Israel-Hamas War: What happened on Day 138?

Sirens sounded in Eilat and the Shchoret Industrial Zone on Thursday morning.

Husein, 31, spoke to the Jerusalem Post on Thursday from the Druze town of Usfiya and insisted on showing the magnificent greenery of Mt. Carmel around him.

“This is the western neighborhood of town. People from all religions and even people from abroad come and live here due to the proximity to Haifa University. It’s a microcosm of Israeli society.”

He’s married, has two children, and has served for over ten years in the IDF, first in the artillery brigade and then in the intelligence corps. Now Hussein works as part of a content-creating war room established within DTech (short for Druze Tech), an initiative to accelerate the integration of Israeli Druze into the hi-tech sector.

“Before October 7, Druze society in Israel was caught in the midst of an ongoing crisis, against the backdrop of the Nation-State law and the Kaminitz Law,” Hussein explains; the former referring to the 2018 Basic Law granting the Jewish people alone the right to self-determination, and Hebrew the status of only official language; and the latter referring to a law strengthening law enforcement options in the field of unauthorized building.

Hussein continues: “The Nation State law may not have any technical implications, or maybe it only has ones that we will find in the long term, but the second law affects our everyday ability to plan and build for future generations.

“It’s been over 70 years, and nobody seems to have any willingness or ability to solve it. At first, I thought it was solely our blame, as our local councils truly lack the required professionalism. But as I dug deeper, I discovered that they share the blame with the Ministry of Interior, which isn’t much of a partner and does not allocate any budgets nor does it make any efforts to solve this issue.”

Hussein foresees that the next generation will pose a strategic challenge. “If I grew up with my grandfather’s stories about the relations between Druze and the Yishuv, enlisted in the army, etc. – the next generation will already grow into a reality where the main theme is these laws and the feelings of being deserted. Unfortunately, we may be seeing a decline in enlistment rates and identification with the state.

Then Hussein quickly clarifies: “Our crisis is with the government, not with the state. If I personally come across some form of racism, I have my history and my family’s experience to counter it. But unfortunately, that is not the case in this reality which the next Druze generation lives in.”

The IDF and Hezbollah have a window to de-escalate tensions along Lebanon's southern border before a possible IDF offensive against the Lebanese terror organization, two Democratic US senators told Reuters on Wednesday.

Senators Chris Coons and Richard Blumenthal met Lebanese officials on a tour of the region, which has been gripped by conflict following Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which responded with a heavy air, land, and sea assault on Gaza.

In Lebanon, Israeli shelling has killed nearly 190 Hezbollah fighters and 50 civilians. A dozen Israeli troops and five Israeli civilians have been killed in northern Israel, and tens of thousands have been displaced on each side of the border.

"The next few weeks are a real hinge point - for Gaza, for Israel, for Lebanon, for the Red Sea, for Iraq," said Coons, adding that a ceasefire deal on Gaza could have "positive consequences" for Lebanon.

Israel's Foreign Ministry will distribute to all Israeli embassies in the world the difficult report of the Association of Aid Centers for Victims of Sexual Assault detailing the systematic sexual abuse committed by Hamas during the massacre in the south on 7.10.

This is the first step of an extensive public diplomacy campaign, the aim of which is to fight international authorities's silence on the detailed evidence collected on systematic sexual crimes committed by Hamas terrorists against Israeli citizens during the October 7 massacres. 

Foreign Minister Israel Katz instructed to translate the report published this morning as soon as possible and distribute the translated versions to the whole world with the help of Israeli embassies abroad.

"The horrors of October 7 continue to be revealed even many months later," said Katz, "the crimes of sexual violence, which find expression in this important report, will serve the State of Israel in its ceaseless war against the terrorist organization Hamas in the political arena."

Israel's plan to reveal Hamas's sexual crimes to the world

The Ministry stated that the translation of the report joins a wide range of activities conducted by the Foreign Ministry in recent weeks in order to raise international awareness of the issue of harm and violence by Hamas terrorists in Israel. Among other things, delegations were sent abroad in cooperation with civil society elements, other government ministries, and security agencies. In addition, the visit of the United Nations' special envoy on sexual violence, Pramila Patten, to Israel was arranged.

Terrorism can come in several forms, including sexual assault and rape motivated by nationalism. Pictured: The scene of Hamas's October 7 massacre at the Supernova music festival. (credit: YOSSI ZAMIR/FLASH90)

The difficult report published this morning, the most comprehensive so far conducted in Israel, includes dozens of confidential and visible information, including survivor testimonies, interviews with rescue and treatment forces, information that was allowed to be published, and inquiries. Many of the contents detailed in it are very difficult to read.

The report finds that the Hamas attack included violent acts of rape, with the threat of weapons, which in some cases were aimed at injured women. Many of the acts of rape were carried out in a group manner, with cooperation between the abusing terrorists. Often, the rape was carried out in front of an 'audience:' Spouses, family, or friends, in a manner designed to increase the pain and helplessness of all those present and to sow additional terror. 

Hamas terrorists carried out a hunting expedition following young women and men who fled the site of the Nova music festival and, according to testimonies, dragged them by the hair while screaming. The acts targeted women, girls, and men.

Earlier this week, officials at the United Nations demanded that Palestinian claims about the alleged commission of sexual crimes by IDF soldiers in the Gaza Strip be investigated. According to reports in American and British media, international officials claimed that they had "credible allegations of human rights violations against Palestinian women and girls in Gaza and the West Bank by Israeli forces."

