Israel Update • October 19, 2023

October 19, 2023

Dear Marketing,

We would like to share the important updates below regarding our community locally and in Israel.

LOCAL UPDATES

Today, we want to feature the impact of a partner agency on the ground. The Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), one of several beneficiaries of the Emergency Campaign for Israel recently shared some numbers reflecting astonishing results.

Fund for Victims of Terror:

1,552 grants have been transferred and an additional 1,800 are in process (for a total of more than 3,352 cases to date). As more information has been shared with the communities about the FVOT, we expect a significant jump in cases in the coming days.
The FVOT Hotline has already received more than 1,360 calls.

Serving Olim (New immigrants to Israel):

1,697 Olim living in our Absorption Centers (mostly Ethiopians, Ukrainians and Russians) have been evacuated.
The Jewish Agency for Israel is evacuating Olim from the North, they will be relocated to Eilat (capacity is 800)
Lone soldiers in the IDF: we are working with the relevant units to support lone soldiers and provide social workers as needed.

Serving Seniors and Amigour:

High possibility of receiving evacuees from the South in some Amigour buildings in the Center of the country.
8,000 food baskets delivered.
The buildings are more secured with armed guard. However, not all are.

Youth Villages:

Youth villages are hosting evacuees, total of 330 in Nitzana, Ben Yakir and Hadassah Neurim.

Emergency Loans:

In partnership with Ogen (Hebrew Free Loan), the Jewish Agency is distributing to small businesses in the South loans up to NIS 100,000 that are interest-free.

Emergency Funding:

The Jewish Agency distributed 10 million NIS to local municipalities and regional councils near the Gaza border for immediate assistance to residents that are the most affected.

Join CEO of JAFI Amira Ahronoviz and renowned American-Israeli author and journalist Yossi Klein Halevi for Israel at War: The Jewish Agency’s Response [↗] on Tuesday, October 24 for an important war briefing followed by a conversation on rebuilding communities and rehabilitating the lives of those shattered by Hamas' horrific attacks.

Support Israel Now ↗

GAZA HOSPITAL STRIKE: FIGHTING FAKE INFORMATION

On Tuesday evening, a failed rocket from the Islamic Jihad terrorist group misfired, landing outside a Gazan hospital and killing and injuring a large number of innocent Palestinians. Hamas immediately blamed Israel, with international media pointing condemnation at Israel. After reviewing the incident, the IDF produced conclusive evidence that the damage was from a Palestinian Jihad misfired rocket. President Joe Biden backed Israel’s position.

THE FACTS

At around 8pm on Tuesday, reports emerged of an attack outside the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza with Hamas claiming as many as 500 people killed in the attack.
Within minutes of the attack, media outlets, including large mainstream outlets like CNN, The New York Times and many others released reports suggesting it was the result of an Israeli airstrike, and international condemnation [↗] directed at Israel intensified.
After taking the time to investigate, at 11:00 PM the IDF released a statement [↗] establishing that Islamic Jihad was responsible for the attack due to a “failed rocket launch.”
The IDF provided video evidence [↗] of the scene of the attack indicating that crater impacts which result from Israeli Air Force strikes are not visible anywhere within the hospital campus. The IDF also released recordings [↗] intercepted from Hamas operatives as they realize the true source of the attack, as well as photo evidence [↗].
Upon landing in Tel Aviv, President Biden addressed the terrible incident [↗] and said that “the other team” is responsible for the attack and not Israel.
Failed rocket launches from Gaza have been the cause of many Palestinian casualties in past rounds of the conflict, with the IDF stating that in the current war as many as 450 rockets [↗] have already fallen within Gaza. Terrorism from Gaza does not only harm Israelis, but also Palestinian lives.

HOW TO HELP

Arrange a meeting with your state and/or local leaders to brief them on the subject and thank them for supporting Israel. Use above talking points and resources and click here for guidance [↗] on how to conduct the meeting.
Share this IDF Twitter [↗] and Instagram [↗] video documenting failed rocket attacks from Gaza.
Share the social posts on Facebook [↗] and Twitter [↗] welcoming President Biden to Israel.
Share this inspiring video [↗] from our system-wide solidarity gatherings to your civic partners that joined your community.

ISRAEL SITUATION UPDATE: Day 13

On day 13 of Israel’s War with Hamas, US President Joe Biden has concluded his visit and his strong show of solidarity. This morning, the UK’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak landed in Israel on his own mission of support.
As a result of an agreement brokered between Israel, Egypt and the United States, a “sustainable” passage of humanitarian aid into Gaza will likely open tomorrow.

