GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 463

Putting Hamas On Notice

The Timeline That Just Keeps Giving

Who knew that when President-elect Donald Trump told those holding the hostages in Gaza to release them by January 20th it would be used by so many? We now see from a report in the Jerusalem News Syndicate that the Israel Defense Minister is using it in military planning:

Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the Israel Defense Forces to urgently develop a plan for a decisive victory over Hamas in Gaza if a hostage deal is not finalized before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated for a second term on Jan. 20.

Katz didn’t mince words on what will happen if no deal is reached:

“If the hostage deal does not materialize by the time President Trump takes office, Hamas in Gaza must face complete defeat,” Katz stated in a release issued by his office on Friday.

His statement underscores the length of the war now and how it is taking its toll on the nation:

The statement emphasized that Israel must avoid being drawn into a prolonged war of attrition, which would be costly and fail to deliver a strategic victory or end the conflict in Gaza. Katz called for a plan ensuring Hamas’s total defeat, which the IDF is expected to present during upcoming security assessments.

As if it needed to said, Katz stated that getting the hostages back is their top goal:

During a meeting on Thursday night attended by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and other senior officials, Katz reiterated that securing the release of the hostages remains the top priority of the defense establishment. “Everything must be done to bring them home,” he said.

He made it clear that they need a plan that will encompass all areas of concern:

Katz also instructed the IDF to identify potential challenges to implementing the plan, such as humanitarian concerns, and to leave those decisions to the political leadership. He emphasized that discussions on Gaza’s political future are irrelevant to the current military strategy, saying that no Arab or other party would assume responsibility for Gaza’s civilian affairs while Hamas remains intact.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Force continues to decimate what’s left of Hamas terrorist leaders:

The IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) announced on Thursday the elimination of key Hamas figures involved in attacks on Israeli forces.

In a series of airstrikes, Osama Abu Namos, the commander of the “Sabra” Battalion in Hamas’s Gaza City Brigade, and his deputy Mahmoud Al Tarq were killed. Both men were responsible for directing attacks on Israeli troops and civilians.

Additionally, Mahmoud Shaheen and Hamada Diri, company commanders in the battalion, were eliminated for their roles in coordinating attacks and supplying weapons.

The IDF and Shin Bet affirmed their commitment to continuing operations against Hamas terrorists.

Hamas hasn’t felt the full force of the IDF for some time and that may end soon. Why? Katz knows as we all so that a President Trump won’t ties Israel’s hands behind its backs any longer.

Trump Is Running The Show

I’ve seen more than a few presidential transitions, but this one is very different. Usually the handoff is slower and the selecting of appointments later in the process, but Trump fast tracked everything. However his influence is seen even in the hostage negotiations as his Middle East envoy is part of the meetings before he’s sworn in as we’re told in an article from The Jerusalem Post:

US President-elect Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, is now returning to Qatar to join the hostage deal talks after he was in Israel on Saturday to discuss the hostage deal after previously being in Qatar, a source familiar with the subject told The Jerusalem Post.

Witkoff is also talking directly with Prime Minister Netanyahu:

Witkoff met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a senior Israeli official stated on Saturday that progress had been made in negotiations over the hostage deal in Qatar.

Although they are going to be out of power in 8 days, Biden’s team is still talking with the PM:

After Netanyahu's meeting with Witkoff, a conference call was held with Biden's adviser Brett McGurk who is in Qatar.

The Biden administration and Biden's adviser were briefed on the details of Wikoff’s meeting in Israel, sources with knowledge of the subject told the Post. The two administrations are working closely together.

Netanyahu dispatched his negotiating team in what some see as an imminent deal:

At the conclusion of a situational assessment of the hostages held by Netanyahu, the prime minister instructed Mossad Chief David Barnea, Shin Bet Chief, Maj.-Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon, and Diplomatic Adviser Ophir Falk to travel to Doha to continue advancing a hostage deal.

The Israeli official had noted earlier that an assessment was underway to determine whether hostage deal progress justified elevating the Israeli delegation by sending the Mossad chief, Shin Bet director, and Maj.-Gen. Nitzan Alon to Doha.

The US thinks the champaign should stay on ice for now:

A White House spokesperson told reporters on Friday, “We have made some progress, but Hamas continues to create obstacles at the negotiating table.”

I am totally surprised by that. Excuse while I clean up from that comment that was obviously dripping with sarcasm. I seriously don’t see any deal being reached although I would welcome one. My doubts are stoked by simply listening to both sides who have taken a hard line on issues like a permanent ceasefire. The article makes a statement that is pretty obvious:

American and Israeli officials have expressed concerns that if an agreement is not reached before former US President Donald Trump takes office, the negotiations could reach a serious impasse.

And in other hard to believe news we’re told that Netanyahu will end the war in the first round of the next deal. It would be shocking except the source was Hamas:

This news comes after a Friday report by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed , which claimed that Hamas sources said that Netanyahu had agreed to end the war following the completion of the first phase of a ceasefire deal.

Just like their death toll numbers, Hamas can’t be trusted. If this claim was made on April 1st I might have taken it more seriously. In any event, pray for the peace of Jerusalem and do so using what we’ve discussed.