent activity could lead to an escalation in the war. "There are a “handful of extremists who do not represent the group sitting here, who cause great damage to the State of Israel,” Netanyahu tells the settler eaders. Netanyahu said most of the West Bank settlers are law-abiding people who contribute a great deal to the country, “there is a tiny handful of people… who take the law into their own hands.”
“We are not prepared to tolerate this,” he says, “and we will work against this in every way. It causes huge international damage to the State of Israel and does not represent the people sitting here.”
Israel deters terror in Brazil
Israel's Mossad spy agency took part in an operation in Brazil with local security forces and thwarts a planned terror attack by Hezbollah operatives against Jewish and Israeli targets. The Mossad thanked Brazil for arresting a Hezbollah terrorst cell that was planning an attack funded by Iran, the Mossad statement says.
Hezbollah is working around the world with backing from Iran to carry out attacks against Israeli, Jewish and Western targets, the Mossad adds, noting that it is working to thwart all such attempts “wherever needed.”
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says Israel's ground forces have wrought significant damage to the Hamas terror group’s aerial and naval forces. “We continue to deepen the attack into Gaza City, and thwart tunnel shafts adjacent to civilian sites,” Hagari said. “We hit Hamas’s aerial and naval arrays hard, which were planning strategic attacks.” Hagari said the IDF has captured 700 RPG rounds, which have been used by Hamas to attack ground troops in Gaza. 50,000 Gazans evacuated the northern Gaza Strip today to its south via a humanitarian corridor that the IDF opened for a number of hours.
“Hamas’s leadership is out of touch,” Hagari said. “Today we saw 50,000 Gazans heading south, they understand that Hamas has lost control.” No ceasefire is currently "on the table", but future “humanitarian pauses” to allow the civilian population to evacuate may be possible. Hagari updates the number of confirmed hostages in the Gaza Strip to 239, down from 240. The number is not final because the IDF investigation is ongoing, including the identification of bodies of missing people.
No ceasefire without hostage release
Israeli PM Netanyahu reiterated his policy that there will be no ceasefire without the release of hostages. “I want to put to the side all sorts of idle rumors that we are hearing from all sorts of directions, and repeat one clear thing: there will be no ceasefire without the release of our hostages.” He was dismissing mounting reports from Egypt, Hamas, and Qatar that a multi-day pause in fighting is imminent in exchange for ten to 15 hostages.
The IDF released a reording of a phone call it claims gives evidence thas Hamas uses ambulances for military purposes. In the call, an apparent Hamas operative can be heard speaking to a Gazan man, saying he “can leave with any ambulance” he wants.
The Shin Bet also releases quotes from the interrogation of several Hamas members who took part in the October 7 onslaught and were captured.
“Al-Qassam has its own ambulances, some of which are located on the military base. The appearance of the ambulances is similar to the civilian ambulances so that they will not arouse suspicion or be bombed by Israel,” said a Hamas terrorist.
Another Hamas terrorist said that “during combat, the ambulances are used, among other things, to evacuate fighters, commanders and operatives. They also transport food, cargo and weapons in them because that is the safest way to transport them.”
3:40 pm
The Netherlands is sending a navy ship to take humanitarian aid to Gaza “when possible”, just as Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte met with Israeli PM Netanyahu. A Dutch naval official said MS Holland -- a coastal patrol vessel -- will leave The Netherlands in the middle of the month and arrive offshore of Cyprus before November 30. Dutch spokesman Alex Kranenburg said, "It’s actually to pre-position the ship in case humanitarian aid or evacuation is necessary.” He said no decisions had been taken on the ship’s role, saying an international level” decision would determine whether aid would enter Gaza by land or sea.
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides says his island nation -- the nearest EU member state to Gaza -- is "ready to play a substantial role." Cyprus has been seeking support for a maritime corridor to deliver aid Gaza from Cyprus.
