Israel-Hamas war: What happened on day 201?

Renowned British Jewish author and columnist Naomi Klein called for an "exodus from Zionism," denouncing the ideology as a "false idol" that has strayed from the core values of Judaism, in an op-ed for The Guardian.

In her piece, Klein used biblical allegory to draw attention to the recent conflict between Israel and Gaza, condemning Zionism for turning the "transcendent idea of the promised land" into a "deed of sale for a militaristic ethnostate."

Klein's piece directly challenged the traditional view of Zionism as a movement for Jewish liberation, instead portraying it as an ideology that has justified oppression, colonialism, and violence in the name of Jewish safety.

Referring to Zionism as a false idol, Klein stated that it "equates Israeli safety with Egyptian dictatorship and client states" and has led to mass displacement and suffering for the Palestinian people.

PEOPLE WATCH the military air show as part of Israel’s 75th Independence Day celebrations, from Sacher Park in Jerusalem, in April. To identify as Zionist today is as relevant and powerful as it ever was, the writer maintains. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

She highlighted the "profound consequences of Zionism."

Analyses by Sky News and independent analysts of satellite imagery and footage published online found that claims spread by Hamas and Arabic media that the IDF had dug mass graves at the Nasser hospital in Gaza were false as the graves were made before the IDF entered the complex.

Hamas, Al-Jazeera, and several news agencies claimed in recent days that the IDF had dug mass graves in order to "hide" the bodies of Palestinians after entering the Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis.

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said on Tuesday that he was "horrified" by the reports and called for "independent, effective and transparent investigations." Türk added that "The intentional killing of civilians, detainees and others who are hors de combat [not participating in hostilities] is a war crime."

Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for UN human rights commissioner Volker Turk, claimed that some of the bodies had their hands tied and were "stripped of their clothes."

Due to the analyses finding that the bodies were buried before Israeli forces entered the hospital, it is unclear who bound and stripped the buried individuals or why they did so, as only Palestinians and medical professionals were present at the scene at that point.

Israeli soldiers operate in Gaza's Nasser Hospital, February 18, 2024 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

On Monday, the GeoConfirmed geolocation account published a thread listing extensive examples of footage and satellite imagery showing that the graves were dug, filled, and covered before the IDF ever stepped foot in the hospital.

GeoConfirmed ISR-PAL Investigation.

Palestinians are exhuming bodies from the grounds of the Nasser Medical Complex hospital complex in Khan Younis, Gaza.
This is occurring at the same location where mass graves were dug and burial ceremonies had taken place by Palestinians in… pic.twitter.com/4UgFcTEpPn

— GeoConfirmed (@GeoConfirmed) April 22, 2024

Iran tried to cover up the damage caused by the alleged Israeli airstrike near Isfahan last week, satellite imagery shared with the Economist and the Institute for Science and International Security showed on Wednesday.

The alleged Israeli strike targeted an S-300 air defense battery near Isfahan in central Iran in response to a drone and missile attack launched by Iran against Israel earlier this month.

NEW: The Institute acquired high-resolution Airbus Pleiades Neo satellite images of Iran’s Eighth Shekari Air Base taken shortly after the reported Israeli attack on the S-300 missile defense system deployed at the base.https://t.co/lY57SkvfRy pic.twitter.com/kKFN4lpomH

— Inst for Science (@TheGoodISIS) April 23, 2024

While at first, Iran claimed no damage had been caused in the alleged Israeli strike, satellite imagery shared by Planet Labs and the Institute for Science and International Security later revealed that the 30N6E2 Tombstone radar used by the S-300 air defense battery had been destroyed in the attack.

On Tuesday, the Institute for Science and International Security shared two high-resolution Airbus satellite images from April 19 and 20, showing the targeted location in the Eighth Shekari Air Base, where four missile launchers and a mobile radar were deployed.

The S-300 missile system is seen during the National Army Day parade ceremony in Tehran, Iran, April 17, 2024. (credit: Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters)

According to the Institute for Science and International Security, the imagery appears to show that the vehicle the radar was on was hit and likely caught fire. Marks near the vehicle appear to be from extinguishing fluids used to fight the fire.

Hamas published a propaganda video showing Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin on Wednesday on their Telegram channel. Warning: The content of the video included in this article may be graphic for some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.

The Jerusalem Post cannot confirm the date or authenticity of the video. The Goldberg-Polin family has given permission to Israeli media outlets to share the video.

Hamas has periodically published videos of hostages in an attempt to increase pressure on the Israeli government to agree to its terms and as a form of psychological warfare. In the past, hostages have been forced to read from scripts prepared by the terrorist organization.

Goldberg-Polin seriously injured in Hamas's assault on Nova Music Festival

In the video, Goldberg-Polin notes that he was hanging out with friends at the Nova Music Festival when Hamas attacked the festival and kidnapped him and his friends, countering claims that Hamas leaders have made in the past that they did not target civilians.

Warning: The content of the video below may be graphic for some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.

Goldberg-Polin was seriously injured by a grenade during the Hamas assault on the Nova Music Festival and lost his left hand.

Hezbollah is trying to save face amid 201 days of conflict with Israel. Hezbollah joined in the Hamas attacks after October 7, essentially trying to open a limited two-front war with Israel. This has now stretched on longer than Hezbollah likely anticipated. The Iranian-backed terrorist group has lost hundreds of its fighters, many of whom are difficult to replace.

