Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Israeli Air Force conducted airstrikes on approximately 35 Hamas targets in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza

2025-07-13

[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

The Israeli Air Force conducted airstrikes on approximately 35 Hamas targets in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza, within the past hour, targeting Hamas tunnels among other sites, as part of intensified operations, the IDF confirmed. pic.twitter.com/uP62k0VT3l
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) July 12, 2025

Video footage from the Israeli border community of Netiv Haasara displays the intense Israeli airstrikes targeting Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza, conducted a short time ago.pic.twitter.com/viaAyrxIBl https://t.co/etuVwHzSSx
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) July 12, 2025

Several IDF troops hurt in Gaza fighting as Palestinians reported killed at aid site

[IsraelTimes] Army reports the injured soldiers were moderately and lightly wounded in separate incidents; says unaware of any casualties near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution hubs

The military announced that two soldiers were moderately hurt on Saturday in separate incidents during fighting in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
, as fresh deaths were reported among Paleostinians at an aid distribution site.

One of the soldiers was hurt in the northern part of the coastal enclave, while the other was hurt in the southern part. In the latter incident, two other soldiers were lightly injured.

All four were taken to hospitals, and their families were notified.

The injuries came as the Israel Defense Forces said Saturday that over 250 terror targets in Gaza were hit in ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s since Thursday. A fresh wave of airstrikes Saturday evening hit over 35 targets in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun, the military said.

The IDF said the targets included operatives, booby-trapped buildings, weapon depots, anti-tank launch posts, sniper posts, tunnels, and other terror infrastructure.

At least 143 Paleostinians were killed in Gaza since Wednesday, according to statistics published by the Hamas
Hamas

..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
-run health ministry on Friday night.

The strikes came as five IDF divisions, made up of tens of thousands of troops, continued to operate across Gaza.

In a statement on the Beit Hanoun strikes, which could be seen from across the border in Israel, the military said dozens of Israeli Air Force fighter jets hit some 35 Hamas targets in the area.

The targets included Hamas tunnels in the area, the IDF said.

Earlier, the military said troops of the 98th Division located Hamas and Paleostinian Islamic Jihad
...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah...
observation posts and caches of bombs in Gaza City’s Shejaiya and Zeitoun neighborhoods.

Numerous operatives were killed elsewhere by the troops, including by calling in airstrikes, the IDF added.

MORE DEATHS REPORTED AT AID SITES
Paleostinian reports, meanwhile, said that aid seekers were rubbed out and injured Saturday around the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation facility in northwest Rafah, with the News Agency that Dare Not be Named quoting hospital officials and witnesses as saying that at least 24 people were killed.

Hamas has been getting busy with their guns, as they do every day that the people they own dare to get help from a group that doesn’t let them skim off the top, the bottom, and both sides..

The IDF pushed back on the Paleostinian reports, saying the military was unaware of any casualties from troops’ gunfire near GHF distribution sites on Saturday.

A military official did say that several suspects were spotted approaching forces in Rafah on Saturday, hundreds of meters from the aid site, and that "troops acted to prevent the suspects from approaching and fired warning shots. No injuries from the gunfire are known."

The IDF, in its statement, said it "continues to operate in order to enable the distribution of humanitarian aid

in the Strip, and to allow passage to the distribution areas via organized and secured routes."

The statement added that the IDF is continuing to investigate the claims of injuries on Saturday near the aid site.

GHF, an Israeli-backed US organization that seeks to circumvent Hamas in the distribution of aid, has faced harsh criticism from the UN and other aid organizations, which charge that it fails to meet the needs of Gaza’s population. Gazooks have reported near-daily incidents in which groups trying to reach GHF facilities are shot at by Israeli forces, leading to mass casualties.

Israel, which accuses Hamas of hoarding aid, has also accused the terror group of attacking Gazook aid seekers near GHF sites and falsifying corpse counts. However,
you can observe a lot just by watching...
Israel has also acknowledged that "several" Paleostinian civilians have been killed near GHF aid distribution sites.

GHF commenced operations in May as Israel lifted a nearly three-month aid blockade on Gaza, amid a renewed offensive there that seeks to take over 75% of the Strip.

On Friday, the United Nations
...where theory meets practice and practice loses...
said nearly 800 people have died trying to access aid in Gaza since late May, with most killed near the GHF’s distribution sites.

Numbers supplied by Hamas are vary from exaggerated to greatly exaggerated, coupled with flat-out lies.

