Israel at War: What happened on day 40?

IDF Chief Spokesperson R.-Adm. Daniel Hagari on Wednesday night presented Hamas weapons, military equipment, and intelligence technology which IDF soldiers found in more than 18 hours of searching Shifa Hospital since the early morning.

However, at press time, the IDF's findings were not the same level "smoking gun" as the vast explosives, advanced weapons, and hostage holding room which it found at Rantisi Hospital just a few days earlier.

Iranian pro-regime media on Wednesday discussed Iran’s meeting with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The Iranian regime held a meeting with the president of the ICRC, according to Iran’s own regime media Press TV and Fars News. Iran’s Press TV also says that “the Israeli regime has, throughout the war, been stonewalling Hamas' ‘positive approaches’ concerning the issue of the prisoners of war.”

This would appear to indicate that Iran has a role in Hamas’ hostage-taking. Iran has backed Hamas in the wake of the October 7 attack. Iran’s media refers to “civilian prisoners” held by Hamas and discusses the “readiness for exchanging more," which could indicate Iran is directly in contact with Hamas and representing the terror group in talks with the ICRC.

"The American administration too has ramped up the intensity of the war on Gaza with its all-out presence and support for the Zionist regime," Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in a meeting with Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in Geneva on Wednesday, Iran’s Press TV reported. 

Foreign minister Eli Cohen demanded the Red Cross to do more to establish contact with hostages abducted in the Gaza Strip, according to a report on November 15. “Cohen made his remarks on Tuesday in Geneva, where he held talks with several relatives at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and UN organizations,” a report from Switzerland noted. “To date, no one has seen the hostages,” said Cohen. “We have no signs of life.” The ICRC, the UN, and various human rights groups have done nothing to aid the 240 hostages held by Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza since October 7. 

Israeli soldiers take a position inside the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing ground operation of the Israeli army against Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, according to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), in this handout picture obtained by Reuters on November 11, 2023. (credit: IDF/Handout via REUTERS)

According to the regime’s own Press TV reports, the Iranian foreign minister Amir-Abdollahian met with the ICRC head. The ICRC also held talks with the Iranian foreign minister on October 10 according to the Iranian Foreign Affairs Ministry. The IRGC has thus had talks with Iran at least twice since the Hamas attacks on October 7. It has not contacted the hostages in Gaza or done anything to help them publicly.

Kidnapping is not new for Iranian-backed groups

Iranian-backed groups have often kidnapped civilians in other countries. For instance, Iranian-backed militias kidnapped Elizabeth Tsurkov in Iraq, an Israeli-Russian researcher who was affiliated with Princeton. A recent video of her released by the extremist Kataib Hezbollah group shows her being forced to speak on video about her kidnapping. She has also not been visited by the ICRC.  

The Tehran regime media appears to admit that Iran is behind Hamas's kidnapping of hostages and holding them.

Iran’s Press TV says that “the Israeli regime has, throughout the war, been stonewalling Hamas' ‘positive approaches’ concerning the issue of the prisoners of war.” Press TV goes on to note that “The foreign minister was referring to the Palestinian resistance movement's release of several civilian prisoners, and its expression of readiness for exchanging more.

The regime has, however, ruled out the prospect, pressing with its atrocities against Gaza.” This appears to indicate that Iran is behind Hamas's kidnapping of civilians including women and children, and people from numerous countries around the world, such as Thailand and Russia. Hamas also massacred foreign workers from Nepal and Thailand. However, Turkey, Russia, China, and other countries have not condemned attacks by the terrorist group.  

“The ICRC chief, for her part, thanked the Islamic Republic for its trust in the committee and positive contribution to its missions,” according to the Press TV report and Fars News. The ICRC head Egger “said both sides are worried about the situation in Gaza, noting that the committee was trying to stay neutral in the conflict and perform its humanitarian duties.” Both Press TV and Fars News indicate that Iran is representing Hamas in talks with the ICRC.  

Over 125 former officials signed an open letter backing US President Joe Biden’s support of Israel during Operation Swords of Iron amid a Democratic party schism on the Israel-Palestine issue.