An IDF spokesman said Hamas has “lost control” of northern Gaza as thousands of Palestinian civilians fled south. “We saw 50,000 Gazans move from the northern Gaza Strip to the south. They are moving because they understand that Hamas has lost control in the north,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said this evening.
1:14 pm
Biden's Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said US colleges and univerisities risk losing federal funding should they f ail to address antisemitism and other bigotry. This followed a meeting he conducted with Jewish leaders in October to discuss antisemitism on campuses in the wake of the Israel Hamas war. The Department of Education released a letter on Nov. 7 reminded educational institutions to protect Jews and other minorities.
Jewish billionaire and philanthropist Henry Swieca quit the board of Columbia Business School, saying the campus had become unsafe for Jews. “With blatantly anti-Jewish student groups and professors allowed to operate with complete impunity, it sends a clear and distressing message that Jews are not just unwelcome, but also unsafe on campus,” Swieca said in an Oct. 30 letter obtained by JTA. “My resignation is an expression of my deep concern for the direction in which the university is heading.” The Board of Overseers is the school’s main fundraising arm.
1:07 pm
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) is a progressive who frequently references her Palestinian heritage. She has been condemned for antisemitic and anti-Israel remarks. On Nov. 7, she was officially censured by the House of Representatives. Canary Mission, a nonprofit that tracks Islamists in the US, wrote:
"Canary Mission can confirm that Rashida Tlaib has extensive fundraising ties to Hamas supporters. She employed no less than three Hamas-linked activists to fundraise for her 2018 election campaign, one of whom spent 8 months in prison for his alleged connections to Hamas. Tlaib additionally used a pro-terror Facebook page, PAC-USA, to raise funds for her 2018 Congressional campaign. Tlaib gave the founder of PAC-USA the position of Chairman of the Finance Committee for Rashida Tlaib for Congress. He used it to promote 12 fundraisers in 8 states, entirely with her support. In 2015, Tlaib co-founded the Detroit-based, anti-American, anti-Israel and pro-terror hate group, Black4Palestine. A co-founder used the group to conduct activism with members of the Marxist-Leninist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO)."
1:01 pm
Haaretz and Maariv reported that Israeli prosecutors are collecting evidence and examining captured terrorists and speaking towitnesses to the multiple crimes committed by Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7 massacre.
Israeli police released testimony from a girl who survived the October 7th massacre: “I saw the Palestinians bending her down, raping her and simply passing her on to the next. She was alive when they raped her. She was on her feet and bleeding from her back. He pulled her hair. He shot her in the head while raping her, didn't even lift his pants. They cut her breast and played with it.” “They just carried around someone's head as if showing strength, walked with it like a bag.”
11:48
According to AFP, the US is negotiating in Qatar for the the potential release of 10 to 15 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza in exchange for a humanitarian pause in fighting. This was also reported by Reuters. In coordination with the US, Qatar has held talks with Hamas and Israeli officials over the release of hostages. Hamas killed 1,400 people were killed and abducted more than 200 on Oct. 7.
The organizer of an Armistice Day event at the Cenotaph in London said he hopes the pro-Palestine march scheduled for Nov. 11 will go ahead. Richard Hughes of the Western Front Association, the NGO that commemorates the falle of World War One every November 11 said his group believes in “freedom of speech”.
“I think a lot of people are trying to whip this up,” said Hughes. He said, "The police are not going to let anyone near the Cenotaph. We are a democratic organisation that commemorates those who fought for democracy, so free speech is important."
A number of Britain's government secretaries, including Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Justice Minister Alex Chalk, have said they do not believe the march should proceed due to the risk of disturbances. PM Sunak's office has described the planned pro-Palestine march on Armistice Day as “provocative” and “disrespectful”.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres spoke in New York today and compared the number of children being killed in Gaza with the number in conflicts around the world. "Every year, the highest number of killings of children by any of the actors in all the conflicts that we witness is the maximum in the hundreds. We have in a few days in Gaza thousands and thousands of children killed, which means there is also something clearly wrong in the way military operations are being done," he said.
