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‘Killing Jews is Yahya Sinwar’s strongest instinct’
Against the backdrop of the ongoing 46th day of the war against Hamas, the question arises of how the terrorist organization perceives the large-scale ground operation carried out by the IDF in the Gaza Strip.
In a conversation with Yinon Magal and Barak Seri on 103FM, Zvi Yehezkeli, the head of the Arab Desk at Channel 13, commented on the mindset of Hamas since the outbreak of the conflict.
What were they thinking when they committed the horrific massacre on October 7?
“Killing Jews is Yahya Sinwar’s strongest instinct. We are currently in the midst of a military operation, with the army actively engaged, showcasing an incredible fighting spirit.
“Now, let’s discuss the future. As long as there is a political entity in the Gaza Strip, you will always have Hamas. You cannot eradicate Hamas; it’s deeply engrained in the Palestinian identity, more so than Fatah or anything else. If the situation in the north Gaza Strip were to replicate itself in the south Gaza Strip – with refugees seeking protection elsewhere and finding host countries – leaving the Gaza Strip without Hamas and a large population will be impossible.
“It’s either Hamas or the people. Eventually, whoever governs the Gaza Strip will never accept your existence. No Palestinians, in any form, neither the Palestinian Authority nor a reformed Authority, will acknowledge your presence.”
What do you propose for the day after?
“What has happened in Gaza can also happen in the West Bank. We have a zero-sum game with the Palestinians, and if we fail to realize this, it will consume us. Even in Judea and Samaria, my friends, it’s just a matter of time.
“Just ask the residents of settlements; they know this is coming their way. Palestinians passing by the fence warn us, ‘We will do to you what they did to you in Gaza.’ I receive calls from Haredi individuals living in Beitar Illit, telling me, ‘The Arabs are coming, and Gaza is a precursor.’
“Understand that something has fundamentally changed regarding Palestinian existence. They have achieved what Nasrallah did in 2000; they managed to enter, kill, and massacre, and we did nothing.”
Does witnessing the ongoing events in Gaza not make them think twice?
“Their concern is not for the residents. Yahya Sinwar doesn’t care that two million people have become refugees. It simply doesn’t matter to him. He believes it is a noble cause, something greater than himself, and it would be a miscalculation if he doesn’t pursue it.
“Hence, even if you push it towards the West Bank, even if it’s true that Abu Mazen doesn’t incite them for jihad, the public will. Is Jenin no longer like Gaza? Is Nablus no longer like Gaza? These are small places that have embraced jihad. Jihad holds greater significance for them than anything else, even if it brings them down and backfires.”
Yehezkeli also said, “Gaza, before the massacre, was in a state of development. They built infrastructure and thriving buildings. Yet, they are willing to destroy all of it, reducing it to rubble, just to fight you. They know that eventually, you will feel remorse over their situation and leave.
“There’s an Arabic saying, ‘If you want your stocks to rise, deal with a Jew. They will always take care of you.’ The mercy of the Jews is something Arabs praise – their compassion. They know we won’t turn the tables; they know we are merciful. A soldier said to me, ‘Jews kill to survive, while Arabs live to kill.’ That’s the difference.”
“Every day the token falls to us, we are in the Middle East. This war is not a month or two, I think something strategic has happened here, the State of Israel is about to go through a huge process for the next few years. You will not stop seeing soldiers here in reserves and with weapons.
“This will not end friends, it will not end in Gaza, it will continue to Judea and Samaria. We have many more arenas. What, do you think that Nasrallah has finished his story?” he asked.
Part of the arguments for not launching a preemptive strike and a second front against Nasrallah and Hezbollah was that “we will dismantle Hamas” so that those in the north will see what we are doing and not want to enter.
Are you saying it makes no impression on them?
“If you end Gaza in a ‘wow’ way, everyone will step back and say, ‘Listen, the Jews did something that is beyond their nature, and that’s it.'”
What is beyond nature?
“What is beyond nature? That no Palestinian refugees remain in the Gaza Strip.”
What? Where will the two million go?
“200,000 to 10 countries, what’s the problem? Germany took in four million Syrian refugees, Europe took in another two million, Lebanon took in two million from Assad, Jordan took in Egypt. Those who protect the Palestinians all the time, what’s the problem if they take some Palestinians? What’s the problem? Why can’t they?
“You will not be able to establish your control and for the State of Israel to be safe, as long as you have an entity there that will always threaten you. Or you will once again build shields and protected rooms, etc.”
How is Dahlan? Is he planning to return to Gaza?
“I don’t know. He’s a star in Israel and among the Americans, but I think they don’t understand either. Everyone who took care of the Gaza Strip in recent years must hold themselves accountable.”
Assisted in the preparation of the article: Amitai Doak, 103fm
Special forces killed four terrorists in a vehicle during an operation in Nablus in the West Bank, army radio reported on X/Twitter Wednesday evening.
They were seen armed moments before they were killed, footage published by army radio showed.
A source told Kan that the terrorists killed in Nablus were a squad of terrorists from the Balata Camp that were preparing to carry out an attack against Israelis.4 מחבלים חוסלו ברכב במהלך פעולה של כוחות מיוחדים בשכם, כך הם תועדו רגע לפני שנהרגו pic.twitter.com/mFUGTHFqYg
— הוד בראל Hod Barel (@hod_barel) October 9, 2024
Riots in Nablus
Riots broke out on Wednesday afternoon, during which the IDF killed four terrorists following intelligence provided by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), Maariv reported.
Commander of the Balata Battalion of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade (which is aligned with Fatah) Issam a-Salaj was allegedly eliminated in the operation, Walla noted.