Support for President Biden among his own party members and voters has decreased as Biden has pledged unwavering US support for Israel. 127 prominent former Obama Administration and former Biden Administration officials challenged this divide with the letter, shared first by CNN.

“As former Biden and Obama administration officials and campaign staff, we are writing to express our deep appreciation for your moral clarity, courageous leadership, and staunch support of Israel, one of our nation’s strongest allies, in the aftermath of the worst massacre of Jewish people in a single day since the Holocaust,” the letter said.

“We are grateful to you for unequivocally condemning Hamas’s terrorism and war crimes as ‘unadulterated evil’ and appreciate your historic visit to Israel, the first for an American President during wartime,” the letter continued.

US Vice President Joe Biden (R) is joined by Ebola Response Coordinator Ron Klain (L) in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, US November 13, 2014. (credit: REUTERS/LARRY DOWNING/FILE PICTURE)

'No moral equivalence'

The co-signees, which include Former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, Former Obama-Era Treasury Secretary Larry H. Summers, and US Rep. Josh Gottheimer, further thanked the president and his administration for over $14 billion in security assistance, support for the hostages held by Hamas, and other measures taken in support of Israel during unprecedented difficulties. 

“Five weeks after Hamas’s unconscionable attacks, we agree with you that a ceasefire is not possible at this time… We also support the humanitarian pauses you’ve called for to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid and help to facilitate the release of… approximately 240 hostages, whose fate remains unknown to their families after weeks of captivity.”

The letter laid bare the hypocrisy of the moral equivalency drawn between Israel and Hamas, which Israel’s critics use to accuse it of war crimes, genocide, and other atrocities.

“There is no moral equivalence between Israel and Hamas, a designated terrorist organization responsible for mass atrocities. No aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict justifies Hamas’ unconscionable war crimes on October 7 and the destruction it has caused in Gaza in the weeks before and since.”

"We are grateful to you and Vice President Harris for your leadership in this moment of crisis," the letter concluded.

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he had made it clear to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that a two-state solution was the only answer to resolve the Israel-Palestinian conflict and that occupying Gaza would be a mistake.

Biden told reporters he was doing everything in his power to free hostages held by the Hamas militant group in Gaza, but that did not mean sending in the US military.

Biden said he discussed with Chinese President Xi Jinping the Israel-Hamas war, and that "it cannot be allowed to get out of control." The meeting between the two was in San Francisco and reportedly lasted four hours. 

Biden: "Hamas is committing war crimes"

"Hamas commits a war crime when it places its headquarters under a hospital," Biden said. "Israel did not enter with many soldiers, and we told them that they should conduct themselves carefully."

Biden also said that "Hamas beheaded babies and burned women alive. The Israelis did not carpet bomb the hospital, they brought in soldiers and they also brought equipment that helps the hospital and gave a warning to the medical staff. This is different from indiscriminate bombings."

US PRESIDENT Joe Biden continues to back the Israeli military operation in Gaza. While this is not easy, especially with protests on campuses and on the left of his party, it is the right thing to do, maintains the writer. (credit: LEAH MILLIS/REUTERS)

"Hamas has already publicly said that they intend to attack again as they did. To think that they will simply stop and do nothing is unrealistic. They use tunnels to enter the hospital, among other things, and Hamas said they would do it again. So I ask a rhetorical question - what would America do in this situation?" Later he was asked about the Al-Shifa hospital - and he replied that he was absolutely certain that Hamas had a headquarters under the hospital. 

Biden also clarified at a press conference after meeting with Jinping that "The Israeli operation in Gaza will continue until Hamas can no longer harm Israel."

"Hamas has already publicly said that they intend to attack again as they did. To think that they will simply stop and do nothing is unrealistic."

US President Joe Biden

Biden said that he is doing everything he can to free hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, but said that does not mean he will send US military to the area.

"I am very involved in the negotiations for the release of the hostages," he said. "The Qataris have cooperated well, I hope this is going to happen."

US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib was revealed to have been part of a private Facebook group that has glorified Hamas multiple times in the past as well as after the October massacre, according to reports by both Fox News and the New York Post.