Speaking to Reuters, Guterres said, "There are violations by Hamas when they have human shields. But when one looks at the number of civilians that were killed with the military operations, there is something that is clearly wrong." He added, "It is also important to make Israel understand that it is against the interests of Israel to see every day the terrible image of the dramatic humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people. That doesn’t help Israel in relation to the global public opinion."
Ukraine has evacuated the first group of 43 Ukrainian nationals from Gaza, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. The group are now safe in Egypt after having crossed through Rafa from Gaza. Ukraine has also helped evacuate 36 Moldovans. He said: “The evacuation continues.”
11:37 am
Israel claims to have destroyed 130 Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip since since it began its ground operations. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari displayed video on social media that showed evidence of destruction. He wrote: "The activity of the engineering warriors within the combat teams fighting in Gaza includes destroying the enemy’s weapons, locating, exposing and detonating tunnel shafts. With the expansion of the ground operation in the Gaza Strip, the fighters are thwarting the terrorist infrastructure of Hamas. As part of the ground forces’ activity in the Gaza Strip, an effort is under way to uncover and destroy the tunnels of the terrorist organization Hamas, and since the beginning of the fighting, 130 tunnels have been destroyed."
On the Salah al-Din highway, which runs through Gaza, the numbers of Gazans fleeing northern Gaza has become a torrent. About 15,000 people, guarded by IDF troops fighting back Hamas combatants, are making the perilous journey today. Under white flags, and carrying a few possessions, parents led their children or carried them as Israeli armored vehicles stood by as the sounds of war rang out in the near distance.
On Nov. 5, about 2,000 people fled south during a daily four-hour window announced by the Israel Defence Forces. On Nov. 6, it was 5,000.
According to the UN, the number heading south rose to 15,000. The rising number of fleeing Gazans prompted the IDF to extend the period of the “safe corridor” by an extra hour “in reaction to [Palestinians] sizeable response” to Israel’s call for them to use the corridor to flee.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) shared a video of his office being plastered on Nov. 7 with posters bearing photos of the 200+ hostages abducted by Hamas and held in Gaza. He said that the posters will stay put until every single person is safely returned home. Elswhere in the US, people were seen tearing down the posters plastered on walls, signposts, and lightposts.
11;23 am
Jewish News 24 reports: IDF Paratroopers Brigade operating in Northern Gaza exposed the opening of an underground terror tunnel near an amusement park and another found near a university. A weapon warehouse, containing chemical materials, RPGs, claymore mines and more were also found near the university.
10:25 am
IDF and security found 1,493 hand grenades and explosives, 760 RPGs, 427 explosive belts, 375 firearms, 106 rockets and missiles that were taken from Hamas terrorists captured or killed on Oct. 7. These are just a few of the weapons used to massacre over 1,400 Israeli civilians.
"Pro-Palestinian protester ‘stalked’ Paul Kessler before alleged fatal punch: witness. The Jewish man who died following a supposed clash between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian protesters in California was “stalked” by his alleged attacker, who then struck him with a megaphone moments before his fatal fall, a witness said.
“[The man] crossed the street because, as I said, he stalked us…he came over here with the megaphone in his hand to do the same thing,” Jonathan Oswaks said Tuesday of how the man he claims attacked Paul Kessler Sunday afternoon first approached him and put a megaphone against his ear, according to the Jewish Journal."
Police in California ruled Kessler's death a homicide, but are investigating whether it was a hate crime.
9:55 am
Hundreds of Israeli soldiers and police with support of armored vehicles are currently conducting a raid in the Shu'afat neighborhood of Eastern Jerusalem.
In Gaza, IDF ground forces are protecting Gazans as they flee south while the IDF is hammering Hamas in the north of Gaza.
8:03 am
Overnight in Spain, thousands of protesters thronged in Madrid shouting "Christian Spain, not Muslim" and "Police at the border."