GHF, which denies that deadly incidents have occurred at its sites, told Rooters the UN figures were "false and misleading."

The IDF said Friday that it had issued instructions to troops in the field "following lessons learned" after reports of deadly incidents at GHF distribution facilities.

SWIMMING RESTRICTIONS
The IDF on Saturday also reiterated a restriction on Paleostinians, in place since the beginning of the war, forbidding them from entering the sea along the entire coast of the Gaza Strip. The IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Col. Avichay Adraee, reminded residents in a post on X that "security restrictions have been imposed in the maritime area adjacent to the Strip, and entry into the sea is prohibited."

He added, "The IDF will respond to any violation of these restrictions. We urge fishermen, swimmers, and divers to refrain from entering the sea. Entering the sea along the Strip exposes you to danger."

Nevertheless, the IDF has not enforced the restriction against Paleostinians seeking to cool off in the waters on the beach, but only those heading out deeper into the sea.

The vast majority of the Paleostinian population in Gaza is concentrated in areas on the coast, with tent camps set up on the beaches.

Link

Good Morning

2025-07-09

South Carolina GOP leaders tell Gov Gavin
Newsom to 'sell Crazy California somewhere else'

Wednesday 07/09/2025

Gunmen Hijack 33 Tons of Gold, Silver Concentrate in Truck on Mexican Highway

Ziegfeld Girl with bubble.

Africa North Algeria and Mauritania have signed a defense agreement		International-UN-NGOs International Criminal Court (ICC) seeks arrest of two Taliban leaders over alleged persecution of women
Israel-Palestine-Jordan Israel Attacks in Gaza Kill 78 More Palestinians		Syria-Lebanon-Iran UN says almost 500,000 Afghans have left Iran in just a month
Israel-Palestine-Jordan Al-Qassam Brigades announce operation in Beit Hanoun		Home Front: WoT Ten charged in connection with shooting at ICE facility in Texas, wounding an officer

Energy-sucking AI data centers
can look here for power instead

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Al-Qassam Brigades announce operation in Beit Hanoun

2025-07-09

[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] The complex operation in Beit Hanoun, which targeted an area the occupation forces believed to be empty after completely leveling it, dealt a significant blow to the prestige of the Israeli military, said Abu Obeida, spokesperson for the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas
Hamas

..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
In a statement published on Telegram on Tuesday, Abu Obeida added that the war of attrition being waged by Resistance® fighters across the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
Strip, from north to south, continues to inflict daily losses on the Israeli occupation.

''Our fighters launched their attack from the very ruins the occupation believed were devoid of life,'' Abu Obeida stated, adding, ''The war of attrition our fighters are fighting across the entire Gaza Strip, from the North to the South, will continue to cost the enemy more losses by the day.''

He also warned that even if the occupation previously managed to extract its soldiers from what he described as ''the inferno'', it would not succeed again, alluding to the potential for more Israeli soldiers to be captured in future confrontations.

The IDF takes a larger view of the situation:

IDF Surrounding Northern Gaza Town As Dozens Said Killed In Strikes

[IsraelTimes] The military is surrounding Beit Hanoun "from all directions," IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said in a presser on Tuesday after five troops were killed in an ambush in the northern Gaza town Monday night.

"Beit Hanoun is a fortified area, where dozens of turbans still remain. There are still many underground tunnels that we must demolish," said Defrin.

"We will continue to attack and clear the area to remove the threat to the residents of the western Negev," he said, noting that Beit Hanoun overlooks several border towns, including Sderot, as well as a train line.

IDF probe: 3 bombs were remotely detonated in deadly northern Gaza ambush last night
[IsraelTimes] Three explosive devices were remotely detonated in succession against troops in the deadly ambush last night in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun, according to a military probe.

Five soldiers were killed and 14 were wounded in the attack, which took place around 1.5 kilometers from the Israeli border.

According to the IDF’s investigation, most troops were hurt by the first and second bombs, which were detonated within a few moments of each other. The first bomb hit several soldiers, and the troops that rushed to help them were hit by the second bomb.

As the third bomb was detonated, a cell of Hamas operatives opened fire with light arms on the Israeli troops.

The military believes the bombs, rigged up to remote detonators, were planted by the Hamas cell during the previous 24 hours.

Following the attack, the IDF dispatched Israeli Air Force drones, helicopters, and fighter jets to the area to prevent any potential attempts by Hamas to abduct the soldiers. Within an hour and a half, the incident was considered over, according to the military.

