Earlier today, Hamas terrorists opened fire on Israeli troops operating on the Israeli side of the yellow line in Rafah. This attack comes just a week after Hamas killed two Israeli soldiers in the same area of Rafah.
In response, Prime Minister Netanyahu convened an emergency meeting with senior ministers and security officials to discuss next steps.
The five options discussed included extending the IDF's operational control in Gaza, targeted escalation against Hamas operatives, sending in Israeli teams to retrieve the bodies of the remaining hostages, increasing diplomatic pressure on Hamas and ending existing agreements.
Following the meeting, Israel carried out targeted strikes against Hamas. Additionally, Israel announced it will be extending the yellow line, giving Hamas less control over the Strip.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Hamas will pay a "heavy price" for today's attack on Israeli soldiers in Rafah, which crossed a "glaring red line."
Katz added that "Hamas will pay many times over for attacking the soldiers and for violating the agreement to return the fallen hostages."
Hamas was scheduled to return the body of one additional hostage tonight, but has now reneged on that commitment.
Also today, Israeli forensic experts confirm that the remains returned the previous day belonged to Ofir Tzarfati, a murdered hostage whose dismembered body was rescued by Israeli troops two years ago. Hamas had claimed the remains belonged to one of the 13 hostages who remain in Gaza.
Worse yet, Israeli drone footage shows Hamas staging a fake excavation of Ofir's remains, highlighting that the terror group knows where the remaining hostage bodies are and is choosing not to return them to Israel.
Drone footage shows Hamas terrorists staging the remains of Ofir Tzarfati before claiming they "discovered" his body while searching through the rubble.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir made it clear that Israel "will not remain silent" regarding Hamas' continued violations of the peace deal.
Zamir said, "Hamas committed to returning the remaining deceased hostages, but it is violating its commitment... we will continue to act to return all our hostages for burial; this is our moral and ethical duty... If Hamas does not fulfill its commitments, it will bear responsibility and will pay a heavy price."
The United States must increase the pressure on Hamas and its sponsors in Qatar, Turkey and Iran to fully comply with the agreement and release all the hostages.
House Oversight Committee investigating UNRWA for terror ties
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer sent a letter to U.N. Secretary General António Guterres demanding documents relating to UNRWA — the U.N. agency for Palestinians whose employees participated in the October 7 attacks.
“Despite repeated U.S. oversight inquiries, UNRWA, either on its own or at the direction of U.N. Headquarters, has refused to provide necessary documentation related to its staff’s involvement in this atrocity… This is unacceptable, as the lack of transparency greatly undermines U.S. efforts to assess risk and obstructs the oversight responsibilities of Congress,” Comer wrote.
“The risk remains that current or former UNRWA employees tied to terrorism could resurface within other U.N. entities or NGOs funded by U.S. tax dollars.”
UNRWA is beyond reform or repair. For peace and a better future in the region, Hamas and UNRWA must have no role in Gaza.
MUST LISTEN
The Tunnels of Gaza
John Spencer Urban Warfare Project
"Since the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, John Spencer has conducted research during seven trips to the country, and has had the opportunity to visit Gaza City. His firsthand experience gives him a deep and nuanced understanding of the vast tunnel network that runs underneath Gaza. In this episode, he shares his observations from this research. He also describes the ways Hamas has employed subterranean spaces to move personnel and materiel, produce and store weapons, hold hostages, and protect leadership. And he explains why he believes the tunnel network has mattered more than the fight above ground over two years of war."
IDF strikes terrorists in the West Bank
The IDF announced today that it eliminated three Palestinian terrorists near the West Bank city of Jenin.
The terrorists were planning to carry out an attack against Israelis.
Meanwhile, near Hebron, Israeli police arrested several terror suspects and located and seized tools used for manufacturing weapons.
Iran is working to fund and arm terror proxies in the West Bank, seeking to turn the area into another terror stronghold like Gaza, except even closer to Israel’s major population centers.
The mission of AIPAC is to encourage and persuade the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.
