Update Dec 21st (Day 76)

UPDATES ON THE WAR – Day 76 (Dec 21^st):

*We are one Day 76 (Dec 21^st). FIGHTING CONTINUES.

*MOST EXCITING NEWS FOR US AT ANDERSON TOURS IS THAT THE ISRAEL BIRTHRIGHT TOUR GROUPS (something we have been working hard to duplicate for LDS Youth) ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY IT WILL ONCE AGAIN BRING GROUPS TO ISRAEL BEGINNING JANUARY 5, 2024!

*This means the leaders of this program in Israel feel it is safe to bring tourists from the USA to Israel. We are confident the situation will continue to improve and we are optimistic our 2024 Tours will be able to go as scheduled!

[We have created categories to make our summaries easier to read and understand.]

OUCH:

• Thousands have been killed on both sides. 🙁
• On Thursday, the Palestinian death toll in the 76-day war reached about 20,000, the Hamas-run authorities in Gaza said.
• The IDF updated the number of soldiers wounded during and after October 7 to 1,740.
• Friday’s incident (Dec 15^th), in which three Israeli hostages who managed to escape Hamas captivity in Gaza were mistakenly identified as enemy and shot dead by the soldiers, concludes that they were killed because the troops did not follow the army’s rules of engagement.
• A senior Israeli official said that no negotiations are currently underway to release hostages held by Hamas
• UN report says that more than half a million people in Gaza are starving due to the war
• American forces in Iraq and Syria have been attacked 102 times since Oct. 17, Fox News confirmed late Wednesday night (Dec 20^th).
• Journalists killed in Israel-Gaza war unparalleled, according to Committee to Protect Journalists report: More journalists have been killed in the first 10 weeks of the Israel-Gaza war than have ever been killed in a single country over an entire year, according to a new analysis released Thursday by the Committee to Protect Journalists. As of December 20, 2023, at least 68 journalists and media workers had been killed since October 7 – 61 were Palestinian, four Israeli and three Lebanese. More than half the deaths (37 of them) occurred during the first month of the war, making it the deadliest single month ever documented by CPJ since it began recording journalist fatalities in 1992.

YEAH:

• Birthright Israel on Tuesday (Dec 19^th) announced that it would resume its free, 10-day educational trips to Israel in January after suspending them due to security concerns amid the ongoing war with Hamas. Around 350 participants, students and young adults primarily from the United States, are expected to travel to Israel beginning the week of January 5, 2024, the organization said in a statement.
• U.S. National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby said that around 200 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours. In the newly opened Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel, 120 trucks entered the Gaza Strip, while 71 trucks entered via Rafah on the Egyptian border.

IN THE SOUTH (RED SEA / EILAT):

• US Navy fights off barrage of 14 drones in Red Sea fired from Yemen as ‘global trade problem’ looms.
• Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthi rebels, who support Hamas, vowed yesterday (Dec 20^th) to continue targeting commercial ships passing through the Red Sea, a key global trade route bookended by the Suez Canal in the north and the Bab el-Mandeb (Gate of Tears) Strait in the south (see map). The militant group’s comments came hours after the US announced it would lead an international initiative to protect ships on the route.
• The Houthis claim they are targeting ships linked to Israel or its Western allies, with most of the attacks occurring in the southern Red Sea. Houthi rebels have attacked or seized ships in the Red Sea at least 12 times over the last four weeks, prompting shipping giants to reroute (w/map) around southern Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. Approximately 12% of global trade goes through the Suez Canal, the shortest sea route between Asia and Europe.
• Egyptian air defense shot down a suspected drone off the Red Sea coast near the resort town of Dahab on Egypt’s eastern Sinai coast, two security sources said. The security sources said the drone’s origin was unknown. Witnesses in Dahab said they saw an object fall into the water. They said they saw another flying object fall in the nearby mountains.
• Egypt’s foreign minister said on Thursday that countries on the Red Sea have a responsibility to protect it. “We continue to cooperate with many of our partners to provide suitable conditions for the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea,” Sameh Shoukry added in a press conference with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron in Cairo.
• S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin discussed with his French counterpart, Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastian Lecornu, about the continued attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthis, the Pentagon’s press secretary said. “Both leaders agree that the Red Sea is vital for global commerce, noting that the scale and increasing frequency of these attacks constitute a significant international problem that must be addressed,” Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said.