The military believes that dozens of Hamas operatives remain holed up in Beit Hanoun, mostly deep underground in the terror group’s tunnels.

The offensive in the northern Gaza town is intended to clear it of these remaining Hamas operatives, the IDF says.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Hamas’s new Gaza leader: A Hebrew-speaking ‘ghost’ with a $750,000 price on his head

2025-06-13

[IsraelTimes] With Israel having eliminated his predecessors the Sinwar brothers, Az al-Din Haddad now heads terror group in Strip where he is said to carry photos of hostages in his phone

The new head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Az al-Din Haddad, keeps an extremely low profile, speaks Hebrew and carries photos of Israeli hostages on his cellphone, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday

According to the report, which cited Arab and Israeli officials, as well as a former hostage who met him while in captivity, Haddad helped plan the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw 251 abducted as hostages to Gaza, triggering the ongoing war with Israel.

A Hamas official told the Journal that Haddad, 55, is known as the “Ghost of al-Qassam” because of his low profile. He has survived several attempts by Israel to assassinate him and has a $750,000 bounty on his head. His two sons were both killed this year during the war.

An unnamed released Israeli hostage said that he met Haddad five times in Gaza, even sleeping in the same apartment as him. In their first meeting in March 2024, Haddad insisted on speaking in Hebrew and told the hostage and others with him that he was responsible for all of the captives. Haddad then showed them photos of hostages he had on his phone.

The former hostage said that Haddad was concerned about how captives would describe their treatment. When the hostage told him that some of their guards are better than others, Haddad responded, “This is life. There are good people, and there are bad people.”

At the time, Haddad seemed cordial, asking the hostage if there was anything he needed. However, at a later meeting in January, the terror chief was colder, keeping his face covered, and complaining about alleged Israeli war crimes.

The hostage later found out that shortly before that meeting, one of Haddad’s sons had been killed.

Haddad’s predecessor in charge of Hamas in Gaza, Muhammad Sinwar, was killed in mid-May in an Israeli strike. Before that, the terror group was led by Sinwar’s older brother, Yahya, who Israel killed in October last year.

After the military, at the end of May, confirmed the death of Muhammad Sinwar, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned the remaining Hamas leaders in Gaza and abroad that they are next.

“Izz al-Din Haddad in Gaza and Khalil al-Hayya abroad, and all their partners in crime, you are next in line,” Katz said in a statement.

Haddad rose through the ranks of Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, eventually taking over as its chief, Arab and Israeli officials said. He was also in the al-Majd, the Hamas internal security group that hunts those who collaborate with Israel and spies. Al-Majd was in the past led by Yahya Sinwar.

After the elder Sinwar’s death, Haddad took control of Hamas forces in the north of Gaza while Muhammad Sinwar controlled the south, before eventually going on to become the overall head of Hamas in Gaza.

Arab intelligence officials and two Hamas officials told the Journal that Haddad has shown himself to be more pragmatic than the Sinwar brothers before him.

It was Haddad who pushed Sinwar to accept a January ceasefire deal that included the release of dozens of Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. He was also said to be in favor of releasing more hostages to keep the truce going, though it eventually collapsed in March. The report also described Haddad as more amenable to Israel’s demand that Hamas disarm as part of a process to end the war, a measure rejected by both Sinwars.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Head of Gaza militia cited denying Israel support, demanding Hamas cede power

2025-06-09

[IsraelTimes] In unverified quotes, anti-Hamas militia leader Yasser Abu Shabab says coordination with Israel would only take place through mediators and for humanitarian purposes

The head of an anti-Hamas militia in Gaza was quoted on Sunday giving comments to an Israeli media outlet and a US nonprofit on his group’s operations in the enclave, in which he denied ties to Israel.

Defense sources confirmed on Thursday that Israel has been arming a criminal gang in the Strip as part of an effort to strengthen opposition to Hamas in the enclave. The group in question is led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a member of a large clan in southern Gaza. It has been linked in the past to smuggling operations with Egyptian jihadist groups.

The revelation led to intense criticism within Israel.

Ostensibly speaking to Army Radio in a series of text messages, the veracity of which has not been confirmed, Abu Shabab said: “We do not work with Israel. Our goal is to protect the Palestinians from Hamas terror. Our weapons are not from Israel — they are simple arms we collected from the local population.”

He added that “these rumors are meant to harm our reputation and create hostility between us, Israel, and Arab states.”

