Israel at war: What happened on day 44?

In a new speech Saturday by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps head Hossein Salami, he claimed that the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas is a step towards the defeat of Israel and the US. He made the speech in Tehran during a large anti-Israel rally. The comments by Salami predicting the defeat of Israel and the US are typical of his speeches. However, the October 7 Hamas attack and massacre has created a new drive by Iran to carry out attacks using proxies in the region.  

The trend in Iran’s thinking can be seen in the regime’s comments and actions. Iran’s Foreign Minister warned on Saturday that the war in Gaza could expand to the region. Iran continues to attack US forces in Syria and Iraq using proxy militias in both countries.

Salami’s speech provided a glimpse into how Iran views the current war against Israel. This is a kind of arc of history that Iran is spelling out, in which a fifty or a hundred-year process is coming to a close. Iran believes Israel is now accelerating toward defeat and that Iran is winning. Iran is willing to wait many years for this but its prediction, which sounds more like prophecy and “end of days” thinking, is that October 7 was a turning point.  

October 7 was a surprise and turning point 

Iran sees the attack on October 7 as a turning point in human history. Salami argues that this is part of the arc of history that goes back to the era when the British, French and US were more powerful in the region. It was “a reflection of the crimes and atrocities of the British, French, and American governments and the Zionist regime stretching back 100 years.” He says that Israel has been “displacing” Palestinians for 75 years but now October 7 has changed things.  

The destruction caused by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Kissufim on October 7, 2023, near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel, November 1, 2023. (credit: ERIK MARMOR/FLASH90)

“After the First World War, when the guardianship of the Eastern Mediterranean region and was transferred to England and France, the British government prepared the ground for the transfer of Zionists from all over the world to Palestine with the Balfour Declaration.” 

Israel’s military dominance has been tested 

Salami argues that Israel achieved victory in 1948 and other wars, such as 1967, illustrating its dominance. He claims that these victories were achieved through various massacres. Iran blames Israel for massacres in 1948, in 1956, and also in 1982 in Lebanon. For the Iranian regime, the talking point is used to portray Israel as winning wars only through massacring civilians.  

Palestinians embraced 'martyrdom'

Iran’s regime, which has backed the Palestinians for decades, now sees a way to transform the terrorist groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad into a fighting force. Iran has done this with Hezbollah but had not succeeded generally when working with Sunni groups, such as Hamas. Salami didn’t say this in his speech, but he references the history of Palestinian “resistance.” He says that after the 1979 “Islamic revolution, the Palestinian movement was revived. The Palestinians, who were fighting the Zionists with stones until then, were gradually armed, even when they were completely surrounded by the Zionist intelligence system in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.” Iran has sought to arm terrorist groups and increase the range of their missiles and drones, for instance. 

October 7 attack shows Israel needs foreign support 

The speech by the Iranian terror leader asserted that the “Al-Aqsa flood” attack of October 7 is an example of Hamas prowess after many other wars with Israel. For instance Hamas fought Israel in 2009 and 2014. In addition Salami references the Hezbollah-Israel war in 2006. “The Al-Aqsa flood showed that foreign aid and foreign governments like the United States cannot save Israel from the danger of collapse…When America reaches out to the Zionists, it is too late, even this time,” Salami said. “The Zionist army, which had built itself into a legendary army, can no longer prevent the implementation of heavy subversive operations against the Zionist regime, nor that terrible and complex intelligence system that the Zionists relied on to sleep peacefully at night.” Basically, Salam is saying that October 7 is a turning point and shows US support for Israel won’t be enough in the future. 

IRGC: Israel is too small to confront all of Iran’s proxies 

The IRGC is now openly discussing how it will unite various fronts for a multi-front war against Israel. Salami’s speech discussed how Israel is not a very large country and that pressure from the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah, militias in Syria and elsewhere can threaten Israel. He didn’t reference these groups by name but spelled out the distances across Israel from north and south, hinting at this process of encirclement. Iran backs Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza.

Iran: The world is united against America

The speech claimed that the world today finds the US “repugnant.” Iran wants to use the war in Gaza to mobilize anti-US sentiment. Iran is working with Russia, China, and others to accomplish this. Salami emphasized that US and UK support for Israel could be used against Western countries.