THE HOME FRONT

According to Israel’s Ministry of Health, 309 people injured in the October 7 attacks are still hospitalized. Of these, 80 are in serious condition, 159 are in moderate condition, and 70 are in good condition. A total of 4,629 injured individuals have been treated at hospitals around the country from the terror strikes.

The IDF has also updated its figures and now says that 203 people were kidnapped into Gaza, and 306 soldiers have been confirmed killed.

Funerals continue for many of the 1400 Israelis killed by Hamas:

Yesterday, a bittersweet wedding took place for Yonatan Perez, the son of the head of the World Mizrachi Movement, Rabbi Doron Perez. Yonatan’s brother Daniel, a tank commander, has been missing since taking part in the battles of October 7. The groom, Yonatan, was also involved in the fighting. Heeding the call of his commander, he hurried to the south where he is being hailed as a hero for taking part in the rescue of some 20 women soldiers. During the four-hour battle when he was shot in the leg, Yonatan also killed numerous terrorists. See more here.
Read here and watch an interview with the parents of a 19-year old woman missing since the fighting began, when she served as a soldier on a base in the south.
JK Rowling, the famed author of the Harry Potter series, has posted on social media, paying respects to a 12-year-old girl on the autism spectrum (and Harry Potter fan) who was murdered alongside her grandmother, by Hamas terrorists on October 7. See here.
In a heartbreaking report, the Israeli milk bank has been active in providing breast milk to babies who were orphaned by the massacre, whose mothers were kidnapped or injured as well as mothers deployed by the IDF.
See here the difficult story of nine relatives living in Kibbutz Be'eri who were all kidnapped by Hamas during the attacks.
In this story from TIME Magazine, read about how the family and friends of Vivian Silver (currently being held hostage by Hamas), hold on to the memory of her work for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
See here for a list of the names of those murdered that have been released so far, and here for a site in Hebrew with the names and photos of fallen soldiers.

Once again, there was no rocket fire from Gaza overnight, and overall sirens have decreased significantly. Despite this, among other barrages, there have been rocket attacks on Tel Aviv every evening for four straight days. Yesterday, Hamas held its fire for the duration of the Biden trip. As soon as the Presidential visit was over, Hamas launched a barrage of rockets at Israel’s center including Tel Aviv and the coastal region.

For infographics with the latest numbers from the conflict, see here.

In the North, Hezbollah continues to hit Israel, in sporadic attacks. The IDF struck Hezbollah military targets in response, including an observation post near the coast where anti-tank missiles were launched toward Rosh Hanikra on Wednesday (see footage here). Hezbollah said that it conducted seven attacks directed at Israeli territory yesterday, including anti-tank missile attacks and shooting at soldiers and surveillance equipment. It also confirmed that three of its members were killed in those incidents.

ISRAELI RESPONSE

The IDF says it destroyed hundreds of Hamas sites in the last 24 hours, including anti-tank missile launch sites, tunnel shafts, intelligence infrastructure, terror leaders, and various command centers. See video images of the strikes here.

Among those terrorists killed was Jamila al-Shanti, the widow of Hamas co-founder Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi and the first woman elected to the terror group’s political bureau. (Rantisi was killed in 2004 by an Israeli airstrike during the Second Intifada). In 2021, Al-Shanti became the first woman elected to the Hamas political bureau, its highest decision-making body.

In separate strikes, the IDF also killed the head of the military wing of Gaza’s Popular Resistance Committees terror group, Rafat Abu Hilal, as well as more than ten members of Hamas’s “Nukhba Commando Forces,” who led the October 7 massacres.

See here for a video message, in English, by the IDF Chief of Staff Hertzi Halevi.

Egypt announced the creation of a “sustainable” passage of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing, as hundreds of aid trucks wait at the border. This is apparently as a result of an agreement brokered between Israel, Egypt and the United States. US President Biden praised the Egyptian and Israeli governments for “stepping up” and reaching a deal. Aid is likely to begin to flow tomorrow.

Despite Israel producing concrete proof (see here) that it was an Islamic Jihad misfired rocket that hit close to a Palestinian hospital on Tuesday night, many around the world continue to question this narrative, pointing a finger of blame at an Israeli air strike. See more here. See also this video message on this issue from the IDF Spokesperson.