Abu Shabab denied having any meetings with Israeli officials, while saying that “if any coordination takes place it will be humanitarian, for the benefit of our people in eastern Rafah, and will be carried out through mediation channels.”

Meanwhile, the Center for Peace Communications, which bills itself as an organization committed to revealing the plight of those living under the rule of Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, published what it called an “exclusive first public statement” from Abu Shabab. It is not clear how it obtained the audio clip, which also could not be verified.

In it, the person identifying himself as Abu Shabab also denied “working with the occupation,” while calling on Hamas to “step down from government.” He asserted, “We have hundreds of families heading to the areas we control daily.”

Abu Shabab’s gang has been documented in recent days operating in an area near the Kerem Shalom border crossing, which is under Israeli military control.

In the footage, published online by Abu Shabab, members of the group can be seen wearing military-style uniforms with the Palestinian flag and the words “Counter-Terrorism Mechanism” emblazoned on them.

Sources have confirmed that Israel has been arming the gang with Kalashnikov rifles, including some that were seized from Hamas during the ongoing war.

The decision to start arming the group was made without the approval of Israel’s security cabinet, forgoing normal procedure. It was instead led by Israeli security bodies, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approval, the defense sources said.

The militia has been operating in Rafah, in an area under Israeli military control. Abu Shabab has claimed to be securing the humanitarian aid convoys entering Israel through the southern border crossings, although others have accused his gang of looting them.

According to Hamas sources who spoke with the Lebanese Al-Akhbar outlet, the militia comprises some 300 people, of whom Abu Shabab personally recruited around 50. They alleged that the remaining 250 members were recruited through the Palestinian Authority’s intelligence service.

The Hamas sources did not offer proof of Abu Shabab’s alleged ties to the Ramallah-based PA, and Al-Akhbar did not verify any of the terror group’s claims.

The group emerged in Rafah in May 2024, following the IDF invasion of the Strip’s southernmost city, the Hamas sources said. They told Al-Akhbar that the Al-Qassam Brigades have “already started carrying out direct assassinations” of members of Abu Shabab’s gang, and that its continued existence has fast become a “central issue” for the terror group.

According to the sources, some members of the group belong to an extremist Salafi faction that had run-ins with Hamas prior to the war as well.

This is not the first time that Netanyahu has been involved in or accused of propping up militias and terror groups to undermine a common enemy.

Various reports over the years have indicated that Israel’s policy under Netanyahu was to treat Hamas as an asset that could be used to weaken the Palestinian Authority.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

IDF arming anti Hamas Clans in Gaza with captured Hamas weapons

2025-06-06

[Jfeed] ...Israeli authorities have been supplying light arms to the militia led by Yasser Abu Shabab in Rafah. The weapons include Kalashnikov rifles and other firearms seized from Hamas operatives during IDF raids.

... Abu Shabab's militia [a fairly large clan], which has recently assumed a central role in securing humanitarian corridors operated by international NGOs, is now considered by Israel a critical partner on the ground.

[X]

🚨 BREAKING
A new armed group in Gaza, led by Yasser Abu Shabab, is shaking what’s left of Hamas.

🔻 Hamas tried to kill him near Kerem Shalom — failed. His brother was killed.
🔻 His 300-men force now secures food aid zones.

The internal war has begun. pic.twitter.com/obU5KfEuK0
— daniel 📟✌️ (@LionsOfZion_ORG) June 5, 2025

’

The Times of Israel has more. Key points:

Security cabinet wasn’t informed of plan to start arming Abu Shabab group, which was created in Rafah last year and has its roots in looting aid trucks.

The group in question, which is sometimes described as a militia and sometimes as a criminal gang, is led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a member of a large clan in southern Gaza. It has been linked in the past to smuggling operations with Egyptian Jihadist groups, but it was not immediately clear why Liberman branded it as linked to the Islamic State.

His gang has been documented in recent days operating in an area near the Kerem Shalom border crossing under Israeli military control.

In the footage, which was published online by Abu Shabab, members of the group can be seen wearing military-style uniforms with the Palestinian flag and the words “Counter-Terrorism Mechanism” emblazoned on them.

In a conversation with Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar newspaper earlier this week, anonymous Hamas sources shared more information about the group, which they admitted has been a thorn in their side.

According to the sources, the militia comprises some 300 people, of whom Abu Shabab personally recruited around 50. They alleged that the remaining 250 members were recruited through the Palestinian Authority’s intelligence service.