6:55 am
The National Post reported on Nov. 7:
"Public-service union president resigns as antisemitic social media posts surface: 'Israel is the illegitimate Zionist terrorist apartheid state that is the root of all evil!' Camille Awada published on Facebook in 2019. The head of the third-largest federal public service union resigned suddenly Monday, reportedly after a series of antisemitic social media posts allegedly written by him began circulating among members. In a terse statement posted on its website Tuesday, the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE) announced that its president, Camille Awada, resigned from the top job on Monday. The union represents 23,000 members, including civilian employees of the RCMP, and employees at Statistics Canada and in the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s department."
6:47 am
"Professor Alan Dershowitz is one of Israel’s most prominent defenders outside the Jewish state. He has just written — in record time — a book about the events of October 7: War Against the Jews — How to End Hamas Barbarism. It will be published next month and will argue, among other things, that the Hamas attack “has required Israel to consider its nuclear option as a last resort to assure its survival.” I spoke to Professor Dershowitz and asked him first, about another of the book’s arguments, that there should be no absolute distinction between civilians and combatants in Gaza, but instead “a continuum of civilianality.”"
6:42 am
"A student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst was arrested by university police Friday after punching a Jewish student and spitting on an Israeli flag during a vigil for hostages. According to both the school’s administration and the UMass Hillel, the attack occurred at a solidarity walk organized by the Hillel, which had set up empty Shabbat tables symbolizing the more than 200 Israeli hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza."
6:30 am
The mother of a Cornell University student accused of making online threats against Jews claimed on Nov. 7 that her son suffers mental health issues. She posted an apology soon after the posts. Patrick Dai, 21, faces a federal charge of posting online threats to kill or injure another using interstate communications. He is accused of making threats on an online Greek Life forum in October. The anonymous postings included threats to shoot and stab Jewish people on the Cornell campus, frightening residents and prompting police to increase security.
Southern California authorities investigating the death of a Jewish man following a confrontation with a pro-Palestinian demonstrator over the Israel-Hamas war but have not determined whether a crime occurred. Police asked on Nov. 7 for the public's help to understand the incident. Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff said Paul Kessler, 69, who died early Nov. 6 in hospital, fell backward and struck his head on the ground at a pro-Palestinian demonstration on Nov. 5 in Thousands Oaks, a suburb of Los Angeles.
In the pre-dawn hours today, flares lit up the Al-Shifa Medical Center in northern Gaza as the IAF conducted airstrikes in concert with IDF infantry and armor advancing towards the hospital.
Tensions rise as the Middle East in the wake of 40 attacks on US forces in Iraq, Turkey, and Syria since October 17. The latest incidents happened overnight at Erbil air base in Iraq. However, there has been no reported injuries or damage to bases since before the U.S. airstrikes on October 26, according to DoD.
Police are investigating attempted arson attempts at a Montreal synagogue and Jewish community center. Vandals threw Molotov cocktails at the two buildings, causing minor damage. Investigators found broken bottles and burn marks on the front door of Congregation Beth Tikvah in the suburb of Dollard-des-Ormeau and on the back door of the nearby Federation CJA building. About 10% of the suburb’s largely English-speaking residents are Jewish.
The French/Russian Connection
In Paris, two couples who allegedly stenciled dozens of blue Stars of David on residences and buildings in the city and two of its suburbs last week are linked by a third party living abroad, according to the Paris prosecutor. The link was based on a telephone conversation by one couple in Russian, a statement said. “At this stage, it is not excluded that the markings of the blue Stars of David in the Paris region were made at the explicit demand of a person living abroad,” prosecutor Laure Beccuau said. An investigating judge was taking over the case, “as much to identify the authors as to analyze the intentions that guided the operation.”