Israel’s 'collapse' is coming

The Iranians believe that Israel was shaken to its core by October 7. Salami said that when US Central Command commanders visited Israel they found the country in shock. The context here is that the US and Israel are working closely together. US Central Command works with Israel. The US has sent two aircraft carriers to the Eastern Mediterranean in the wake of the Hamas attack on October 7. Iran believes this signals weakness on Israel’s part. Iran wants to exploit this.

IRGC: The US and Israel cannot win in Gaza

Iran believes that the US and Israel are fighting Hamas in Gaza. Iran has used this war to spread propaganda around the region against the US. In addition, pro-Iran militias in Iraq and Syria have carried out almost sixty attacks against US forces. Iran wants to leverage the Hamas massacre to create more tensions. It also wants to use it as an example of how it believes the US and Israel can be defeated. Iran’s Salami admits that Israel is winning to some extent on the battlefield in Gaza. However, he claims that the US and Israel are fighting against children in Gaza, essentially just against civilians. At the same time, Salami boasts that Hamas has been able to target Israeli armored vehicles.

Palestinians began ‘invisible’ war against Israel 

Iran’s Salami hints that there may be more attacks coming. He speaks of an “invisible” war or a war of “ghosts.” He says that “the ghost war has started and the story continues, Gaza is on the way to victory. The land belongs to them [Hamas and PIJ], they hit the multi-million dollar Merkava [tank] with a rocket worth a few dollars [RPGs], the invisible war is in favor of Palestine.” He added: "war is always in favor of the one who defends himself, and war is always in favor of the believers, and God's help descends upon them." He calls this the “path of a war of attrition and will gradually gain its victory.” 

'Revenge has no expiration date'

The Iranian terror leader argued that the ongoing war will go on for many years. He says that Iran and those it backs now want to take “revenge” and that this has no “expiration date.” Iran and its allies are also threatening to target the US. In addition, Salami says that Israel will now face years of threats and instability. Hamas said something similar on Friday, claiming that “we affirm that by giving a green light to the Israeli occupation to commit more crimes and massacres, the US holds a political and legal responsibility, that has no statute of limitations.” Salami claimed that the October 7 attack is a step in the direction of endless war that will bring “anxiety” to Israel as an integral part of everyday life.  

The Biden administration seeks to prevent Jewish extremists who attack Palestinians from entering the United States in its harshest stance to date against such West Bank violence.

“I have been emphatic with Israel’s leaders that extremist violence against Palestinians in the West Bank must stop and that those committing the violence must be held accountable,” US President Joe Biden wrote in an opinion piece he published in the Washington Post on Saturday.

“The United States is prepared to take our own steps, including issuing visa bans against extremists attacking civilians in the West Bank,” he stressed.

According to the United Nations, eight Palestinians, including one child, have been killed by settlers in the West Bank and another 74 were injured.

Some 33% of those injuries were caused by live ammunition, the UN stated.

IDF SOLDIERS prevent settlers from entering the village of Deir Sharaf, west of Nablus, in response to a shooting attack last Thursday. (credit: NASSER ISHTAYEH/FLASH90)

Biden administration increasingly concerned with extremist violence

The Biden administration is increasingly concerned by the growing number of Jewish extremist attacks that have occurred both before and after the start of the Gaza war.

Its officials have been careful to mention settler violence as it condemns Hamas’ killing of 1,200 people and its seizure of over 239 hostages when it infiltrated southern Israel on October 9.

It has supported Israel’s military campaign to oust Hamas from Gaza in the aftermath of that attack and has spoken of the importance of a two-state resolution to the Israeli-Paelstinian conflict in the aftermath of that war.

“In the months ahead, the United States will redouble our efforts to establish a more peaceful, integrated, and prosperous Middle East — a region where a day like Oct. 7 is unthinkable, “ Biden wrote.

A humanitarian assessment team led by the World Health Organization visited Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza on Saturday to assess the situation, the WHO said in a statement.

The team included public health experts, logistics officers and security staff from various United Nations departments.

Due to security risks, the team was able to spend only an hour inside the hospital and described it as a "death zone," WHO said.

Signs of shelling and gunfire were evident. The team saw a mass grave at the entrance of the hospital and was told more than 80 people were buried there, the WHO statement said.

IDF lookouts who had warned that they were concerned about the situation along the Gaza border in the months before the October 7 attack were told to stop bothering their commanders and even threatened with a court-martial, N12 reported on Saturday.