The Michigan congresswoman has been part of that Facebook group, known as the Palestinian American Congress group, for six years, according to the report. 

Fox News had digitally screenshotted the secret Facebook page that showed Tlaib's personal account was amongst its members.

The Fox report also stated that the Facebook group cannot be found on the social media platform's search engine and cannot be accessed by anyone who isn't a member. A report by the New York Post stated that the group also mocked the hostages taken by the terrorist group.

Maher Abdel-Qader, the founder of the Facebook group, had accused Israelis of not being "real Jews" and questioned if the Holocaust had happened while calling Jewish people "satanic," which he later apologized for. Abdel-Qader reportedly has extensive ties to the Democratic congresswoman, Fox also reported.

US REPRESENTATIVE Ilhan Omar speaks as Representative Rashida Tlaib looks on at a news conference, on Capitol Hill, in 2021. (credit: Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)

Tlaib was also previously censured by the House of Representatives for her anti-Israel statements, which included a video she shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, that included the phrase "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."

Other screenshots

Other screenshots grabbed by Fox News of the private Facebook group showed one from October 12 of a post where a Hamas terrorist holding an Israeli elderly woman captive with the caption: "We don't want to throw you in the sea...we want you to ride it back from where you came." Another screenshot a week later saw a member praising Hamas's "achievements" on October 7 in a post that included a photo of a Hamas terrorist.

Another post had a user say he "didn't see Hamas, [I] saw the grandkids of the refugees that were ethnically cleansed from their homeland attacking the grandkids of the colonists who sent them to the diaspora."

In a testimony delivered before the Committee on Homeland Security of the United States House of Representatives, top officials from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sounded the alarm on increased security threats following the vicious Hamas terrorist attack on innocent civilians in Israel on October 7, 2023. The testimony, presented on Wednesday, highlighted the rapidly evolving global threat landscape and the potential consequences for the United States and its communities.

Alejandro N. Mayorkas, Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, opened the testimony with a somber note, stating, "Already, in the weeks since the assessment publication, the world has changed after Hamas terrorists viciously attacked thousands of innocent men, women, and children in Israel on October 7, 2023, brutally murdering, wounding, and taking hostages of all ages." This brutal attack sent shockwaves across the world, but it also had implications for the United States.

Mayorkas continued, "Since this Department’s inception, the threat landscape our Department is charged with confronting continues to evolve. Although the terrorism threat in the United States has remained heightened throughout 2023, Hamas’s attack on Israel, along with other recent events, have sharpened the focus of potential attacks on targeted individuals and institutions perceived as symbolic of or tied to the conflict."

SHAKED WITH US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. (credit: Courtesy)

US domestic threats on the rise

In his statement, Christopher A. Wray, Director of the FBI, highlighted the growing threats on US soil, saying, "While we work to assist our Israeli colleagues and understand the global implications of the ongoing conflict in Israel, we are paying heightened attention to how the events abroad could directly affect and inspire people to commit violence here in the Homeland."

Wray further stated, "Our top concern stems from lone offenders inspired by— or reacting to—the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, as they pose the most likely threat to Americans, especially Jewish, Muslim, and Arab-American communities in the United States."

Christine Abizaid, Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, addressed the recent attacks by Hamas and the terrorism implications, emphasizing, "We continue to closely monitor, evaluate, and take appropriate actions with respect to potential threats to the United States in the wake of the 7 October HAMAS attacks against Israel and the resulting regional tensions."

Abizaid also noted, "Since 7 October, there have been increased threats to these communities worldwide, and some attacks and violent exploitation of protests, primarily driven by overall heightened tensions and individuals engaging in violent extremist attacks."

National Director and CEO of Secure Community Network (SCN) Michael Masters issued the following statement after the testimony, “Today’s testimonies should be cause for vigilance, preparation, and communication, not fear or retreat. We have seen historic increases in antisemitic threats and incidents. But this does not mean we will accept them. We will not tolerate hate, violence, or terror — nor should we resign ourselves to living less Jewish lives. Instead, we have the tools in place to empower the Jewish community in safety and security. These tools — from training to intelligence tracking to resources and guidance — are designed precisely to serve Jewish institutions in times like these."