5:36 am
Hamas leadership figures are 'dead men walking … inside and outside Gaza,' said IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus in an interview with Sky News. In a tweet, Conricus said the network is asking “refreshing questions actually pertaining to the fighting and situation on the ground." He said:
"The mission [inside Gaza] is to engage with Hamas and simply to dismantle each and every Hamas stronghold that is buried underground in bunkers. We are doing that in slow and meticulous order according to plan. Our advances are good, solid. It is a very challenging battlespace to be in. Hamas has prepared the battlefield, unfortunately, very well. And it is totally enmeshed with tunnels. Many of them short tactical tunnels that are just basically fighting positions, that allow Hamas to move from one ally to another. To emerge and then submerge. And some are longer and deeper and wider. But we are slowly getting to all of them and there are gains achieved each day of the fight. The directive is definitely to kill or capture … all the leaders of Hamas. Those who planned, facilitated, and executed the murderous 7 October massacre in Israel. We’ve said so clearly. All of them are dead men walking. And it’s only a matter of time inside Gaza and outside of Gaza, until these Hamas leaders will either be captured or killed by Israel."
'Israel will not stop'
Israeli premier Netanyahu said the IDF is surrounding Gaza City and operating inside, according to a statement televised on Nov. 7. He added there will be no ceasefire before hostages are released by Hamas. He urged Gazans to flee southward “because Israel will not stop”.
Israeli defense minister Gallant said the IDF is operating in the center of Gaza and is “tightening the chokehold” around it. On television Nov. 7, he rejected any humanitarian pauses without the return of hostages.
G7 foreign ministers assembled in Japan today called for a “humanitarian pause” in the war so as to allow essential supplies to be delivered to civilians in Gaza. Japanese foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa said the G7 had confirmed the need for “urgent action to address the humanitarian crisis” in Gaza. The foreign ministers again condemned Hamas’s 7 October on Israel and their support for Israel’s right to self-defense. They also emphasized that international law should be observed during the ongoing conflict, Kamikawa added. Japan gave millions of dollars last week to Gaza for humanitarian purposes, as did the US and EU.
Secretary of State Blinken once again rejected calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel today. Speaking in Tokyo, he said “those calling for an immediate ceasefire have an obligation to explain how to address the unacceptable result that would likely bring about. Hamas left in place, with more than 200 hostages, with the capacity and stated intent to repeat 7 October, again, and again and again.”
Blinken said the US position favors “a pathway to Israelis and Palestinians living side-by-side in states of their own”. He said the only way to “durable peace and security” was “no forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza … no use of Gaza as a platform for terrorism … No reoccupation of Gaza after the conflict ends. No attempt to blockade or besieged Gaza. No reduction in the territory of Gaza”. He later added that “Gaza cannot be continued to be run by Hamas. It is also clear that Israel cannot occupy Gaza. Now, the reality is that there may be a need for some transition period at the end of the conflict.”
Hamas weapons maker killed
Israel said it killed Hamas's senior weapon maker, Mohsen Abu Zina. The IDF described him as “an expert in developing strategic weapons and rockets used by Hamas terrorists”.
Eylon Levy, an Israeli government spokesperson, told Sky News in the UK today that only 100,000 civilians remained in northern Gaza out of the population of 1.1 million.
Britsh foreign secretary James Cleverly said “a move towards a peace-loving Palestinian leadership is the most desired outcome” of the current Israel-Hamas conflict.
Al Jazeera is carrying some quotes from Alyona Synenko of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Speaking in East Jerusalem, she said she had heard from colleagues in Gaza “heartbreaking”, adding:
"They were on the way to distribute medical supplies, they saw thousands of people on the road … people in wheelchairs, elderly, children. These people are desperate. They kept asking, ‘Are we safe? Is there shelter for us? Where can we find food? Where can we find water?’ … we didn’t have answers to these questions and this is devastating to be there and witnessing these massive needs and not having enough of a response to help these people."
5:30 am
The House of Representatives voted on the evening of Nov. 7 to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) for defending Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack against Israel as “resistance” and calling for the destruction of the Jewish state. She is the twenty-sixth member of Congress to be censured by the House in the legislative body’s history.