The Hamas sources did not offer proof of Abu Shabab’s alleged ties to the Ramallah-based PA, and Al-Akhbar did not verify any of the terror group’s claims.

The group emerged in Rafah in May 2024, following the IDF invasion of the Strip’s southernmost city, the Hamas sources said. They told Al-Akhbar that the Al-Qassam Brigades have “already started carrying out direct assassinations” against members of Abu Shabab’s gang, and that its continued existence has fast become a “central issue” for the terror group.

According to the sources, some members of the group belong to an extremist Salafi faction that had run-ins with Hamas prior to the war as well.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Abu Obaida calls 'Shooting operation' 'Heroic' . He unfortunately might still be alive

2025-05-16

[X]

Abu Obaida calls the ‘Shooting operation’ “Heroic”

He unfortunately might still be alive. https://t.co/2YBlZP5rzg pic.twitter.com/Nez9XhFJUT
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) May 14, 2025

The IDF increasingly assesses that Hamas spokesperson Abu Obeida was alongside Muhammad Sinwar during the strike. pic.twitter.com/x9MLKA5AMJ
— נועה מגיד | Noa magid (@NoaMagid) May 14, 2025

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Israel rejects ceasefire despite hostage release

2025-05-13

[GEO.TV] Israel has refused a ceasefire despite the release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, asserting that military pressure secured his freedom.

Given Hamas’s bold and repeated commitment to repeat the 10/7 attack, they should be grateful Israel paused the current clearance operation leading up to the release Hamas negotiated with the Trump team. PM Netanyahu keeps telling the world that he no longer will stop until Hamas is disarmed and ejected from Gaza, full stop.

Prime Minister Netanyahu highlighted Israel's commitment to intensified operations in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
, dismissing diplomatic solutions as there was no deal on a wider truce or hostage releases.

Netanyahu said Alexander's release came thanks to Israel's military pressure in Gaza and political pressure by Trump.

The Israeli leader said he spoke with Trump on Monday and the U.S. president expressed commitment to Israel, according to a statement by Netanyahu's office.

Netanyahu has said there will be no ceasefire and that plans to intensify military action in Gaza continued.

Fighting halted at midday in Gaza after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would pause its operations to allow for the hostage release.

Witnesses reported Israeli tank shelling on eastern Gaza City after the handover. Local health authorities said a woman was killed and several other people maimed when tank shells hit a school housing displaced families in the Tuffah neighborhood.

Humanitarian monitors warn of looming famine, with food shortages worsening across the enclave.

Open the Hamas warehouses, don’t start a war that Allah does not want you to win — it isn’t hard. Remember how comfortable life was on 10/6/2023?

Talks for further hostage releases continue, but Israel maintains its stance on military action.

US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander freed from Hamas captivity, reunites with family
[IsraelTimes] Following direct talks with US, terror group releases 21-year-old in overture as Trump to start Mideast trip.

American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander reunited with his parents in Israel on Monday, after being released by Hamas
Hamas

..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
in a gesture of goodwill to the United States, as President Donald Trump
...Never got invited to a P.Diddy party...
was set to embark on a visit to the Middle East.

Alexander, the last living hostage with American citizenship, was freed following direct talks between the US and Hamas in Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...
that were aimed at securing his release. The negotiations sidelined Israeli officials, who were updated only after the deal was struck.

After arriving in Israel, the 21-year-old lone soldier embraced his teary-eyed parents, Yael and Adi, and his siblings, at an army facility near the Gazoo border community of Re’im, following 584 days in Hamas captivity.

"Look how massive this kid is!" Alexander shouted, as he hugged his little brother.

Hamas handed Alexander over to Red Thingy officials in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis at around 6 p.m., without staging a propaganda ceremony, as was typical of the terror group in past hostage releases.

In the first photo taken after his release, Alexander was seen standing unassisted while flanked by a Red Thingy worker and three armed, masked Hamas terrorists. He was dressed in a baseball cap and black Adidas t-shirt, as opposed to the mock army uniforms other hostage soldiers were made to wear.

According to Channel 12 News, a Red Thingy official said Alexander’s "physical condition was poor, but he is smiling," and that he required assistance getting into the car.

Alexander told soldiers who received him in the Strip that Hamas subjected him to harsh torture for weeks on end and kept him in a cage over a long period of time with his hands and feet bound, the Kan public broadcaster reported. He was apparently held in a Hamas tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip, alongside other hostages.