IDF tanks assembling at the border with Gaza ahead of a potential ground invasion have been equipped with anti-drone “cages,” similar to those used in the Russia-Ukraine War, according to a report in The Washington Post. The Post published images showing Israeli vehicles with modified coverings whose purpose is to protect soldiers inside from any explosives dropped from drones, presumably a lesson learned by Israel from observing developments during the war in Ukraine.

The beginnings of discussions are starting to take place about long-term scenarios for the Gaza Strip. One of the options being contemplated is for Israel to dismantle Hamas and its infrastructure and then to establish a temporary civilian-international governing structure for Gaza for 5-10 years before the area can be turned over to local leadership or the Palestinian Authority. See more on this issue here.

The death toll in Gaza since Israel declared war has risen to 3,785, including 1,524 children, 1,000 women and 120 older people according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza.

INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE

UK Prime Minster Rishi Sunak arrived in Israel today on a solidarity mission. He told Prime Minister Netanyahu that “we absolutely support Israel to defend itself in line with international law, to go after Hamas, to take back hostages, to deter further incursions, and to strengthen your security for the long term.”

Following US President Biden’s visit to Israel yesterday, and his strong show of solidarity and support for the Jewish state, the White House announced today that the President will make a special address from the Oval Office to discuss Israel and Ukraine. This unusual move follows Biden’s groundbreaking trip - the first ever visit of a sitting US President to Israel during wartime. During his trip, the President pledged to give Israel “whatever it needed” in its battle against Hamas and warned the country’s enemies against regionalizing the war.

In addition to the two US carrier groups, Ford and Eisenhower off Israel’s shores, the US Navy has announced that it is sending the USS Mount Whitney, a command ship which is also the flagship of the US Sixth Fleet. The UK has also sent a carrier group.

Evidence has come to light that the Hamas terrorists used some North Korean weapons during their October 7 invasion. North Korea has repeatedly denied that it sells weapons to Hamas. See more here.

A CNN poll, conducted October 12-13, found that over two-thirds of American respondents believe the Israeli military response in Gaza was either “fully justified” (50%) or “partially justified” (20%). Even among Democrats, the support for Israeli military countermeasures was nearly as high: Thirty-eight percent said they would be “fully justified,” while 30% said they would be partially justified. Nearly three out of four respondents (71%) feel “a lot of sympathy” with Israelis, while 41% say the same about the Palestinians.

Meanwhile, some 76% of respondents in a new Quinnipiac poll think supporting Israel is in the national interest of the United States — including 84% of Republicans, 76% of Democrats and 74% of independents. Only 20% of Americans said that America was “too supportive” of Israel — with the greatest degree of opposition (30%) centered among the youngest voters aged 18-34.

JTA has produced the following updates about how the war is affecting Jewish communities outside of North America:

How many European countries are increasing security at Jewish institutions, fearful that the conflict could lead to a spike in antisemitism.
U.S. and Israeli embassies in Argentina received bomb threats.
France banned pro-Palestinian rallies as antisemitic incidents have spiked there.
Police are investigating Molotov cocktail bombs thrown at a German synagogue.
Colombia’s president, who has continuously posted pro-Palestinian content online, is threatening to cut ties with Israel.
The community of Porto, Portugal, is rattled after their synagogue was vandalized with anti-Israel graffiti.
In one heartening story, hundreds of Germans surrounded a synagogue in solidarity with Jews.
In China, an Israeli embassy employee attacked in Beijing and an Israeli woman with a Chinese mother went viral on China’s internet after being captured by Hamas.

OUR EFFORTS ON THE GROUND

Israelis of all stripes have come together to support soldiers and bolster morale in the country, many sharing inspiring tales. See this video of a reserve soldier and his message of “just do good.”

See this photo of a Druze woman who closed her Dalyat-el-Carmel restaurant (called “Nora’s Kitchen”) to volunteer to cook and serve food to reserve soldiers called up to serve on the front.

This wedding was scheduled for today but was postponed after the groom was drafted. His friends decided to surprise him and made arrangements for the bride to come to their camp near Gaza.

And watch this moving tribute to Israel by surfers in San Diego.

The World Zionist Organization (WZO) has launched a campaign whereby non-Israelis who own homes in Israel can allow those properties to be used by victims who have lost their residences, as well as families evacuated from the south. The WZO will take responsibility to ensure that the properties are returned to their owners in the condition in which they were given. See details here.

Our Israel Office, having activated emergency protocols, is working closely with our partners on the ground, and is close contact with the Government of Israel and the IDF. We will continue to update as the situation develops.