Missile Fired From Yemen, Sirens In Tel Aviv And Jerusalem
For the first time in two months, sirens were sounded early Thursday morning (20th) in central Israel, the Shefala region, and in Jerusalem and the surrounding area, following the firing of a missile from Yemen.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said that a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF prior to crossing into Israeli territory. The sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol.
Magen David Adom reported that at this stage, no reports of impacts or physical injuries have been received.
It added that MDA medics and paramedics provided medical treatment to approximately 13 people injured while heading to shelter, or suffering from anxiety.
During the sirens, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was evacuated from the Knesset Plenum where discussions on the Arrangements Law were taking place overnight, to the Knesset shelter.
The Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for launching the missile toward Israel, asserting they fired a missile at Ben Gurion Airport.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said the attack was carried out in response to “massacres against our brothers in the Gaza Strip.”
Nassruddin Amer, a senior Houthi official, wrote a post on social media site X after the rebels launched the missile toward Israel.
“Residents of Gaza, you are not alone, Allah is with you, and we are with you. Victory comes only from Allah,” Amer wrote, sharing a screenshot of a map showing where sirens were heard across the country.
On Tuesday evening (18th) sirens were activated in several areas in southern Israel due to a projectile that was launched at Israel from Yemen.
At that time, the IDF stated, “Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in central Israel and southern Negev, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF prior to crossing into Israeli territory. Sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol.”
‘Free Hostages Or Total Destruction:’ IDF Begins Ground Invasion; Tanks In Gaza
IDF troops began targeted ground operations in Gaza on Wednesday (19th). Palestinian sources reported seeing Israeli tanks in Gaza advancing in the Netzarim Corridor. They also reported that the movement of vehicles heading north on Salah al Din road has halted.
The presence of troops and tanks signals a limited operation rather than a full ground invasion. Nevertheless, the movement of Israel’s military in the Gaza Strip is the largest seen since before the start of the ceasefire agreement on January 19.
The IDF is focused on central and southern Gaza with the goal of creating a buffer zone and separating the north of Gaza from the south.
In addition, the IDF is regaining control of the Netzarim Corridor, with Golani Brigade soldiers stationed in southern areas.
Defense Minister Israel Katz delivered a message to Gazan civilians, indicating that the population will be evacuated from combat zones. He issued a warning: “If the Israeli hostages are not released, and Hamas is not removed from Gaza, Israel will respond with force unlike anything you have ever witnessed.”
He added, “Take the advice of the President of the United States —release the hostages and eliminate Hamas. Doing so will open other possibilities for you, including the option of emigration for those who wish it. The alternative is total destruction.”
Earlier on Wednesday, (19th) the IDF announced the elimination of Yasser Muhammad Harb Musa, who was responsible for Hamas security affairs and held a key position in the terror organization’s executive committee.
A close associate of the deceased Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Musa directed many terror attacks against Israel.
Muhammad Al-Jamasi, head of the Hamas Emergency Committee, was also eliminated.
On Tuesday (18th), the IDF killed a head of Hamas’ government Essam al Da’alis and four other terrorist officials. The possibility of two other officials being killed is yet to be confirmed.
First Gazans Emigrate Since Trump Announced Relocation Plan
Dozens of Palestinian Arabs residing in the Gaza Strip departed the coastal enclave Wednesday (19th) relocating to Europe in what appears to be the first instance of Gazans emigrating from the Strip under the Trump plan.
Two charter flights, one operated by the Romanian air force and the second by the Italian air force, departed from Ramon International Airport in southern Israel.
According to reports by Israel’s Channel 14 and the Israel Hayom newspaper, the charter flights carried a total of 70 Gazans migrating from the Gaza Strip to Italy and Romania.
The Gazans likely either carry European Union passports or were sponsored by relatives already living in the host countries, according to reports.
The Israeli defense ministry, which is working to establish a mechanism to facilitate mass migration from the Gaza Strip, reportedly helped arrange the transportation of the 70 Gazan migrants out of the Strip and through 110 miles of Israeli territory to the Ramon Airport.
The flights come a day after the IDF renewed large-scale military operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, starting with an air campaign, and striking dozens of terrorist positions across Gaza.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, over 400 people died on the first day of the renewed Israeli offensive.
Pro-Hamas Activists Distribute Manuals That Teach Terror Tactics
As anti-Israel demonstrators take to the streets to protest against Israeli military action and the arrest of pro-Hamas activist Mahmoud Khalil, pamphlets distributed at rallies and online give instructions on how to commit acts of terror.
The pamphlets provide a step-by-step process on how to plan a terror attack, including creating a cell, picking a target, and hiding the evidence.
The manuals include “helpful hints” such as purchasing sledgehammers in cash to avoid evidence of the transaction after destroying property.
The author of the pamphlet also encourages wearing a face covering to conceal one’s identity and cautions against leaving any kind of paper or digital trail.
Lizzy Savetsky, a social media influencer and pro-Israel activist, suggested that the manuals indicate that the anti-Israel protests may not be mere demonstrations but a well-organized strategy used by terror organizations to recruit new members.
She told Fox News, “These are not grassroots efforts. They are very well organized and very well funded. They have the same masks, the same uniforms, the same camping equipment, the same terror-promoting materials like this pamphlet throughout the country.”
Protesters expressed anger at the renewal of Israeli military operations after Hamas refused to agree to the hostage release proposal put forward by the Trump administration’s Steven Witkoff.