Once in the hands of the Red Thingy, he was handed over to IDF special forces stationed in the enclave, who brought him back over the border to a facility at the Re’im base in Israel, where his parents anxiously awaited him. Alexander’s mother flew with relatives from the US to Israel with American hostage envoy Adam Boehler, leaving on Sunday night in order to arrive in time for her son’s release. His father arrived separately on Monday evening.

Accompanying his family Monday evening were US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hostage point-man Gal Hirsch. Waiting at the base, Edan’s mother Yael Alexander elatedly spoke by phone with her son, once he was released by Hamas.

"You’re out, my love, you’re out!" she exclaimed in a video shared by the Prime Minister’s Office. "You are strong. You are safe. You are home. We’ll see each other soon. I love you."

On his way to the hospital by helicopter from the Re’im base, Alexander posed for a photo while holding a sign that read: "Thank you President Trump! The people of Israel live! Let’s go Golani 51," referring to his army battalion.

Alexander, a dual citizen who grew up in New Jersey, was serving in the IDF’s Golani Brigade at the time of his abduction. Hamas kidnapped him from his base near the Gaza border community of Nirim, known as the White House post, during its October 7 onslaught.

Hamas took 19 male soldiers hostage — not all of them on duty — and seven female surveillance soldiers, the latter of whom have all since been returned to Israel. Five were released in a deal with Hamas, one was rescued, and the body of one was recovered by troops.

Hamas and other terror groups are holding 58 hostages, 35 of whom have been confirmed dead — 32 Israelis, and three foreigners.

Three or four of the dead are American. I guess Hamas is holding them for future negotiations with the Trump team.

While Israel’s official estimate of the number of living hostages stands at 23, Netanyahu announced last week that there was grave doubt about the fates of three hostages — Israeli Tamir Nimrodi, Bipin Joshi, and Pinta Nattapong, from Nepal and Thailand, respectively.

Asked at a presser whether Monday’s release marked a step toward a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, Trump said that "we hope that we’re going to have other hostages released."

DOHA TALKS
In light of Alexander’s release and after speaking with Trump, Netanyahu announced Monday that he would send a delegation to Doha on Tuesday to try to negotiate another temporary hostage release and ceasefire deal.

Netanyahu discussed in an earlier meeting with Witkoff and Huckabee "the recent effort to implement the hostage release framework presented by Witkoff," ahead of the IDF’s potential expanded ground campaign in Gaza, his office said in a statement.

"To that end, the prime minister instructed that a negotiation delegation be sent to Doha tomorrow," his office continued, clarifying that "the negotiations will take place only under fire," with the military campaign against Hamas ongoing.

Netanyahu later Monday evening claimed in a video that Alexander’s return was "achieved thanks to our military pressure and the diplomatic pressure applied by President Trump," calling it "a winning combination."

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Hamas set to free US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander Monday in goodwill gesture to Trump

2025-05-12

[IsraelTimes] Israel wasn’t told in advance about release, which is being made unconditionally by Hamas in hope that US will coax Jerusalem to accept deal to end war in exchange for remaining hostages

Hamas
Hamas

..always the voice of sweet reason...
was set to release American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander on Monday after over 580 days in captivity, with the Paleostinian terror group agreeing to the move as a gesture of goodwill to US President Donald Trump
...dictatorial for repealing some (but not all) of the diktats of his predecessor, misogynistic because he likes pretty girls, homophobic because he doesn't think gender bending should be mandatory, truly a man for all seasons...
ahead of his trip to the region, hoping that he will in turn coax Israel to sign a deal freeing the remaining hostages in exchange for an end to the war, a US official, a Paleostinian official and a third source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel on Sunday.

US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff called Alexander’s parents Yael and Adi on Sunday afternoon to inform them of the news, a US official said. The Alexanders flew to Israel with US hostage envoy Adam Boehler on Sunday night in order to arrive in time for Alexander’s release. Witkoff was slated to fly to Israel separately from Oman, where he held the fourth round of nuclear talks with Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
on Sunday.

"The entire family is now on the way to Israel," Edan’s father, Adi, told the Ynet news site. "We were completely surprised to receive the call from Witkoff. We knew about the negotiations but not about such a dramatic development."