IN THE SOUTH (GAZA):

• The Israeli military has reportedly begun pumping seawater from the Mediterranean into a complex tunnel network underneath Gaza. The operation, likely to take weeks, is part of Israel’s efforts to destroy the roughly 300-mile-long infrastructure used by Hamas to transport supplies and personnel. Some of the 140 remaining hostages from Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack are believed to be held inside the tunnels.
• Gaza Strip hospital used as a ‘safe place’ for Hamas terrorists, hospital chief admits: The head of a Gaza Strip hospital has admitted to Israeli forces that the terrorist organization Hamas used his hospital to advance its military operations since the hospital is a “safe place.”
• Israel revealed the presence of the largest tunnel found in Gaza to date. Reportedly wide enough to drive a car through, the passageway is said to surface near an Israeli military installation.
• The IDF Spokesperson Unit reports that Israeli troops of Shayetet 13, the navy’s special operations unit, and of the 401st Armored Brigade, have killed Hamas terrorists in a school in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City. The forces have also captured Hamas members who had surrendered.
• The IDF announced that its forces had destroyed a large network of tunnels beneath “Leaders’ Quarter” in Gaza used by senior Hamas figures

POST WAR GAZA:

• DOHA, Qatar—Hamas’s political leaders have been talking with their Palestinian rivals about how to govern Gaza and the West Bank after the war ends, a fraught negotiation that threatens to put them at odds with the militant wing currently fighting Israel.
• A top national security aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that the country could accept a U.S. plan for a revamped Palestinian Authority—which currently governs the West Bank—to also take over the day-to-day administration of Gaza after the war, in a sign that Netanyahu is easing his opposition to the idea under pressure from the Biden administration.
• Israel is aware of the desire of the international community and the countries of the region to integrate the Palestinian Authority the day after Hamas, and we make it clear that the matter will require a fundamental reform of the Palestinian Authority.
• U.S. President Joe Biden has combined unwavering support for Israel and its right to self-defense, with repeated calls for a two-state solution, once the fighting ends. Several Israeli governments supported the two-states solution – albeit not the right-wing ones of the last decade – and made dramatic proposals for peace on that basis.
• The United Arab Emirates ambassador to the UN, Lana Nusseibeh, told the Wall Street Journal: “The message is going to be very clear: we need to see a viable two-state solution plan, a roadmap that is serious, before we talk about the next day and rebuilding the infrastructure of Gaza.” Qatar, which has provided the most cash for Gaza in previous reconstructions, has adopted the same position. The UAE and Qatar would like to see the split between the Fatah party that runs the Palestinian Authority from the West Bank and Hamas, dominant in Gaza, to end.

IN THE NORTH (LEBANON):

• The IDF issued a statement following the alarms that blared in northern Israel earlier on Saturday (Dec 16^th), confirming that two hostile drones have infiltrated from Lebanon. One drone was intercepted and destroyed, and the other one has crashed near moshav Margaliot. The IDF retaliates by firing artillery shells toward targets in Lebanon.IDF intercepts ‘suspicious aerial target’ that crossed from Lebanese airspace into Israeli territory (Dec 21^st)
• The IDF announced that it attacked Hezbollah military targets in Lebanon. According to the announcement, launch positions, military buildings, as well as a squad that attempted to fire rockets at the Arab al-Aramshe area were attacked.
• The army also informed that earlier that launches were detected from Lebanon towards Kibbutz Dovev, Kibbutz Avivim and towards Mount Dov, and that they responded by attacking the sources of the fire.

IN THE EAST (SYRIA):

• American forces in Iraq and Syria have been attacked 102 times since Oct. 17, Fox News confirmed late Wednesday night. U.S. Central Command said the latest attack took place on Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. (Iraq time) when a 122mm rocket was fired at al Assad Air Base in Iraq. The attack did not result in any damage or injuries to service members.

IN THE WEST (TEL AVIV):

• Heavy Rocket Barrage Fired From Gaza at Tel Aviv, Central Israel.

WEST BANK:

• IDF data shows that from October 7 and then the end of that month, 116 incidents of nationalist crime by Jews against Palestinians took place in the West Bank. This is compared to 90, 60, and 70 similar incidents in the months of July, August, and September, respectively. In November, 65 such incidents occurred.
• The data, published for the first time on the IDF airwaves, also said that out of 201 incidents of nationalist crime by Jews against Palestinians that occurred from October 7 to December 3, 136 were defined as “violent friction or stone throwing“, 35 were defined as “agricultural crime“, 21 were defined as an “attack” and nine were defined as a “targeted attack against security forces”.

