GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 314

Peace And Safety?

A Strong Push

Negotiations are off to what some are calling a promising start as another hostage deal is sought. While many are hoping a deal will be agreed to, some are not as optimistic as we read in a report from CBN.com:

A high-level Israeli delegation is in Qatar for talks intended to end the Israel-Hamas war and bring home the Hamas-held hostages.

The talks are happening in the shadow of attacks from Iran and its proxies:

As Israelis continue to wait for a possible Iranian attack, the ceasefire talks begin in Qatar on Thursday without a Hamas representative.

Those attacks could be forestalled if a ceasefire agreement materializes:

The U.S. and Europe are pushing hard for a ceasefire deal that would stop the fighting in Gaza, free the hostages, and perhaps even stop the expected Iranian attack against Israel.

Many countries are working hard on these negotiations:

Germany's Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert declared, "All eyes and the hopes of millions – millions in Israel and millions in Gaza – are pinned on this Thursday, on the possible talks about a deal."

Ambassadors of the U.S., the U.K., and Germany spoke to hostage families. "President Biden has spared no effort reaching out to world leaders to bring as much force behind this effort as possible," said U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jacob Lew.

If these leaders think that Hamas will agree to end the war by negotiations, they are naïve:

Hamas still clings to the idea it doesn't need to surrender power in Gaza. Osama Hamdan, a Hamas political official insisted, "A ceasefire is one thing and surrender is something else. It’s unthinkable for a Palestinian to surrender.”

The US is also naïve thinking that Israel will simply let Hamas off the hook:

The New York Times reports the U.S. is telling Israel it has accomplished what it can in Gaza since the Israel Defense Forces have killed or captured some 14,000 Hamas fighters. Washington claims that it weakens Hamas to the point it can no longer launch deadly attacks such as the one on October 7th.

Israel isn’t content with a weakened Hamas. Nor should they.

Don’t Stop Now

The US seems to think that the IDF has done all they can so they should make a deal for the hostages and end the war. Not everyone agrees that is the best option:

Yet the same article quotes retired Israeli Maj.-General Yaakov Amidror, who urges the Jewish state to continue the fight. "Israel's achievements in Gaza are impressive, but they’re far from what should be achieved," Amidror stated, and warned, "If Israel evacuates its forces now, within a year, Hamas will be strong again.”

Amidror is right. For all the Marvel comic fans out there, cutting off the current heads of Hamas will only see more heads growing in their place. Still the US doesn’t see the IDF ever rescuing the hostages still in captivity:

The Biden administration also suggests the remaining hostages are so well hidden that the IDF probably can't free any more of them by military means.

The IDF respectfully disagrees:

However, the IDF Chief-of-Staff Herzi Halevi contends the military can put so much pressure on Hamas that it will surrender the hostages. "Hamas should know that every day they hold our hostages, it will be more bitter for them than the day before. We will make it worse until we manage to return the hostages," Halevi cautioned.

Israelis are urged to pray as the talks and the war continues:

Israeli President Isaac Herzog held a prayer vigil for the hostages in the synagogue at his official residence. Parents of soldiers killed in Gaza attended along with the hostages' families.

Herzog told them, "As your sons went to battle, amongst their objectives was to bring back our hostages home. They fought for that cause. They lost their life for that cause. And I want to say to the entire world. They are screaming to us from the bottom of the dungeons in Gaza, and they are going through terrible times, and we want to see them home as soon as possible."

I don’t want anyone to think I don’t care about the hostages, because I want them returned as much as anyone. However, I don’t see Hamas ever releasing all of them without a fight. Even if a new deal is reached, Hamas will renege on it just like they did the last one. People forget that Israel was willing to continue that deal, but the terrorist broke the agreed terms. Halevi is right when he says the only way to bring Hamas to the table is to overturn more of their tables. So as talks begin in Qatar the IDF is killing more and more terrorists and destroying more and more tunnels. Unlike the US, I do believe that the IDF will find these hostages and rescue them. And I pray that even if God Himself has to release them, that it happens.

Crying Peace, Peace, And Then…

Sudden destruction could come at any time according to an article from The Jerusalem Post:

Iran could attack Israel with no warning within days, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said Thursday as the region remained on edge.

“An attack could come with little or no warning and certainly could come in the coming days, and we have to be ready for it,” he told reporters during a virtual briefing. “But the messaging effort continues and will continue, because what we’re really after is de-escalation and trying to prevent this.”

The US wants Iran to rethink its intent to attack Israel until hostage talks are ended:

Washington has sent messages to Iran through third parties to underscore this message, Kirby said, as all eyes were on the Gaza hostage and ceasefire talks in Doha, Qatar.

The US has beefed up its military presence in the region in advance of a possible Iranian attack and has stated repeatedly that it is prepared to help defend Israel.

The US is wisely hoping for the best while preparing for the worst:

Kirby said the US did not have a firm sense of what kind of an attack Iran might launch, which is why it has worked diplomatically to de-escalate the situation.

“We’re still working very hard diplomatically to prevent that outcome, to prevent… an attack, but we also have to be ready for one,” he said, citing US aerial and marine forces being sent to the Middle East, including a guided-missile submarine.

The US is making sure that “we’ve got what we need in place” so that American and Israeli forces will be prepared, Kirby said.

Other countries are rushing to keep a war from breaking out including the US:

In light of the regional tensions, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné were planning a quick visit to Israel on Friday.

The US hopes that the finalization of a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal would prevent Iranian and Hezbollah reprisal attacks for twin assassinations two weeks ago. The first, which Israel took credit for, was of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut. The second, which it has not claimed responsibility for, was of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. It is widely presumed that Israel killed Haniyeh.

Iran is between a rock and hard place now:

Israel and the region have been on edge for more than two weeks, expecting an Iranian attack at any moment. According to Meir Javedanfar, an expert on Iranian affairs and a lecturer at Reichman University in Herzliya, Iran is in “a difficult position because if they attack, then they could see a retaliation from Israel that could be quite painful.

And if they don’t attack, then it could be taken as a sign of weakness. So, this is a very difficult moment for Iran’s supreme leader. But for now, he’s waiting to make his decision.”

Up north, the US is trying to calm down Hezbollah:

US special envoy Amos Hochstein was in Beirut on Wednesday in an effort to de-escalate the Israel-Hezbollah tensions and prevent a smaller constrained war from escalating into a third Israeli-Lebanese war.

Kirby said it did not appear as if Hezbollah wanted to see such an escalation despite its rhetoric.

“We still haven’t seen signs that Hezbollah wants to jump in with both feet here and start a new war on a second front at this time,” he said, adding: “That doesn’t mean that there’s still no threat from Hezbollah. Of course, there is.”

Kirby echoed what the Administration is saying about Hamas and that the IDF has devastated them to the point of annihilation. But, as we discussed earlier, Hamas can reconstitute itself if left alone now. They’ve already proven that in other parts of Gaza and it would be foolish to stop now. Ultimately, I see this whole region fighting a big war to end the terrorist threat Israel has faced for the better part of 76 years. Never again will mean never again.