According to the report, the lookouts warned that they had seen unusual training and other actions taking place next to the border, with more and more people suddenly getting near the fence in the months leading up to the attack.

The lookouts felt that they weren't being heard and one of them decided to go directly to a senior commander in the area and was told "I don't want to hear again about this nonsense. If you all bother us again with these things, you'll be court-martialed."

N12 additionally reported on Saturday that lookouts who served along the Gaza border are not receiving psychological help from the army and were recently told that they would need to return to service within two weeks or be transferred elsewhere.

"The IDF and its commanders accompany all the soldiers who were present at the events of October 7 closely and sensitively," said the IDF to N12 in response to the report. "The soldiers are accompanied by medical professionals from the mental health system, this is in addition to the continuous relationship with their commanders who are an envelope and an attentive ear. Their return to duty will be accompanied gradually, sensitively, and according to each's condition. There is no intention of taking disciplinary measures against them. If there were conversations that reflect otherwise, then they are against the guidelines and will be handled accordingly."

Palestinians break into the Israeli side of Israel-Gaza border fence after Hamas terrorists infiltrated areas of southern Israel, October 7, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa)

Lookouts warned about unusual actions along Gaza border for months

In the weeks since the attack, lookouts who served along the Gaza border have told Israeli media that they had warned their commanders for months about unusual actions along the border, but were ignored.

One lookout said in a past N12 report that her commanders "discounted" her concerns, telling her "Hamas is just a bunch of punks, they won't do anything."

"I wasn't seeing things, it wasn't something usual. We saw a ton of exercises. We would always look at them as if it was Channel 12. It was fun. It was interesting that they were doing exercises."

"We would look at this and we would say 'f&%*, come on, one day is this is going to be on us, this s&*%, that we're so indifferent about this?'"

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted for the first time that Israel could lose International support for its war with Gaza as he argued Saturday night that it was essential to supply then enclave with humanitarian aid.

“The humanitarian aid is also essential for the continued guarantee of international support,” Netanyahu said.

“Without humanitarian aid, even our best friends will find it difficult to support us for a long time, and it will be very difficult for us to continue the war until the end," he added.

He defended the war cabinet’s decision to acquiesce to a US request that a limited amount of fuel enter Gaza through the Egyptian crossing at Rafah for United Nations use.

Misuse of resources

Israel has been concerned that Hamas would divert the fuel for its military use, including the launching of rockets against Israel. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir opposed the move to send fuel into Gaza.

A boy walks among debris at the site of an Israeli strike on the apartment building, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip November 18, 2023 (credit: REUTERS/IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA)

On Friday, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said Israel would “provide two tankers a day for the sewage system in the Gaza Strip, which is on the verge of collapse without electricity and without the capability to run the sewage and water systems operated by United Nations Relief and Works Agency.”

He explained that there was a basic Israeli health interest in taking this step.

“The decision was that we want to prevent the spread of diseases. We don’t currently need epidemics that will harm civilians there or our soldiers. If there is an epidemic, the fighting will be stopped. If there is a humanitarian crisis and an international outcry, we will not be able to continue the fighting under those conditions,” Hanegbi stated.

On Saturday night, Netanyahu stated, “I want to emphasize: this is not a policy change, but a limited one-point response to prevent the spread of epidemics.

“These are some of the things that my colleagues and I in the cabinet are doing to ensure the continuation of Israel’s political maneuvering space, a space that we need to achieve the goals of the war,” he stated.

The international community has increased its pressure on Israel with regard to humanitarian aid and a ceasefire, particularly in light of the high casualty count. Hamas has asserted that over 11,000 Palestinians have been killed in war related violence in Gaza.

“You cannot establish a military victory without political backing, and you cannot establish political backing without appealing to both the leaders and public opinion in their countries.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Netanyahu stated that Israel is under heavy international pressure on many fronts with respect to this war and that support from its allies was critical to its ability to continue the war.

“This is exactly the effort I have been leading with my friends since the outbreak of the war. We insist on our vital security and political interests, and I must tell you, in the face of stiff opposition.

“When our adversaries as well as our friends see this insistence, when they hear it in interviews in the international media and in conversations with leaders, we gain the necessary space to continue the action,” Netanyahu said.