In addition protesters were demanding the release of Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil who was arrested because he “led activities aligned with Hamas, a designated terrorist organization,” according to Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Khalil had taken advantage of “the privilege” of coming to study in “one of our nation’s finest universities to side with terrorists–Hamas terrorists who have killed innocent men, women and children.”
Beyond The Narratives Of Blame: The Urgent Need For An Honest Reckoning On Israel And October 7 (Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs)
Oded Ailam, former head of the Counterterrorism Division in the Mossad and now a researcher at the Jerusalem Center, declined an invitation to participate in a European documentary focusing on Israel’s failures on October 7, 2023. This is his response:
Following the massacre of October 7, Israel remains in the throes of a collective trauma, leading to intense self-recrimination. Yet the obsessive focus on our failures risks diverting attention from the true threat – the ideology that drove the October 7 attack in the first place.
The October 7 massacre was the culmination of an ideological war driven by Hamas and its backers who have cultivated a relentless culture of hatred, jihad, and the eradication of Israel. However, instead of facing this reality, much of the world chooses to exploit Israel’s moment of vulnerability, portraying us as aggressors committing so-called “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza. This twisted narrative does not just distort the truth, it strengthens the wave of anti-Israel sentiment sweeping the world.
Radical Islam is not merely waging war against Israel, it is waging war against any system, any people, any ideology that does not conform to its absolutist vision. Israel stands on the front lines of this battle. Yet, instead of acknowledging this, much of the world chooses to focus exclusively on Israel’s internal failings, thus emboldening our enemies.
If there is any hope for peace, it must begin with an honest reckoning, not within Israel alone but within Palestinian society itself. There must be a total rejection of Hamas’ ideology – embedded so deeply within Palestinian society, an abandonment of the so-called “right of return,” and, most importantly, a fundamental shift in the education of Palestinian children away from indoctrination and towards coexistence.
Given the existential threat Israel faces, this is not the time to fixate on Israel’s failures while treating Hamas’ monstrous atrocities – enthusiastically supported by large segments of the Gaza population and radicalized Muslims worldwide – as a mere side note.
A true reckoning must confront the entire reality, including the radical forces that orchestrated October 7 and the global enablers who continue to justify their actions.
(jcpa.org)
The IDF Initiative Reshaped Border With Lebanon – Yair Kraus
In the initial days following October 7, as tens of thousands of IDF soldiers arrived at the Lebanese border to prevent Hezbollah from joining the Hamas attack, an unprecedented engineering operation was launched to reshape the sector. For over a year, thousands of engineering and infantry soldiers shaped the new border of diverse terrain along more than 120 km, stretching from Rosh Hanikra to Har Dov.
Hezbollah had spent decades constructing terrorist compounds in buildings, forests and underground infrastructure along the entire border as part of its plan to conquer the Galilee. Now, the IDF sought to ensure that the entire border zone, including a few dozen km. into Lebanese territory, would be cleared and barren.
IDF Northern Command Chief Engineering Officer Col. l. explained, “Back in October 2023, when the war kicked off, we brought in geologists, engineers and earthworks experts to provide solutions for the forests, wadis, buildings and underground infrastructure we knew we would encounter…Our operational priorities rested on firstly addressing the areas facing civilian communities.” Even before the IDF ground operation, at night, under the cover of darkness, armored engineering vehicles would work beyond the border.
After the ground operation began in October 2024, “Once we obtained operational control of the sector, we…went in with full force. We drafted hundreds of reservist engineering soldiers and civilian earthworks contractors who joined in demolishing terrorist infrastructure across the entire sector.” (Ynet News)
After Attack On Israeli Soccer Fans: Punishment Imposed On Amsterdam Rioters
The Amsterdam court sentenced four individuals involved in the riots surrounding the Ajax versus Maccabi Tel Aviv match on November 7 to prison terms of up to 12 weeks on Wednesday (19th). Court evidence confirmed that the suspects either shared information in WhatsApp groups to coordinate and incite attacks on Israeli fans or directly participated in the violence.
The incident occurred on the night between November 7 and 8, following a European League soccer match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax. Israeli team supporters faced brutal attacks by local rioters who documented the violence and shared it across social media platforms.
Reports indicate that a 27-year-old defendant received the longest prison sentence. The judge specifically cited his Holocaust glorification in recovered WhatsApp messages as particularly egregious in an application group called Burthuis 2, which had over 900 members, where he actively tracked and reported Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters locations. His messages included disturbing statements such as “Better a dead Jew than a living Jew.” The evidence showed he also shared an image of Anne Frank with the text: “Laughing gas is for the weak. I use zyklon B.”
The judge condemned the trivialization of the Holocaust represented in these messages and stated: “The persecution of Jews during World War II is one of the most shocking events in human history. It caused unprecedented suffering. Even today.”
The legal proceedings have advanced significantly with 14 identified suspects already having stood trial for their involvement in the riots. Five received convictions with sentences of community service, to up to 6 months in jail during the first set of hearings. More suspects are due to appear in court soon.
Recent reports from Europe suggest that “European media remains silent while the court hears shocking details about the ‘Jew Hunt’ in Amsterdam.” .
While this isn’t the first instance where pro-Palestinians who attacked Maccabi Tel Aviv fans have received prison sentences, it represents a significant advancement in the ongoing investigations – with Dutch police apparently making progress in recent days by apprehending an increasing number of those involved in the riots.
