23 sept 2014
The Israeli occupation army admitted that it had used overwhelming gunfire and shelling in Rafah area, to the south of Gaza, on the first of August to stop the capture of Israeli officer Hadar Goldin during clashes with resistance fighters from Al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas. The southern command of the Israeli army conducted debriefing recently on its operation Hannibal in Rafah, confirming that the fire was indeed extremely heavy, especially by the artillery.
According to the army, fighter jets joined the indiscriminate bombing in the area during the operation to save the officer.
According to Palestinian local sources, 120 Palestinians, mostly civilians, were killed and many others suffered injuries when the Israeli army unleashed during the operation heavy artillery and aerial shelling on the southern Gaza town of Rafah.
According to the army, fighter jets joined the indiscriminate bombing in the area during the operation to save the officer.
According to Palestinian local sources, 120 Palestinians, mostly civilians, were killed and many others suffered injuries when the Israeli army unleashed during the operation heavy artillery and aerial shelling on the southern Gaza town of Rafah.
13 sept 2014
Colonel Ofer Winter
In a rare admittance of the use of the so-called 'Hannibal Directive', in which Israeli soldiers kill their fellow soldiers to avoid their capture, an Israeli military officer admitted in an interview with the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahranoth that he ordered a mass bombardment of parts of Rafah during the Israeli invasion, last month, in order to ensure the death of an Israeli soldier who he believed had been captured.
The Rafah bombardment lasted for three straight days, from August 1st to 4th, and resulted in at least 114 deaths of civilians, in a bid to kill an Israeli soldier that Winter believed had been captured.
It turned out later that the soldiers had never been captured, but had been killed in an engagement with Hamas fighters, on August 1st.
The civilians killed in that bombardment included a number of families who were crushed to death when their homes were hit by airstrikes – like the Zo'rob family, who lost five children, including 7-year-old twins Amir and Odai, their 8-year-old brother Khaled, 10-year-old Shahd and 12-year-old Rawan.
In his interview with Yedioth Ahranoth, Colonel Ofer Winter called the civilian population in Gaza “a partner of terror” that “gets what they choose”.
Journalist Rania Khalek with the Electronic Intifada wrote, “Just as a temporary three-day humanitarian ceasefire negotiated by Egypt and the United States went into effect on the morning of Friday, 1 August, a unit of soldiers from the Israeli army’s Givati Brigade conducted a tunnel incursion in Rafah, provoking fire from Palestinian resistance fighters.
“Two Israeli soldiers were killed in the ensuing firefight and another, Hadar Goldin, went missing. It was later determined that Goldin died in the battle but, in the immediate aftermath, the Israeli army operated under the assumption that he had been captured.
“Ofer Winter was napping when he woke up to news of Goldin’s possible capture. He told Yediot Ahronot’s Yossi Yehoshua:
'At 9 am, half an hour after I put my head down, the Deputy Brigade Commander woke me up: “Come quickly, it’s best you be here.” We asked for a snapshot, we wanted information. We didn’t think there was an abduction yet. While inquiring if everyone was there, I commanded Sagiv, the Armored Forces Commander operating under my orders, to start moving from Hirbat Hiza’a, which was where he was, toward Rafah. Just then, I got the message: “it’s not green in our eyes” – in other words, not everyone had been found. We were missing a soldier. At 9:36, after inquiries with the battalion commander on site, I announced on the communication system the word that no one wants to say – “Hannibal.” In other words, there had been an abduction. I instructed all the forces to move forward, to occupy space, so the abductors would not be able to move.'
“The Hannibal Directive is an unwritten Israeli military protocol for executing captured Israeli soldiers to avoid politically painful prisoner swaps. Although its existence has been reported in the Israeli press since the 1980s, this interview with Winter appears to be the most frank acknowledgement of its use.
“The idea is to prevent the captors from taking the soldier alive, effectively denying Palestinian or other Arab resistance groups a bargaining chip down the line and relieving Israeli leaders of the political fallout from having to make concessions (such as prisoner swaps) to secure the soldier’s release.”
This is not the first time that Colonel Ofer Winter has sparked controversy from his description of the Israeli assault on Gaza. As the highest-ranking officer of one of the Israeli military's most elite units, Winter has a lot of power and influence. Early on in the Israeli assault, Winter declared the war to be a “holy war”. In a letter to the soldiers under his command, on July 10th, 2014, Winter wrote that the objective of the invasion was to “wipe out” an “enemy who defames” God.