The group has a large arsenal of rockets, missiles, and drones. However, Hezbollah is also “too big to fail” in the Iranian proxy context. Iran cannot afford to bring it into the conflict, lest it be destroyed. On the other hand, Iran wants to keep it like a Sword of Damocles, hanging forever over Israel, threatening but not falling on Israel. This presents a dilemma. Unleash Hezbollah, and it will have shot its bolt. But if it is kept there, then Iran is doomed to forever wait and play a limited war game. This is likely in Iran’s interest. It wants to change the equation with Israel. It wants to attack Israel forever with impunity from multiple fronts. It wants to slowly weaken Israel.

Hezbollah has other interests. It continues to escalate attacks on Israel. On April 23, it targeted areas along the coast near Acre with drones, setting off alarms that forced around a quarter million Israelis to seek shelter. On April 24 it has also claimed numerous attacks on Israel. Israel has also responded with numerous attacks.

The rules of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict 

Hezbollah, Iran, and the region see the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel as functioning along certain guidelines or “rules.” Al-Ain media in the Gulf wondered whether the exchange of fire on April 24 could possibly be lifting the curtain on a change in this equation. “Have the rules of engagement collapsed,” the Gulf-based online magazine wondered.

“Hezbollah has intensified its targeting of military sites since last week,” the report notes. “Wednesday's strikes came the day after an Israeli bombing targeted towns in southern Lebanon, resulting in the killing of two civilians from one family,” the report claims. Israel said it struck a key Hezbollah commander, who Al-Ain referred to as “Hezbollah missile unit engineer Hussein Azqul.” Two other members of the Hezbollah Radwan force have also been killed in the last several days. This brings the total Hezbollah death toll to at least 252. Last week, Hezbollah also wounded 14 Israeli soldiers and several civilians in an attack on Arab al-Aramshe on the border.

Activists of the terrorist organization Hezbollah (credit: AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)

The question on Wednesday, April 24, regarding the escalation is whether the rules of engagement have indeed changed. Is the conflict potentially entering a new phase. Iran will want to keep the Hezbollah powder reasonably dry up until there is an Israeli operation in Rafah.

Two rockets were fired from Gaza toward Sderot on Wednesday afternoon, and a house was hit by shrapnel from an interceptor, according to the Sderot Municipality.

No bodily injuries were reported in the rocket fire, although several people received treatment for anxiety.

Some anti-government protest groups announced they would hold a demonstration in front of the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem on Wednesday afternoon after Hamas published a video of Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who is being held hostage by the terrorist group, earlier in the day.

"Another video of a hostage has been published - as if Hamas is the one running the show - as if there is no government. We have no mother and father. There's no responsibility; it's thrown aside. Come now to Aza Street, in front of the Prime Minister's Residence, to demand an end to this disaster already," said the unnamed groups.

This is a developing story.

United States President Joe Biden states that the US has approved the shipping of military aid to Israel on Wednesday, stating that "it will depart in the coming hours, making the world safer."

The statement came from a live stream on X (formerly known as Twitter).

This is a developing story.
 
 
 
 

Iran may be recalculating its role in Syria, a recent report at Agence France-Presse has suggested. The report should be read with skepticism because Iran and its proxies, as well as allies of the Syrian regime such as Russia, have spread these rumors in the past. According to the report, a “series of strikes targeting its commanders in recent months has prompted a reshaping of its presence, the sources said.” The source, which is close to Hezbollah, claims that "Iran withdrew its forces from southern Syria.” This asserts that Iran left areas near Golan and Dara’a province.

As the UAE-based Al-Ain media suggests. The UK-based war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, “said Iranian forces had withdrawn from Damascus and southern Syria,” the report notes. Yet the report then claims that other pro-Iran militias took the place of the Iranians. This reminds me of a cup game, where people at a carnival fairground or in a seedy part of town put money in a cup and ask you to guess which cup it is in as they move the cups around. The report says that there are “as many as 3,000 Iranian military personnel are present in Syria, supported by tens of thousands of Iranian-trained fighters from countries including Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan.”

The fact is that these kinds of reports have been floated in the past. In the past, there were claims that Iran had reduced the number of its personnel from 1,200 to 800. These kinds of reports date back to 2018 when ISIS was largely defeated in Syria and the Syrian regime, backed by Russia and Iran, had defeated most of the Syrian rebels. In those days, Iran, Russia, and Turkey were working closely together to formulate a post-civil war policy in Syria.

Today, the stories about Iran withdrawing personnel from some areas are designed to make it seem like Israel’s opposition to Iranian entrenchment in Syria is working. Iran blamed Israel for an attack on a building next to the Iranian consulate in Damascus in early April. Iran then attacked Israel on April 13-14. Israel then responded several days later.

Smoke rises after what the Iranian media said was an Israeli strike on a building close to the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria April 1, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/FIRAS MAKDESI)

Iran's recent calculations in Syria

The IDF struck 40 Hezbollah sites near Ayta Ash Shab in southern Lebanon, including weapons warehouses, rocket launchers, and other terrorist infrastructure, on Wednesday afternoon, the IDF confirmed.

IDF Lt.-Col. R., commander of the Fire Support Center in Northern Command, noted that the strikes harmed Hezbollah in an "extraordinary way."

"The IDF and Northern Command will continue to thwart and harm the terrorist organization's capabilities. We will not stop until there is a change in the security situation and the residents return to their homes in the north."

The IDF noted that Hezbollah uses the Ayta Ash Shab area extensively for terrorist purposes, setting up dozens of terrorist sites used to target Israel.

Earlier in the day, anti-tank missiles launched from Lebanon hit two houses in Avivim in the Upper Galilee on Wednesday morning. There were no casualties as a result of the attack.

The Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen later reported that Hezbollah had claimed responsibility for the rockets.