In addition, SCN reported an unprecedented uptick in incident reports. "The 772 incident reports SCN logged in October marks the highest of any month in our nearly 20-year history, a 192% increase from October 2022," SCN said in a statement. SCN has already surpassed 2022’s incident totals (2,551), logging nearly 3,500 incident reports between January and October 2023. SCN is on pace to refer over 800 individuals to law enforcement, outpacing last year’s total of 770, with 148 referrals in October alone. SCN has monitored more than 900 events in the US for escalation and violence.

The IDF attacked Hezbollah targets in Lebanese territory on Wednesday, an IDF spokesman said the following day. 

Targets included a weapons depot, military infrastructure, observation posts, and launch positions.

US President Joe Biden asked China to weigh in with Iran and urge it to avoid steps that could be seen as provocative in the Middle East, a senior US official told reporters on Wednesday after a four-hour meeting between Biden and China's Xi Jinping.

The official said Chinese officials had engaged in discussions with Iran on regional risks.

The Turkey-based Mavi Marmara organization, which infamously participated in the “Gaza Freedom Flotilla” of ships into Gaza in 2010 and fought with IDF naval forces, announced on Wednesday new plans to launch another flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian aid into Gaza.

“We are setting out again towards Gaza as a civil and independent movement, in line with the decision we made with the International Freedom Flotilla, of which we are a member,” the organization announced in a statement.

Members of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition have held meetings in London to plan the next flotilla from Europe to Gaza, which is set to sail next year in an attempt to break the naval blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip.

“Our goals remain full human rights for all Palestinians,” the group wrote on its official website about its next flotilla. “In particular, freedom of movement within historic Palestine and the right of return."

Mavi Marmara operated one of the 37 ships that were part of the 2010 flotilla – a passenger ship carrying over 600 passengers. IDF forces boarded the ship after it refused to reroute to the Port of Ashdod and were met with violent resistance by the passengers.

English-language flyer declaring Mavi Marmara's intention to participate in the next Gaza Freedom Flotilla. (credit: MAVI MARMARA ORGANIZATION)

Ten passengers on Mavi Marmara’s ship died in the clashes, while dozens of others were injured. Ten IDF soldiers were wounded on the ship as well.

“We are setting out again towards Gaza against the blockade in Palestine with ship fleets formed from different countries. Support the purchase of ships for the fleet and the supply of humanitarian aid materials, and raise your voice against the blockade and embargo,” the statement said. 

“Now is the time to end the blockade and embargo,” the flyer made by Mavi Marmara declares.

2010 Gaza Flotilla disaster

The original Gaza Freedom Flotilla arrived in Israeli waters in May 2010. After multiple warnings, IDF naval forces intercepted six groups of ships that were on their way to Gaza. The flotilla was sponsored by the Free Gaza Movement (FDM), several European Palestinian solidarity organizations, and Insani Yardim Vakfi (IHH), an Istanbul-based Islamic charity fund that has ties to Hamas.

Members on board one of the largest ships in the flotillas – the Mavi Marmara that disembarked from Turkey – attacked the IDF with weapons. Israeli commandos descended on ropes from helicopters onto the Mavi Marmara and were immediately attacked with clubs, knives, and metal rods. Three soldiers were taken captive. Israeli troops opened fire after a protester, later identified as Ken O’Keefe, a former US marine aboard the Mavi Marmara, seized a gun from one of them.

As a result of the clash on the Mavi Marmara, ten flotilla members were killed and dozens were wounded. Ten Israeli soldiers were also wounded during the attack. The other five flotilla ships did not engage in fighting with the IDF, instead sailing to the Port of Ashdod and returning to their home countries.

Anna Ahronheim contributed to this report.

The IDF entered the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza a second time early Thursday morning, Hebrew media reported, citing Palestinian reports on the 41st day of Operation Swords of Iron.

The IDF spokesman also let foreign reporters into the hospital to accompany Israeli forces, N12 reported.

This is a developing story.