Update Feb 21st (Day 138)

UPDATES ON THE WAR – Day 138 (Feb 21^st):

*Anderson Tours has officially decided to move forward with our April Holy Land Tour with contingencies in place to cancel or postpone if deemed unsafe! So far so good!

*We are one Day 138 (Feb 21^st). STILL CLOSE TO A CEASE FIRE / HOSTAGE RELEASE!

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

Headlines:

• No deal has been solidified yet, both sides are close with official summit meetings in Cairo this week…meanwhile fighting continues.
• A Hamas delegation headed by the political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Cairo to hold talks with senior Egyptian officials about the war in Gaza. A Hamas official told an Israeli news source that the visit does not signal a breakthrough in negotiations for a hostage release/cease-fire deal with Israel.
• Thousands of people protested Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government across Israel on Saturday night (Feb 17^th), demanding early elections.

OUCH:

• Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi said at an economic conference in Cairo that the country’s Suez Canal revenues dropped by 40-50 percent due to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
• Hamas said that if restrictions are placed on the entry of worshippers to the Al-Aqsa mosque during Ramadan, “it will blow up in the face of the occupation.” Hamas also warned Israel against an “adventure in Rafah” and attacked PM Netanyahu for “arguing that the hostages can be released by force.”
• The use of sexual violence by Hamas during and after October 7 was a “clear operational strategy involving systematic, targeted sexual abuse,” according to the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel, which released a comprehensive report relating to various locations attacked on October 7 and abuse against hostages.
• Israel’s top army lawyer said the IDF has encountered behavior among soldiers in Gaza that crosses the criminal threshold. In a letter she sent to the Military Prosecutor’s Office, Yafit Tomer-Yerushalmi wrote that “we have come across cases of improper conduct that deviates from IDF values and orders.“
• The Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza said that at least 29,313 Palestinians have been killed and 69,333 wounded since the war began.

YEAH:

• Israel is preparing to reopen the Karni border crossing with Gaza, which was closed permanently in 2011, to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into the northern part of the Strip, according to ABC News.
• Qatar claimed it received confirmation from Hamas that it received medicines meant for hostages and began delivering them.
• IDF Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi called on army officers to uphold certain values while fighting in Gaza. “We must be careful not to use force where it is not required, to distinguish between terrorist and non-terrorist, not to take anything that is not ours – a souvenir or military item – and not to film revenge videos,” he wrote to senior officers.

IN THE SOUTH (RED SEA):

• Yemen’s Houthis said on Monday (Feb 18^th) that they targeted the ship Rubymar in the Gulf of Aden and it was now at risk of sinking, adding that they also shot down a U.S. drone in Hodeidah.
• A Greece-flagged, U.S.-owned cargo ship reported a missile attack on Monday (Feb 18^th) in the same area and called for military assistance, British maritime security firm Ambrey said.

GAZA (NORTH):

• Hamas estimated it had lost 6,000 fighters during the four-month-old conflict, half the 12,000 Israel says it has killed, a Hamas official based in Qatar told Reuters.

GAZA (SOUTH):

• Rafah Ground Operation: Israel is expected to expand its ground operation in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah by the start of Ramadan if Hamas does not return the remaining hostages held in the enclave by then, Israel’s war minister warned. Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, will begin around March 10 this year based on the sighting of a new crescent moon. The warning is the first indication of a timeline for Israel’s looming offensive in Rafah. That preparation may take several weeks due to the need to evacuate its civilian population, senior IDF officials told reporters.
• The Israel Defense Forces released photos of medications it found at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis with the names and pictures of Israeli hostages on them. The medicine packets were found closed, and were not given to the hostages.
• The IDF said that it has arrested hundreds of terrorists and terror suspects who allegedly participated in the October 7 attack sheltering at the hospital in Khan Yunis. A car used by Hamas on the day of the massacre was found at the hospital, along with a vehicle from Nir Oz that was allegedly stolen.
• The Israeli army reported that before it entered Nasser Hospital, complex fighting was carried out that included face-to-face combat, terrorist barricades, and rockets that were fired at Israeli troops from within the hospital complex in southern Gaza.