Boehler himself tweeted that the news of Alexander’s release was a positive step forward, adding: "We would also ask that Hamas release the bodies of four other Americans that were taken." The bodies of slain hostages Itay Chen, Omer Neutra, Gadi Haggai and Judith Weinstein Haggai are among the 59 captives still held by Hamas. Up to 24 of those hostages are believed to still be alive.

Hamas has said it is willing to release all of the hostages at once in exchange for an end to the war, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused such an exchange, arguing that it would leave Hamas in power.

Hamas is hoping that releasing Alexander will be enough to convince Trump to push Netanyahu to accept the trade, the source familiar with the matter said.

The source added that Hamas was assured by a mediator that Alexander’s release "would go a long way" with Trump, who wants to see the remaining hostages released and for the war in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
to end.

Certain security measures need to be taken in order for the release to move forward, such as Israel halting military operations and drone surveillance of parts of the Strip, as it has had to do in previous releases, a source involved in the process told The Times of Israel.

Alexander, a dual citizen who grew up in New Jersey, was serving in the Israel Defense Forces at the time of his abduction. He was kidnapped from his base during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led onslaught that started the war in Gaza.

In a statement, Hamas said the decision to release Alexander came after recent talks with US officials and "intensified efforts to achieve a ceasefire, open border crossings, and allow humanitarian aid

into the Gaza Strip."

It did not say when Alexander would be released. The officials who spoke with The Times of Israel said that — contrary to Hamas’s claim — no direct talks were held between the terror group and the US.

Hamas in its statement also said that it was prepared to enter intensified negotiations aimed at reaching a final agreement to end the war, establish a mutually "agreed prisoner exchange, and enable Gaza to be administered by an independent professional authority."

Hamas uses the term "prisoner exchange" to refer to the release of hostages in exchange for Paleostinian security prisoners, including Death Eaters convicted of murdering Israelis.

"This was a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators — Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...
and Egypt — to put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones," Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social on Sunday evening. "Hopefully this is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict. I look very much forward to that day of celebration!"

Qatar and Egypt welcomed the news in a joint statement, calling it "a gesture of goodwill and an encouraging step toward a return to the negotiating table to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the release of prisoners and detainees, and ensure the safe and unhindered flow of aid to address the tragic conditions in the Strip."

The US did not brief Israel on the effort to release Alexander until after the deal with Hamas was reached, the source familiar with the details of Alexander’s release told The Times of Israel.

Israel was generally aware that efforts were ongoing, but only knew about them from its own intelligence operations. On Sunday evening, Witkoff updated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer about the development, the US official said.

Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the US had informed Israel that Hamas would release Alexander "without any compensation or conditions," and as a gesture of goodwill to the US.

"The US conveyed to Israel that this move is expected to lead to negotiations for the release of additional hostages, based on the original Witkoff proposal — which Israel has already accepted," said the PMO in a statement, referring to a framework that sources have told The Times of Israel was in fact proposed by Israel, under which around half the living hostages would go free in exchange for an extended truce, with the rest being later freed in exchange for an end to the war.

Israel was making preparations for the potential release, the PMO continued, adding that "according to Israeli policy, the negotiation will take place under fire, with a firm commitment to achieving all the objectives of the war."

Earlier Sunday, multiple reports quoted Netanyahu as telling the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Hamas could release Alexander during Trump’s visit, and welcomed the possibility, adding: "These are very critical days."

Backchannel helped secure release of American-Israeli hostage, sources tell ToI
[IsraelTimes] Witkoff was kept in loop about talks 3rd-party mediator held with Hamas that managed to convince the terror group to free the 21-year-old unconditionally after weeks of pushback.

The backchannel was operated by a non-governmental individual who passed along messages between Hamas’s leadership in Qatar and US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, the sources said, while declining to reveal the identity of the person on the record.

The backchannel was opened last month, with the person urging Hamas to release Alexander unconditionally, telling the terror group that the move would go a long way with the Trump administration and potentially open the door to Washington coaxing Israel to agree to a deal that would bring about an end to the war in Gaza in exchange for the release of the remaining hostages — a trade Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has until now rejected, arguing that it would leave Hamas in power.

Hamas for weeks pushed back against freeing Alexander unconditionally and presented the third-party backchannel with proposals that would have seen Israel take various steps in exchange for the 21-year-old’s release.

The go-between warned Hamas last week that such offers wouldn’t fly and that time was not on the group’s side, with Israel planning to launch a major operation to gradually re-occupy the entire Gaza Strip once US President Donald Trump wraps up his trip to the region on Friday. Trump will depart on Monday for Saudi Arabia before making stops in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. He is not slated to visit Israel on this trip.

