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IDF Announces Death of Soldier in North Gaza, Bringing Israeli Ground Offensive Death Toll to 251
Israeli soldiers inspect the Al Shifa hospital complex, amid their ground operation against Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, in Gaza City, Nov. 15, 2023 in this handout image. Photo: Israel Defense Forces/Handout via REUTERS
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Tuesday announced the death of a soldier killed during an operation targeting Hamas at Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, bringing the Israeli death toll of the ongoing ground offensive against the Palestinian terror group to 251.
Warrant Officer Sebastian Haion, a 51-year-old commander in the 401st Armored Brigade from Rosh HaAyin, was killed during battle, the army said.
The announcement came hours after the IDF announced the death of Staff Sgt. Matan Vinogradov, 20, of the Nahal Brigade’s 932nd Battalion, from Jerusalem. He also died fighting Hamas in the area by Shifa Hospital, which according to the US and Israel has been used by the terror group to run military operations and even hold hostages.
Israeli forces killed Hamas’ head of internal security in Gaza during its counter-terrorism operation in the hospital and, according to a statement on Monday, found a large cache of weapons in a room next to where the terrorist was found.
With the announcement of Haion’s death, a post from his Facebook page went viral in which he said, “We have no other home and we cannot afford to lose. We must win.”
Israel launched its ground offensive in Hamas-ruled Gaza following Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel, in which the Palestinian terrorists killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 253 others as hostages.
The latest raid on Shifa Hospital came months after international pressure trying to prevent the IDF from entering the complex, fearing the army would kill doctors and patients. The Israeli army ended up eliminating most of Hamas’ terror infrastructure in the hospital, and the Jewish state offered both fuel and incubators to the medical facility.
Israel killed over 50 terrorists at the hospital in its latest operation and arrested several others, according to the IDF.
In total, “more than 200 terrorists have been arrested at the hospital,” said IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari. “The terrorists there took care of themselves first, at the expense of patients and civilians who were in the hospital. Hamas uses civilians and patients as human shields. We will continue to attack wherever Hamas tries to restore its hold.”
Hagari added, “The IDF began the operation following established intelligence information that required immediate action. We know that Hamas officials have regrouped in Shifa and are commanding operations against Israel from there. Our focused activity is not only an operational necessity, it is a global obligation. We call on all Hamas terrorists hiding in hospitals to surrender immediately. It is forbidden to use medical facilities for terrorist purposes; Hamas must be held accountable.”
The IDF expects that the raid will continue for a few days, with Hagari saying, “We have more buildings to search in Shifa, and we know of additional terrorists in the area.”
The post IDF Announces Death of Soldier in North Gaza, Bringing Israeli Ground Offensive Death Toll to 251 first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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The post Shock Poll: Most Jews Approve of Trump’s Job Performance, Strike on Iran first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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The Anti-Israel Mob Never Mentions Women’s Rights in Israel — Compared to the Middle East

Paris 2024 Olympics – Judo – Women -78 kg Victory Ceremony – Champ-de-Mars Arena, Paris, France – August 01, 2024. Silver medallist Inbar Lanir of Israel celebrates. Photo: REUTERS/Arlette Bashizi
In parts of the Middle East, women still live in deeply patriarchal, often brutal systems. Changes exist more on paper than in practice. Power remains in the hands of men, religious systems, and political elites — and this repressive treatment often goes unchallenged.
This happens in places like Gaza under Hamas, in Afghanistan under the Taliban, in Iran under the ayatollahs, and even in Saudi Arabia, where “reforms” like women driving made headlines in 2018.
Let’s be clear: not every Muslim-majority country treats women this way. In places like Jordan, Egypt, and Turkey, many women work, study, and participate in public life. But even there, legal protections and personal freedoms often lag behind. And in the four examples mentioned — Gaza, Iran, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia — women face severe, institutionalized oppression. These are not fringe cases; they reflect the governing ideologies of millions.
Now contrast that with Israel.
In Israel, the only liberal democracy in the region, both Jewish and Arab women live with rights and freedoms unheard of in most of the Middle East.
In Israel, women:
- Vote and run for office
- Serve as Supreme Court judges, ministers, professors, doctors, and CEOs
- Join the military, even in combat roles
- Protest publicly without fear of being shot or jailed
- Choose how to dress, where to work, whom to marry, and what to believe
- File police reports and expect legal protection
Women in Israel are not just present, they lead. They command battalions, fly fighter jets, debate in the Knesset, run start-ups, and shape policy. Gender equality is not perfect — no country is — but legally, all women are fully protected.
And this is the part that’s almost never said: Arab women in Israel also enjoy more rights than in any Arab country. They study in top universities, vote freely, become doctors, lawyers, and leaders. Yes, some face traditional cultural pressures in their communities, but under Israeli law, they are citizens with equal rights, and legal recourse when those rights are violated.
Can the same be said for women in Gaza, ruled by Hamas? For women under the Taliban in Afghanistan? Or for the brave Iranian women imprisoned for removing their headscarves?
If you are a self-respecting feminist in the West, this should be a moral line: Israel is the only place in the Middle East where women are truly free. In Tel Aviv, if a woman is raped, she can go to the police. She’ll be heard, investigated, supported.
In Tehran, she might be blamed. In Riyadh, she could be imprisoned. In Kabul, she might be killed. In Gaza, she might be forced to marry her rapist.
So ask yourself: if you support women’s rights, why are you aligning with regimes or movements that strip women of their humanity?
Something is deeply broken when women in free societies chant slogans for groups that would silence, veil, and imprison them. When feminists march with Palestinian flags, are they aware that under Hamas, there is no LGBTQ+ freedom, no feminist activism, no legal protections for women?
You don’t have to support every policy of the Israeli government to recognize this truth: Israel is the only country in the Middle East where a woman can live as a full, free citizen.
Western feminists need to wake up. When you champion groups like Hamas or regimes like Iran “for the cause,” you are betraying the very values you claim to fight for.
Until that realization comes, I ask just one thing: If you truly care about women, why on earth are you standing against Israel?
Sabine Sterk is the CEO of Time To Stand Up For Israel.
The post The Anti-Israel Mob Never Mentions Women’s Rights in Israel — Compared to the Middle East first appeared on Algemeiner.com.