POST WAR GAZA:

• Israeli Gov’t Unanimously Rejects Unilateral International Recognition of Palestinian State: The prime minister told the cabinet that the move comes amid international attempts of ‘unilaterally imposing a Palestinian state on Israel.’ The resolution determines that any permanent arrangement ‘will only be achieved through direct negotiations with no pre-conditions’
• According to an Israeli diplomatic source last week, the Biden administration intends to present a diplomatic initiative in the coming weeks to advance the two-state vision. As reported by The Washington Post on the same day, the initiative involves the participation of the U.S. and several Arab states, aiming to present a long-term plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, including setting a timeframe for the establishment of a Palestinian state. The reported initiative is linked to efforts to bring about a cease-fire in Gaza and negotiate the release of hostages. Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Palestinian representatives are involved in the initiative.
• Last Monday, Abbas wrapped up a brief visit to the Qatari capital of Doha, where he met with the country’s ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. According to Palestinian media reports, Abbas voiced willingness to form a technocratic government and gave his blessing to Qatar’s plan to mediate between his Fatah party and Hamas to bring the latter into the PLO. The goal is to persuade Hamas to join the PLO, so an agreed upon government can be formed that would be able to take over the management of Gaza as part of the comprehensive diplomatic plan being pushed by U.S. President Joe Biden. This doesn’t mean Abbas has given up on the three fundamental principles he cited at meetings in Cairo – that Hamas must recognize the PLO as the sole representative of the Palestinian people; accept international decisions on the Palestinian issue, including the Oslo Accords; and renounce the armed struggle. The gaps between the sides remain large, and Abbas refused to meet with the head of Hamas’s political wing, Ismail Haniyeh, in Doha.
• Similar ideas have been raised in the past, and this time, too, it’s not clear that Hamas will really be willing to renounce the armed struggle. Egypt has never before managed to persuade Hamas to embrace Abbas’ three principles, but given the new circumstances created by the war, Qatar may end up being the one that succeeds in finally producing an agreement, thereby achieving at least a temporary solution to the problem of running Gaza.
• Sinwar is still in charge of the war in Gaza, and he isn’t capable of making diplomatic moves related to bringing Hamas into the PLO and forming a government to run the territory. But he still has the ability to thwart such moves if his conditions aren’t met. The most important one is his adamant demand for a full and lengthy cease-fire.

IN THE NORTH (LEBANON):

• Israeli forces struck weapons depots southern Lebanon in response to a drone launched into Israel by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Israeli’s chief military spokesperson said.
• The IDF reported that several launches from Lebanon targeted northern Israeli communities, causing no damage or casualties. Israeli fighter jets attacked Hezbollah infrastructure across five locations in southern Lebanon.
• Sirens were heard across northern Israel. An anti-tank missile hit a house in the northern Israeli town of Metula. A factory in the city was also damaged from a separate launch.

IN THE EAST (IRAQ/SYRIA):

• Israeli strikes hit a neighborhood of the Syrian capital on Wednesday morning, killing two people and causing material damage, Syria’s state TV said. There was no confirmation of the strikes from Israel. The Syrian state TV reported that several missiles hit the western neighborhood of Kfar Sousseh, but did not elaborate or say who were the people killed. The pro-government Sham FM radio station said the strike hit a building near an Iranian s Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of war-torn Syria in recent years.
• Israel rarely acknowledges its actions in Syria, but it has said that it targets bases of Iran-allied militant groups, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to support Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces.
• Last month, an Israeli strike on the Syrian capital’s western neighborhood of Mazzeh destroyed a building used by the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, killing at least five Iranians.
• In December, an Israeli airstrike on a suburb of Damascus killed Iranian general Seyed Razi Mousavi, a longtime adviser of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in Syria. Israel has also targeted Palestinian and Lebanese operatives in Syria over the past years.

JERUSALEM:

• Israeli PM Netanyahu adopted National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s stance to limit the entry of Arab Israelis to the Temple Mount/Al Aqsa compound to males over the age of 40 – in opposition to the Shin Bet security service’s position – during a defense establishment consultation on Sunday ahead of Ramadan.
• Thousands of women are marching to the Prime Minister’s residence in Jerusalem alongside hostages’ families to protest the government’s handling of the hostage release deal.