He continued, “History has chosen us to be the sharp edge of the bayonet of fighting the terrorist enemy ‘from Gaza’ which curses, defames and abuses the God of Israel’s battles.”
His letter ended, “God, the Lord of Israel, make our path successful, as we are about to fight for Your People, Israel, against an enemy who defames your name. In the name of the IDF fighters and, in particular, the fighters and commanders from the Brigade, make the phrase 'For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.' come true, and we shall answer: Amen.”
In a rare admittance of the use of the so-called 'Hannibal Directive', in which Israeli soldiers kill their fellow soldiers to avoid their capture, an Israeli military officer admitted in an interview with the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahranoth that he ordered a mass bombardment of parts of Rafah during the Israeli invasion, last month, in order to ensure the death of an Israeli soldier who he believed had been captured.
The Rafah bombardment lasted for three straight days, from August 1st to 4th, and resulted in at least 114 deaths of civilians, in a bid to kill an Israeli soldier that Winter believed had been captured.
It turned out later that the soldiers had never been captured, but had been killed in an engagement with Hamas fighters, on August 1st.
The civilians killed in that bombardment included a number of families who were crushed to death when their homes were hit by airstrikes – like the Zo'rob family, who lost five children, including 7-year-old twins Amir and Odai, their 8-year-old brother Khaled, 10-year-old Shahd and 12-year-old Rawan.
In his interview with Yedioth Ahranoth, Colonel Ofer Winter called the civilian population in Gaza “a partner of terror” that “gets what they choose”.
Journalist Rania Khalek with the Electronic Intifada wrote, “Just as a temporary three-day humanitarian ceasefire negotiated by Egypt and the United States went into effect on the morning of Friday, 1 August, a unit of soldiers from the Israeli army’s Givati Brigade conducted a tunnel incursion in Rafah, provoking fire from Palestinian resistance fighters.
“Two Israeli soldiers were killed in the ensuing firefight and another, Hadar Goldin, went missing. It was later determined that Goldin died in the battle but, in the immediate aftermath, the Israeli army operated under the assumption that he had been captured.
“Ofer Winter was napping when he woke up to news of Goldin’s possible capture. He told Yediot Ahronot’s Yossi Yehoshua:
'At 9 am, half an hour after I put my head down, the Deputy Brigade Commander woke me up: “Come quickly, it’s best you be here.” We asked for a snapshot, we wanted information. We didn’t think there was an abduction yet. While inquiring if everyone was there, I commanded Sagiv, the Armored Forces Commander operating under my orders, to start moving from Hirbat Hiza’a, which was where he was, toward Rafah. Just then, I got the message: “it’s not green in our eyes” – in other words, not everyone had been found. We were missing a soldier. At 9:36, after inquiries with the battalion commander on site, I announced on the communication system the word that no one wants to say – “Hannibal.” In other words, there had been an abduction. I instructed all the forces to move forward, to occupy space, so the abductors would not be able to move.'
“The Hannibal Directive is an unwritten Israeli military protocol for executing captured Israeli soldiers to avoid politically painful prisoner swaps. Although its existence has been reported in the Israeli press since the 1980s, this interview with Winter appears to be the most frank acknowledgement of its use.
“The idea is to prevent the captors from taking the soldier alive, effectively denying Palestinian or other Arab resistance groups a bargaining chip down the line and relieving Israeli leaders of the political fallout from having to make concessions (such as prisoner swaps) to secure the soldier’s release.”
This is not the first time that Colonel Ofer Winter has sparked controversy from his description of the Israeli assault on Gaza. As the highest-ranking officer of one of the Israeli military's most elite units, Winter has a lot of power and influence. Early on in the Israeli assault, Winter declared the war to be a “holy war”. In a letter to the soldiers under his command, on July 10th, 2014, Winter wrote that the objective of the invasion was to “wipe out” an “enemy who defames” God.
He continued, “History has chosen us to be the sharp edge of the bayonet of fighting the terrorist enemy ‘from Gaza’ which curses, defames and abuses the God of Israel’s battles.”