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday told the Conference of Presidents at a meeting at the ministry's headquarters in Tel Aviv that, “Our goal is simple – victory. Only victory against Hamas will allow us to achieve normalization and regional integration.”

Gallant was providing a security situation assessment to 50 leaders of the top North American Jewish organizations and prominent communities. 

The defense minister's point was that, contrary to what some argue, continuing the war to destroy Hamas will advance, not derail, normalization with countries like Saudi Arabia.

He explained that normalization would be part of making a truly new Middle East and that such a transformed region cannot emerge as long as a terrorist force like Hamas continues to try to drag Israel, other neighbors, and history backwards into war all of the time.

In fact, many have commented that the timing of Hamas's invasion of southern Israel came shortly after Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman publicly stated that Israeli-Saudi normalization was closer than ever.

SAUDI CROWN PRINCE Mohammed bin Salman: The US proposal would mobilize Saudi Arabia, moderate countries in the Gulf and the region, and all of the West behind Israel’s goal of having Hamas no longer rule Gaza, says the writer. (credit: SPUTNIK/REUTERS)

One problem with Gallant's statement is that the Saudis themselves have demanded an immediate end to Israel's war on Hamas as well as for Jerusalem to refrain from invading Rafah, as a condition to return to the normalization track.

Further, the Saudis have said that Israel's continuing the war, and many killed Palestinian civilians, has delayed normalization. 

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday regarding the hostage deal negotiations and called for no talks with Hamas at all. 

"The prime minister is making a mistake by sending the head of the Mossad to grovel in all kinds of places and beg for our lives; we are not negotiating with Hamas," Ben-Gvir said in an interview with Gadi Ness on Radio North 104.5fm.

Mossad Director David Barnea speaks during a Conference of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), in Tel Aviv, on September 10, 2023. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)

"There are many good things that Netanyahu is doing; he did not enter into a reckless deal and also accepted my position regarding the restrictions, but there are also mistakes, and if you ask me, we should not negotiate with Hamas, we should kill them, stop the fuel, there should be no humanitarian aid.”

"In the end, it should be said that when they receive humanitarian [aid], then we should also receive our humanitarian [aid]. They asked to visit the Nukhba; I also want to see our babies, the Bibas family, the men, the soldiers," he added.

Britain and Jordan have air-dropped four tonnes of aid including medicines, fuel and food to Tal Al-Hawa Hospital in northern Gaza, Britain's Foreign Office said on Wednesday.

The UK-funded aid was delivered by the Jordanian Air Force.

With the IDF completing its operational takeover of Khan Yunis, sources have confirmed that the IDF found no hostages there, though it did find multiple multi-million shekel special tunnels with cages where hostages had been held.

For most of the war, the IDF said that most of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas were in Khan Yunis.

Even when the IDF invaded Khan Yunis and was making significant progress in late December and late January, sources said there was still hope that the IDF would locate hostages there.

There was especially high suspicion that hostages might still be held in Khan Yunis in the vast tunnel network, regarding which the IDF still had only penetrated part of.

Israeli soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip, February 21, 2024 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Hamas moves hostages to Rafah

However, once the IDF penetrated into the western and southern sectors, and its forces started to be able to move more freely and quickly explore the remaining tunnels, it became clear that Hamas had moved the hostages elsewhere.

Likewise, all of the cages where hostages had been held were empty, though with signs that they had been occupied until recently.

As early as December, top sources started to argue that Hamas was already moving some hostages from Khan Yunis to Rafah.

Also, top sources had said a small number of hostages remained in a small part of central Gaza, which the IDF has intentionally avoided invading so as to avoid a premature conflagration that could lead to the hostages' deaths.

It seems that since December, more, or even all, of the remaining hostages in Khan Yunis were moved to Rafah, hiding among around 1.5 million Palestinian civilians.

Though it is also possible that the hostages are being hidden in other less well-known villages, no security sources have suggested such a theory to date.

Also, the IDF announced, on Wednesday morning, the death of St.-Sgt. Abraham Wovagen, who fell in northern Gaza.

Wovagen was 21 years old, from Netanya, and was a soldier in the 932nd battalion of the Nahal Brigade.

Some of the hostages have received the medication sent to them, France announced on Wednesday, according to Israeli media.

The French statement corroborates Qatar's claims on Tuesday, saying Hamas had begun handing out the medication to hostages. 

Hamas has "softened its positions" in the negotiations for a hostage deal, Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Wednesday, citing diplomatic sources.

According to the report, an Israeli delegation was expected to arrive in Cairo ahead of the talks. 

Earlier this week, it was announced a Hamas delegation headed by Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh and Deputy Chairman of Hamas in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, had arrived in Cairo for discussions. 

Gantz: 'initials signs indicate deal moving forward'

Minister-without-portfolio Benny Gantz said in a press conference on Wednesday, "There are attempts these days to promote a new outline for a deal, and initial signs indicate the possibility of moving forward."

Israeli Emergency cabinet minister and opposition politician Benny Gantz addresses the press in Kiryat Shmona, Israel November 14, 2023. (credit: EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/REUTERS)

"We will not miss any opportunity to bring the girls and boys home," he noted.

He added that "without an outline for a deal, Israel would operate during Ramadan." 

Gantz referred to Israel's plans for after the war, stating that Israel was acting "to strengthen the moderate axis vis-à-vis Iran and establish a regional administration that would help the Palestinians build a different government in Gaza.