TEL AVIV/SOUTHERN ISRAEL:

• Blocked Roads, Clashes With Police: Thousands Rally Against Netanyahu’s Government Across Israel: Thousands of anti-government demonstrators called for an early election and the removal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Be’er Sheva and Caesarea. Hundreds of protesters rallied in front of the houses of Israeli coalition members, calling for the overthrow of the government.

WEST BANK:

• According to the army’s statement, more than 3,100 wanted Palestinians have been detained by the military in the West Bank since the war in Gaza has started, of which about 1,350 are considered Hamas affiliated.
• An Israeli Border Police officer was seriously wounded on Sunday (Feb 18^th) during a military operation in the northern West Bank city of Tul Karm which resulted in the death of two Palestinians, including a Hamas operative. Israeli army forces entered the Tul Karm refugee camp to arrest a 36-year-old who was involved in terror attacks and suspected in the murder of Palestinians who allegedly collaborated with Israel.
• A senior Hamas member was arrested by the forces during a military operation in the West Bank city of Ramallah overnight into Sunday (Feb 18^th). Two other wanted Palestinians were detained in the Balata refugee camp in the Nablus.
• Israeli Settlers entered the West Bank village of Burka near Ramallah Monday night (Feb 19^th), and according to a security source, the suspicion that they may have set cars on fire is being investigated. An Israeli was lightly injured earlier Monday evening when terrorists threw an explosive device at a vehicle near Burka, the IDF said.
• In Jenin, Israeli forces killed three armed men overnight into Wednesday (Feb 21^st) during an arrest operation, the IDF said. Forty wanted persons were arrested across the West Bank.
• At the ongoing International Court of Justice hearing on the legality of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, the U.S. said the Court could not order the immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops from the West Bank and East Jerusalem without taking into account Israel’s security needs.

NEGOTIATIONS – HOSTAGE RELEASE – CEASE FIRE:

• PM Netanyahu called on the international community to push “those who can pressure Hamas – chiefly Qatar” to bring about a hostage release deal in Jerusalem on Sunday evening.
• 26 of the 27 EU countries called for “an immediate humanitarian pause that would lead to a sustainable ceasefire” in Gaza, EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters.
• U.S. Vetoes UN Resolution Demanding Immediate Gaza Cease-fire: ‘Not the Time for This’ 13 countries voted in favor of Algeria’s resolution, with the U.S. voting against it and the U.K. abstaining on Tuesday (Feb 20^th)
• In a surprise move ahead of the vote, the U.S. circulated a rival Security Council resolution that would support a temporary cease-fire in Gaza linked to the release of all hostages, and call for the lifting of all restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid. Both of these actions “would help to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities,” the draft resolution obtained by The Associated Press says.
• Arab nations, supported by many of the 193 UN member countries, have been demanding a cease-fire for months.

• HOSTAGES/CEASE-FIRE: Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said returning Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza is not the most important objective of the war, adding that statements calling for their release at any cost are “wrong and irresponsible,” and that the only way to secure the captives’ return was to apply more military pressure on Hamas. After saying on Monday that a ground operation in the southernmost Gazan city of Rafah would endanger the lives of Israeli hostages, Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, clarified his comments, adding that an offensive in Rafah “is the way to bring back all the hostages.”

GLOBAL RESPONSE & INVOLVEMENT:

• U.S. Officials Worry Ramadan May Hold Perfect Storm Leading to Regional Blow-up
• Iranian officials warned Hezbollah not to give “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu any reason to launch a wider war on Lebanon or anywhere else,” a Hezbollah member told the Washington Post on Sunday (Feb 18^th).
• Brazil has recalled its ambassador to Israel, after Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is “persona non grata in Israel” for comparing Israel’s actions in Gaza to how “Hitler decided to kill the Jews.”

 

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 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?   

How can the IDF minimize harm to Palestinian civilians when Hamas is trying to maximize that same harm? And under such circumstances, what is the extent of Israel’s responsibility for minimizing harm to civilians when those civilians have been put in harm’s way by their own leaders?

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

Who Should Lead the Palestinians After the Gaza War, and How?

*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

*If you would like to read a good article about Who and How the Palestinians should lead and rule after the Gaza War here is a link:

Who Should Lead the Palestinians After the Gaza War, and How?