“We resisted, and we continue to resist: many in the world demanded that we not enter the Gaza Strip – we did. They pressured us not to enter Gaza City – we entered.

“They warned us not to enter Shifa [Hospital], even though Shifa served as a major terror base for Hamas – we entered. They pressured us to agree to a full ceasefire – we refused,” Netanyahu said.

But it was important, he said, in some instances to make concessions.

 “You cannot establish a military victory without political backing, and you cannot establish political backing without appealing to both the leaders and public opinion in their countries,” Netanyahu stated.

A Palestinian prisoner part of the Fatah terrorist organization arrested in 2005 for attempted murder and other crimes died in Ketziot prison on Saturday, according to the Israel Prison Service.

The prisoner, age 38, was imprisoned on crimes of attempted murder, shooting at people, being part of an unrecognized organization, being an accomplice in homicide, and military training.

The circumstances of his death are being checked, the Israel Prison Service said.

“Everything we do is intended, above all, to bring the sons and daughters home,” Minister-without-portfolio Benny Gantz said, speaking from Tel Aviv on Saturday evening. “All of us, the entire war cabinet, the entire coalition, and the opposition, are committed to doing everything in our power and taking full responsibility for every step to bring them back.”

During his speech, Gantz also expressed his appreciation for personnel of the IDF from all backgrounds, both Jewish and Arab, religious and secular, and political Left and Right.

“In this war, we are right, and we also need to utilize our experience and responsibility and be considerate and wise,” he said. “My colleagues and I joined the government and the cabinet because in times like these, tough decisions are required, and they must be made with as much broad consent as possible.

The Minister-without-portfolio also noted that the fighting will continue, but that Israel is determined and that, after the war, it will have achieved calm and security.

Israel has no intention of handing Gaza over to the PA once the war is over, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday night as he rebuffed US pressure to do so.

“The Palestinian Authority in its current form is not able to take responsibility for Gaza,” Netanyahu said. “After we fought and did all this, how could we hand it over to them?”

He noted that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has yet to condemn the October 7 massacre, which sparked the Gaza war, in which Hamas killed more than 1,200 people and seized over 239 hostages.

“Abu Mazen [Abbas], 43 days after the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, has refused to condemn it,” Netanyahu said, adding that there are Palestinian ministers who are celebrating the event.

In addition, the PA has a policy of paying monthly stipends to terrorists and their families, Netanyahu said, adding that it also educates its children to hate Jews.

Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 21, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/BRENDAN MCDERMID)

Why the PA is not appropriate leadership

He recalled that after the IDF withdrew from Gaza in 2005, it handed it over to the PA, which was then ousted by Hamas in a violent coup in 2007.

He recalled that after the IDF withdrew from Gaza in 2005, it handed it over to the PA, which was then ousted by Hamas in a violent coup in 2007.

“If there is no change here, what have we done? They [the PA] were already there, they were given the Gaza Strip and what happened? They were destroyed and chased out of there in less than a year,” Netanyahu said.

“There has to be a change here, that is my opinion and I stand by it,” he said.

Netanyahu spoke with reporters after US President Joe Biden published an opinion piece in The Washington Post in which he advocated for the return of the PA to Gaza.

Biden wrote, “As we strive for peace, Gaza and the West Bank should be reunited under a single governance structure, ultimately under a revitalized Palestinian Authority, as we all work toward a two-state solution.”

Biden added that “there must be no forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, no reoccupation, no siege or blockade, and no reduction in territory.”

Netanyahu said there was an agreement with the US about ousting Hamas from Gaza and about the return of the hostages.

“I believe we will reach an agreement with the US also about this, that it is impossible to put in Gaza an authority that supports terror, abets terror, and pays terrorists,” he said.

Netanyahu also stressed that the IDF would retain military control of Gaza after the war.

“There is another condition that I set for the day after: the IDF will have complete freedom of action in the Gaza Strip against any threat. Only in this way will we guarantee the demilitarization of Gaza.”

He added that he has clarified that Israel won’t agree to a ceasefire until it has ousted Hamas and it would only agree to a temporary one in exchange for the return of all the hostages.

Netanyahu stressed that Israel won’t rest in its pursuit of eliminating Hamas, noting “all Hamas members are dead men whether they are located in or out of Gaza.”