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Dear A.,
Last week, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)
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returned the body of Dror Or after it was held captive for over 780 days. Two hostages' bodies are still being held by the terrorists in Gaza, in violation of the ceasefire agreement.
Dror, 48, and his wife, Yonat, were both murdered in their home in Kibbutz Be'eri during the October 7 massacre, leaving behind three children, two of whom were also abducted by the terrorists but later freed in November 2023.
May their memories forever be a blessing.
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Thousands gathered to honor Dror Or as he was laid to rest next to his wife, Yonat.
Dror's mother
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said , "Dror and Yonat raised their teenage children beautifully. True to their names, Dror and Yonat were people of freedom and light. People of spirit and creativity."
Over the past week, the IDF eliminated over 10 Hamas terrorists,
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including two this morning , who crossed the Yellow Line into Israeli-controlled territory, each in violation of the peace agreement.
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IDF shows footage of Hamas terrorists surrendering to the military after emerging from the tunnels in southern Gaza.
As Hamas continues to violate the agreement, Israel is continuing to surge aid into Gaza, facilitating an average of
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600-800 trucks each day full of food, medical equipment and shelter supplies, in coordination with the U.S.-backed Civilian-Military Coordination Center (CMCC).
Aid efforts continue despite false claims
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spread by UNRWA , the U.N. agency whose employees participated in the October 7 massacre, that Israel is restricting the flow of humanitarian supplies into Gaza.
Israel also announced the opening of a
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15th field hospital in Gaza, which includes over 200 staff and has already treated over 1,000 patients per day.
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.
Continue to
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follow AIPAC on social media for the latest updates.
Jake Braunstein
Senior Director, Policy Communications
Tell Congress: Reject False Accusations of Genocide Against Israel
Anti-Israel Rep. Rashida Tlaib is pushing a resolution falsely accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza for defending itself against Hamas’ horrific October 7 massacre. The resolution calls to block arms to Israel, prosecute American citizens and companies, and put sanctions on the Jewish state.
TAKE 45 SECONDS: Contact your members of Congress and urge them to condemn the resolution and refute this false accusation.
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Israel to deploy Iron Beam system later this month
The Israeli Ministry of Defense
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announced it will deploy its cutting-edge defense system, Iron Beam, at the end of the month.
Iron Beam is a laser-based air defense system designed to shoot down drones, missiles, rockets and other mortars. Each interception costs next to nothing, compared to the hundreds of thousands of dollars it can cost to use Iron Dome.
AIPAC successfully lobbied Congress to provide more than $1 billion for Iron Beam procurement in the emergency supplemental passed last year.
As America confronts an emerging security threat from drones and our troops confront enemy rockets, Iron Beam will help stop these dangers for pennies on the dollar. America and Israel work together to strengthen and secure both nations.
PICTURE OF THE DAY
Iran and Turkey strengthen ties
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Yesterday, Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a joint press conference in Tehran.
Iran and Turkey agreed to begin building a new joint rail service, along the ancient Silk Road, to serve as a strategic gateway between Asia and Europe.
Iran and Turkey are both key sponsors of Hamas.
New op-ed: The AIPAC backlash isn’t about foreign influence or democracy
Micha Danzig, a former NYPD officer and former IDF soldier,
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wrote an op-ed about the double standard applied to AIPAC and the pro-Israel community.
"If the concern were truly “foreign influence” or “money in politics,” the loudest AIPAC critics would be shouting from the rooftops about Qatar, China, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates."
"Every major Diaspora community in America has lobbying arms, many of them far better funded than AIPAC... Yet only AIPAC is treated as a threat to the republic."
"Meanwhile, these same figures are silent when Qatar funnels more than $5 billion into U.S. universities (per Department of Education filings); bankrolls think tanks; funds Hamas’s propaganda ecosystem; and provides lawmakers with taxpayer-funded luxury trips. None of that raises their suspicion. Only American Jews participating in American politics—exactly as other minority groups do—triggers outrage."
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Read and share the full op-ed here.
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Israel disrupts terror networks, weapons smuggling
Yesterday, IDF troops
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arrested a major terrorist arms dealer in the West Bank city of Tulkarm.
The IDF and Israeli police also arrested five terrorists near Jenin who were planning a terror attack, operating as part of a larger terror cell.
Last Thursday, Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency disrupted a Turkish-based smuggling network using Israeli citizens to funnel weapons and money to the West Bank, likely intended for Hamas.
“This is a grave case that exposes how elements in Turkey, including Arab Israelis and citizens [naturalized] through family reunification, exploit their connections in Israel and their access to Judea and Samaria to transfer funds and weapons that may eventually reach terror operatives,” the Shin Bet
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said .
Meanwhile, the IDF on Saturday
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intercepted another attempt to smuggle weapons into Israel from Egypt, a dangerous and growing trend on Israel’s southern border.
Israel continues to face immense and ongoing challenges on multiple fronts. The United States must continue to stand with our ally and ensure the Jewish state has the support needed to defend its people.
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U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon: Israel 'Doesn't Require U.S. Permission' to Defend Itself
After the IDF eliminated Hezbollah's second-in-command last week, the head of the terrorist group, Naim Qassem,
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said that it retains its right to respond to the Israeli strike, leaving open the possibility of a new conflict between Hezbollah and the Jewish state.
Meanwhile, the new United States Ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, made clear that Israel "does not require the permission of the United States" to defend itself by targeting Hezbollah.
"Israel assesses its own security needs and will take whatever measures it deems necessary to protect its citizens," Issa
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added .
Issa also said that the Trump administration is in contact with the Lebanese government and is continuing to push them to follow through on their commitment to fully disarm Hezbollah.
Other notable headlines
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Beaten and Starved: Israeli Hostage Recounts 2 Years of Captivity
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IDF won't allow terror to establish itself on Syrian border, northern commander warns
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Sharaa's general intelligence behind attack on IDF in Syria's south, Druze in east - report
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Iranian Funds for Hezbollah Are Flowing Through Dubai
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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.
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