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‘The Maccabees of Our Day’: Israel Mourns 10 Soldiers, Including Colonel, Killed in Fierce Gaza Fighting
Israeli soldiers operate at the Shajaiya district of Gaza city amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terror group Hamas, in the Gaza Strip, Dec. 8, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Yossi Zeliger
Ten soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), including high-ranking officers, were killed fighting Hamas terrorists in Gaza, the Israeli army said on Wednesday.
Nine of the soldiers died while engaged in combat in the northern Gaza Strip village of Shejaiya, known as a stronghold of the Hamas terror group. It was one of the deadliest single encounters since Israeli troops launched their ground campaign into Gaza in October.
The soldiers were engaging in search operations when they entered buildings that they believed to be abandoned, only to find a tunnel inside. Upon entering the building, they were ambushed with grenades and gunfire, which led to four IDF deaths immediately.
Between the gun battle and grenades flying, another 5 soldiers were killed, including two from the elite 669 unit, considered one of the best search and rescue military units in the world.
Among the dead was Col. Itzhak Ben Basat, 44, head of the Golani Brigade’s commander’s team. He was the most senior IDF officer to have been killed in the ground offensive against Hamas.
Staff Sgt. Oriya Yaakov, 19, was killed in a separate incident in northern Gaza.
“The Maccabees of our day,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog tweeted in reference to the soldiers killed on Tuesday. “The joy of Hanukkah this year is more difficult than ever, when the candles of the menorah and the candles of remembrance mingle with each other, with sorrow and grief, but no less — with immense pride and faith in the righteousness of the path.”
Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, began last Thursday and is set to end on Friday night. It marks the re-dedication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BCE, after a small group of Jewish fighters known as the Maccabees liberated the land from oppressive foreign forces.
“Ten names were added today to our bereaved tombstone in the difficult and just war against the cruel enemy,” Herzog added. “Ten commanders and fighters, the best of the best, heroes among heroes who fell in the battle for the defense of the people and the homeland, and left a huge void in their image — in the hearts of all of us.”
The Israeli president concluded by saying that the Jewish state “swears to fulfill their will: the eternity of Israel and the unity of Israel.” He also quoted the Bible: “And I heard every candle and candle, calling to me: ‘Arise, awake, living people and arise!’”
War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz also tweeted about the incident, saying, “Every one who falls is a scar on the entire State of Israel, and every such scar is a reminder of the heroism of our warriors, and of the need to be worthy as a society of their sacrifice.”
Wednesday’s announcement by Israel brought the Israeli death toll in the ground offensive to 115, not including the roughly 300 soldiers and police murdered during Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel that launched the current conflict. An additional 900 civilians were killed during the onslaught.
The post ‘The Maccabees of Our Day’: Israel Mourns 10 Soldiers, Including Colonel, Killed in Fierce Gaza Fighting first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Putin Apologizes Over ‘Tragic Incident’ with Azerbaijan Airlines Plane Crash
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Photo: Reuters/Maxim Shemetov
i24 News – Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologized to Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev for what he said represented a “tragic incident” in Russian airspace involving an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane that crashed on Wednesday.
Flight J2-8243 crashed in a ball of fire near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan after diverting from southern Russia where Ukrainian drones were reported to be attacking several cities. At least 38 people were killed while 29 survived.
“Vladimir Putin apologized for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace and once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
“It was noted in the conversation that the Azerbaijani passenger aircraft, which was traveling according to its schedule, repeatedly tried to land at Grozny airport. At that time, Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were being attacked by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, and Russian air defense systems repelled these attacks,” the Kremlin said.
The post Putin Apologizes Over ‘Tragic Incident’ with Azerbaijan Airlines Plane Crash first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israeli Official: Houthis More Technologically Advanced than Credited, Must Not Be Underestimated
FILE PHOTO: Houthi military helicopter flies over the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the Red Sea in this photo released November 20, 2023. Photo: Houthi Military Media/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
i24 News – The Houthis are more technologically advanced than credited and must not be underestimated, an Israeli official told i24NEWS, adding that the jihadist movement operating out of Yemen was “ideologically toxic.”
The Yemeni terrorists have displayed the relentless will to fight in campaigns against the Saudis and others, the official added. “The Houthis’ flag spells out their goals: destroy America, destroy the Jews, destroy Israel. They get most of their support from Iran and they are very extreme. Their ideology is clear: they want to destroy America and Israel, and are trying to take practical steps in that direction.”
In recent weeks the Houthis have escalated their attacks on Israel, firing ballistic missiles and drones at the Jewish state almost nightly and sending millions of Israelis into bomb shelters.
“The Houthis pose a threat to international security and global trade. Therefore, an international coalition should confront and eliminate this threat,” the official underscored.
Israel “has shown that it has the capability and the resolve to fight a multi front war, and it has had incredible accomplishments since it was attacked in October 2023. It has practically decimated Hamas, Hezbollah and Syrian capabilities. It has exposed Iran’s vulnerabilities and now is an opportunity to cooperate with an international coalition to reduce the Houthis.”
The post Israeli Official: Houthis More Technologically Advanced than Credited, Must Not Be Underestimated first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hamas Raises New Demands in Ceasefire Talks, Refusing to Provide Lists of Hostages
A person walks past pictures of hostages kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7 attack by Hamas from Gaza, projected on a screen, in Tel Aviv, Israel, May 31, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Marko Djurica
i24 News – Negotiations for the release of Israeli hostages are still ongoing, yet Hamas is raising new demands regarding wounded hostages and refuses to provide a list of living hostages; moreover, whoever conducts the negotiations on their behalf does not necessarily control the happening on the ground, i24NEWS learned on Friday.
Israel applies heavy pressure on Hamas to live up to the promises.
While the Israeli negotiations team has returned from Doha, the talks for the hostage deal are still ongoing, not affected by the team’s physical presence. According to sources familiar with the details, Hamas poses serious problems that hinder the ability to close the deal, chief among them – the list of hostages whose release should be prioritized on humanitarian grounds.
Israel, i24NEWS can report, insists on complete lists of live hostages, but these have not yet been received. Also, as i24NEWS learned, Hamas refuses to release wounded hostages as part of the humanitarian list and attempts to demand special compensation for them.
Israeli negotiators are unwilling to accept changes to conditions established earlier and exert heavy pressure on the group from various directions.
Officials in Jerusalem say they hope that Hamas will decide to come together to conclude the deal, because the decision is entirely theirs.
Another serious concern for Israel, i24NEWS learned, is that those who conduct the negotiations on behalf of Hamas do not necessarily control the happening on the ground. This, as the dust has not yet settled on the decision-making and organizational structure of Hamas after the elimination of its leader Yahya Sinwar, making it extremely complicated to manage the talks. Israeli officials want to make sure that whoever represents the terrorist group vis-à-vis the mediators is also able to return the hostages from the hands of Hamas in Gaza.
At the same time, Jerusalem believes that the various conditions that pressure Hamas are still valid and even growing: the achievements against Hezbollah and against Iran, the collapse of Syria, and the weakening of the Shiite axis, the strikes in Yemen, the anti-terror activity in Judea and Samaria, the IDF activity in Jabaliya, in Beit Hanon and Rafah, as well as in the Karni-Netzarim corridor, together with the impending coming into office of the Trump administration, work to press Hamas to a point of great isolation, where it would be desperate for a ceasefire.
The post Hamas Raises New Demands in Ceasefire Talks, Refusing to Provide Lists of Hostages first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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