This is a developing story.
Following Hezbollah’s success at striking the Haifa area on Tuesday, the IDF later Tuesday and early Wednesday significantly increased its pace of airstrikes to try to roll back the groups’ rocket attacks.
The IDF announced on Wednesday that it had upped its airstrikes over the last 24 hours to 185 targets across all of Lebanon.
This was a significant increase compared to days when the strikes were in the dozens or even from Monday when the air force struck around 120 targets, but almost exclusively in southern Lebanon.
IDF strikes in southern Lebanon (Credit: IDF’ Spokesperson’s Unit)
Also, the targets were once again more spread out as opposed to being focused on the south, which had been the trend since the IDF invasion started on September 30. These changes could also mark a shift in strategy as the IDF possibly moves into a third phase of its major moves against Hezbollah, which started in mid-September.
The phases in question
The first phase saw two days of Hezbollah operatives and communications being torn apart by beeper and walkie-walkie explosions. It also included the killing of Ibrahim Aqil and around 20 of his top sub-commanders of the Radwan special forces. On September 23, it included the air force hitting 1,300 targets in only one day. Finally, on September 27, it included the assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah as well as a number of other top Hezbollah officials, like Ali Karaki.
IDF officials have said that the strategy for Phase I was to disable Hezbollah’s capability to harm the Israeli home front in a devastating way as well as to lay the groundwork for a potential invasion if needed.
Phase two saw the invasion of southern Lebanon to take apart Hezbollah’s Radwan potential invasion weapons, tunnels, and positions. The air force, likewise, since September 30, has focused much more on southern Lebanon, especially providing real-time support to maneuvering ground forces facing ambushes from Hezbollah.
Every few days, the IDF sent in an additional division: first Division 98, then Division 36, then Division 91, and on Tuesday, Division 143, with more increases expected. They have increased the pace of destroying Hezbollah infrastructure in certain southern Lebanon villages, such as Mavarchin.
However, in what might be Phase 3, Division 98 is already receiving new maneuvering orders and IDF sources have said that they believe some initial missions of clearing Hezbollah positions will soon be taken care of sufficiently to move on to additional missions.
In turn, the air force may be refocusing on wider rocket threats throughout Lebanon.
If by September 30, it was assumed that Hezbollah’s failure to fire deeper into Israel and cause serious damage had shown they were truly losing that capability, Tuesday’s attacks on the Haifa area may have convinced top defense officials to return to striking beyond southern Lebanon to cause greater damage to those long-range capabilities.
All of this could be a prelude to the IDF shifting its focus from merely clearing southern Lebanon of Hezbollah’s presence to also trying to truly get the longer-range rocket threat under control.
These new efforts come with as the military also faces increased time pressure to succeed in restoring security for 60,000 northern border residents as Lebanon’s mountainous winter and the November 5 US presidential election both bear down on the timing calculus.
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. Announced on Tuesday that it will be showcasing its latest defense capabilities at the defense AUSA exhibition October 14-16 in Washington D.C., including a new Lite Beam laser-based interception system integrated into the Trophy multitasking defense platform.
While not as much of a watershed moment as when Israel can finally deploy its Iron Beam laser defense system, the Lite Beam is still a powerful example of Israel succeeding in using layers, at least for short-range defense.
Defense sources told the Jerusalem Post that the Lite Beam’s operational capabilities have been proven, though they declined to disclose exactly when and how the IDF has used such capabilities in the field in Gaza or Lebanon.
The implication was that the Lite Beam would be effective against drones and possibly against mortars but would not shoot down most rockets or long-range missiles, which Israel eventually hopes the Iron Beam will do.In general, laser defense technologies are viewed as a major part of future air defense because they would end the arms cost race in which Israel and other wealthy countries constantly waste huge amounts of money to protect themselves from weaker adversaries using low-attack cheap forms of threats.
The sources added that the Lite Beam has hard kill neutralization capabilities which can be integrated on any vehicular platform and operational capabilities, and that it also can be a component of the drone dome which utilizes both soft kill and jamming.
The advantage of Lite Beam
Rafael said that Lite Beam “offers advantages such as engagement at the speed of light, an unlimited magazine, and negligible cost per interception.”
Further, Rafael stated that its “latest modular C-UAS solutions for force protection can operate alongside the Trophy Active Protection System (APS) in a combat formation to enhance ground maneuver capabilities across the battlespace.”
Moreover, it said, “The C-UAS Drone Dome solution, with its laser interception capability, can be integrated on 4×4, 6×6, and 8×8 wheeled and tracked vehicles to support counter-drone missions as well as other force protection missions.”
As part of its display, Rafael will introduce a unique modular Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) concept, combining advanced detection and interception technologies.
One of the defense systems on this platform is the Lite Beam laser-based interception system, but it also includes “the Samson 30mm Remote Weapon Station (RWS), on a 4-wheeled platform. These solutions provide maneuvering forces with robust force protection and flexibility against a wide range of airborne threats, including UAVs.”
Also, the Trophy’s “cutting-edge technology is operational on over a dozen platforms worldwide, including Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs), Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFVs), and Main Battle Tanks (MBTs). It has consistently demonstrated its adaptability and reliability in complex combat scenarios, providing comprehensive protection for vehicles and crews,” said Rafael.
“This latest presentation at AUSA highlights RAFAEL’s ongoing commitment to delivering advanced battlefield defense solutions. As global threats evolve, we continue to equip armed forces with cutting-edge technologies to ensure their operational superiority in diverse and challenging environments,” said Mr. Tzvi Marmor, EVP & General Manager of the Land & Naval Systems Division.
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