NEGOTIATIONS – HOSTAGE RELEASE – CEASE FIRE:

• A previous cease-fire in late November—also mediated by Qatar—lasted seven days and saw 50 Israeli hostages and roughly 150 Palestinian prisoners released. Qatar has become a broker for talks due to its unique position as both a close US ally and a financial backer of Hamas. Around 115 remaining hostages are believed to be held by Hamas.
• Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, “In reference to a hostage deal, We’re working on it almost every hour of every day. There have been serious talks and negotiations on trying to get back into another pause and hostage exchange. I can tell you they are very serious and we are very serious about getting that back in place.”
• Hamas’ military spokesperson said that the only way to get hostages back alive is for Israel to “stop the aggression and the war“
• A senior Israeli official said that no negotiations are currently underway to release hostages held by Hamas
• UAE’s foreign minister meets PLO official to discuss efforts of reaching a cease-fire in Gaza
• 42 percent of those polled in Gaza and 44 percent in the West Bank said they supported Hamas; 88 percent, overall, wanted Abbas to resign; and the most popular politician was revealed as Marwan Barghouti, a prisoner in an Israeli jail

GLOBAL RESPONSE & INVOLVEMENT:

• U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the U.S. does not believe that stopping the war at this stage “serves the long-term security interest of everyone in the region”.
• Jordan’s King Abdullah said that Israeli actions in Gaza risk ‘catastrophic repercussions’ on the region
• U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd discusses Yemen’s Houthi threat to international trade with French counterpart: “The United States and France are both making significant contributions to stability in the region, and seek further collaboration on bilateral and multilateral solutions. Secretary Austin thanked France for its support to the 44-nation joint statement condemning the Houthis’ illegal attacks on international shipping,” Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said.
• Biden’s apparently deliberate criticism of Israel at a meeting with party donors may be driven by the sense that US diplomatic isolation is growing, as is opposition to the White House strategy among Democratic voters. But there is no sign that the US is going to end its military support for Israel.
• FYI: North Korea on Sunday (Dec 17^th) fired a short-range ballistic missile into the sea in a possible display of defiance against the latest steps by Washington and Seoul to tighten their nuclear deterrence plans against North Korean threats.
• UNITED NATIONS (AP) — North Korea and Russia clashed with the United States, South Korea and their allies at an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting Tuesday on Pyongyang’s latest intercontinental ballistic missile launch, which it called “a warning counter-measure” to threats from the U.S. and other hostile forces. North Korean Ambassador Kim Song said this is “the most dangerous year” in the military-security landscape on the Korean Peninsula, pointing to stepped up U.S.-South Korean military exercises and the U.S. deployment of nuclear-powered submarines and other nuclear assets to the area that have raised a “nuclear war danger.” The U.S. and nine allies pointed to five North Korean ICBM launches, over 25 ballistic missiles launches and three satellite launches using ballistic missile technology this year, violating multiple Security Council resolutions and threatening “the peace and stability of its neighbors and the international community.”
• SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened “more offensive actions” to repel what he called increasing United States-led military threats after he supervised the third test of his country’s most advanced missile designed to strike the mainland U.S., state media reported Tuesday.

 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT / PROPHETIC QUOTES:

The following is a snippet from the First Presidency Christmas Message published Dec 21, 2023:

“The Christmas season is often associated with gifts. The most desirable gifts are those offered to us by our loving Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ. These gifts are made possible because Jehovah condescended to come to earth as the baby Jesus.

He was born of an immortal Father and a mortal mother. He was born in Bethlehem under the humblest of circumstances. His was the holy birth foreseen by prophets since the days of Adam. Jesus Christ is God’s transcendent gift—the gift of the Father to all of His children (see John 3:16). That birth we joyfully celebrate each Christmas season.

The Savior’s infinite and perfect love moved Him to atone for all of God’s children. That gift—the Atonement of Jesus Christ—allows all of His other gifts to be ours.

We testify that God lives! Jesus is the Christ—the Messiah. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is His Church, which He directs.”

Signed by the First Presidency; Russell M. Nelson, Dallin H. Oaks, Henry B. Eyring

 

Holy Land Scripture Series

*If you would like to gain more understanding of the history of this country and conflict from a scriptural standpoint we recommend you take our Holy Land Scripture Course created to accompany our Virtual Tour of the Holy Land. Link below:

 

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

What is the best solution to this conflict?

What should Israel do in order to secure peaceful borders and relations with the Palestinians and other Arab neighbors as well as facilitate the release the hostages still being held in Gaza?   

What should Hamas do to get needed support and help? (They are land-locked and restricted and are experiencing extreme economic conditions)

*We know the questions are MANY and the issues deep and complex. We hope the information shared on this blog will help you process all the information and issues.

 

*If you would like to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications when new posts are made please email Dr. Clark Anderson at clark@andersontours.com