Over the weekend, Hamas informed the go-between that it had agreed to release Alexander unconditionally but wanted Witkoff to know that the step should not be viewed as a one-off, the sources said. Hamas stressed to the mediator that it was ready to work with the Trump administration to secure a permanent ceasefire in Gaza with security arrangements in order to ensure a yearslong calm until a final settlement of the conflict is reached, the sources said.

PM’s Office: Israel has committed to safe corridor for Alexander’s release, but not to truce
[IsraelTimes] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says Israel has committed to facilitating a safe corridor for hostage Edan Alexander to be released from Gaza back to Israel.

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office says Jerusalem has made no further promise for a ceasefire or for the release of Palestinian security prisoners.

“The expected release of IDF soldier Edan Alexander [by Hamas] without getting anything in return, will be possible thanks to the determined policy we led, with the backing of [US] President [Donald] Trump, and thanks to IDF troops’ military pressure in the Gaza Strip,” the PMO says.

“We are in critical days in which Hamas is facing a deal that would enable our hostages’ release,” it adds. “Negotiations will continue under fire and amidst preparations for the intensification of the fighting.”

Link

Good Morning

2025-04-26

California floats plan to allow homeless
students to sleep in their cars amid housing crisis

Saturday 04/26/2025

Abu Mohammed al-Jolani wants Syria to recognise Israel

dianadors8

Israel-Palestine-Jordan Police find unexploded bomb near Netivot, believe it was left there by Hamas during Oct. 7 attack		Arabia Mercenaries engage in violent infighting in occupied Mahrah
Israel-Palestine-Jordan At least 50 Palestinians massacred in Gaza		Israel-Palestine-Jordan Al-Qassam Brigades: We will fight till either victory or martyrdom
Syria-Lebanon-Iran Army seizes Jamaa Islamiya posts and arms in South		Syria-Lebanon-Iran Lebanon gets $250 million World Bank loan to ease electricity crisis

Good samaritans stop kidnapping in
progress of mother and two small children in Florida

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Al-Qassam Brigades: We will fight till either victory or martyrdom

2025-04-26

Martyrdom it is, then. Or rather, more martyrdom. Y’all have a large collection of martyrs already — some number well over 20,000.

[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] Spokesman for al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas
Hamas

..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
Resistance® Movement, stressed on Friday that the Paleostinian resistance fighters are still ambushing an attacking the enemy troops across Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and

disproportionate response...
The feats of our fighters from Beit Hanoun to Rafah are a source of pride, a military miracle, and a call up for the Umma's youths and forces, Abu Obeida said in a statement .

He added: ''Our fighters in the combat zones and defensive ambushes are ready for confrontation and have pledged to remain steadfast until victory or martyrdom.''

The Paleostinian resistance intensified its attacks on the Israeli occupation forces across Gaza Strip, inflicting more losses upon them.

In this context, al-Qassam Brigades announced that its fighters managed to snipe four Zionist occupation soldiers in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza, leaving them dead or injured.

Israeli media outlets reported casualties among a special Army force in Rafah, South of Gaza, adding that 4 injured soldiers, including 3 seriously, have been evacuated.

The Zionist media also indicated that the deputy commander of a company was injured in an anti-armor fire in Rafah.

Meanwhile,
...back at the palazzo, Count Guido had escaped from his bonds and overwhelmed his guard using the bludgeon the faithful Filomena had smuggled to him in the loaf of bread...
al-Quds Brigades also announced bombarding the Zionist enemy forces and vehicles stationed in al-Muntar Hill, east of Gaza City, with mortar shells.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Abu Obeida: Body of martyr tasked with guarding Edan Alexander retrieved

2025-04-20

[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] Hamas military spokesman announced that Al-Qassam Brigades fighters were able to retrieve a martyr who was tasked with securing Edan Alexander.

In a statement, Abu Obeida added that Edan's fate and the other fighters securing him remain unknown.

He added, ''We are trying to protect all captives and preserve their lives despite the brutality of the aggression. However, their lives are in danger due to the criminal bombing operations carried out by the enemy army.''

''The occupation lies in its claim of inhumane treatment of its prisoners and fabricates false testimonies from former prisoners, with the aim spreading false propaganda against the Palestinian resistance and covering up the scandal of its killing of a number of its own prisoners, and causing the continued suffering of the rest,'' Abu Obeida stressed.

Link

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