His letter ended, “God, the Lord of Israel, make our path successful, as we are about to fight for Your People, Israel, against an enemy who defames your name. In the name of the IDF fighters and, in particular, the fighters and commanders from the Brigade, make the phrase 'For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.' come true, and we shall answer: Amen.”
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Names and pictures of these child killers via Ynet
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Daniel Turgeman 4, aug 22 2014
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Givati Brigade
A report by the Israeli military on Sunday August 17th found that during the Israeli invasion of Gaza that began on July 8th, fifteen different incidents of ‘friendly fire’ occurred, killing 5 soldiers and wounding 23.
The report was published in the Israeli newspaper Bamahaneh, which obtained the data directly from the Israeli military.
The paper reported that several of the incidents of ‘friendly fire’ were under investigation by the Israeli military, including an incident in which a tank from the Seventh Armored Corps Brigade fired four tank shells toward another tank located to the east of them while they were advancing southward into the Gaza Strip.
The first Israeli casualty of the invasion, named by the Israeli military as ‘Operation Protective Edge’, was killed by so-called ‘friendly fire’. 20-year-old Eitan Barak was killed by tank fire, but some observers have questioned whether he was a victim of the so-called ‘Hannibal Doctrine’, in which Israeli troops allegedly shoot soldiers who are in the process of being taken prisoner.
Another incident of ‘friendly fire’ that is under investigation by the Israeli military involved Rami Kahlon, an officer who was killed when a grenade on his armored vest exploded. The army said that it’s unclear if the pin had been removed or if the grenade itself was faulty.
Israeli forces killed nearly 2,000 Palestinians in the month-long assault on the Gaza Strip, an estimate 80% of whom were civilians, according to the United Nations. Three Israeli civilians and 64 Israeli soldiers were killed in the month-long assault – most of whom were killed while actively engaged in a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.
A report by the Israeli military on Sunday August 17th found that during the Israeli invasion of Gaza that began on July 8th, fifteen different incidents of ‘friendly fire’ occurred, killing 5 soldiers and wounding 23.
The report was published in the Israeli newspaper Bamahaneh, which obtained the data directly from the Israeli military.
The paper reported that several of the incidents of ‘friendly fire’ were under investigation by the Israeli military, including an incident in which a tank from the Seventh Armored Corps Brigade fired four tank shells toward another tank located to the east of them while they were advancing southward into the Gaza Strip.
The first Israeli casualty of the invasion, named by the Israeli military as ‘Operation Protective Edge’, was killed by so-called ‘friendly fire’. 20-year-old Eitan Barak was killed by tank fire, but some observers have questioned whether he was a victim of the so-called ‘Hannibal Doctrine’, in which Israeli troops allegedly shoot soldiers who are in the process of being taken prisoner.
Another incident of ‘friendly fire’ that is under investigation by the Israeli military involved Rami Kahlon, an officer who was killed when a grenade on his armored vest exploded. The army said that it’s unclear if the pin had been removed or if the grenade itself was faulty.
Israeli forces killed nearly 2,000 Palestinians in the month-long assault on the Gaza Strip, an estimate 80% of whom were civilians, according to the United Nations. Three Israeli civilians and 64 Israeli soldiers were killed in the month-long assault – most of whom were killed while actively engaged in a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.
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Noam Rosenthal 20, july 31 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Shay Kushnir 20, july 31 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Liran Adir 31, july 31 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Benayah Sarel 26, aug 1 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Liel Gidoni 20, aug 1 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Hadar Goldin, killed by Israel along with Hamas members who arrested him. Relative of war criminal Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon. Was a wanted person and participated in war-crimes when killed.
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Niran Cohen 20, july 28
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Matan Gotlib 21, july 29 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Omer Hay 21, july 29 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Guy Algranati 20, july 29 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Daniel Marash 22, july 31 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Omri Tal 22, july 31 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
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Barkey Ishai Shor 21, july 29
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Daniel Kedmi 18, july 29
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Nadav Raimond 19, july 29
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Eliav Eliyahu Haim Kahlon 22, july 28
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Adi Briga 23, july 28
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Maeidan Maymon Biton 20, july 28
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
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Paz Elyahu 22
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Li Mat 19
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed Update: 24 july 2015 |
Shahar Dauber 20
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Auda al-Wadj 32
Civilian |
Dor Dery 18, july 29
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Sagi Erez 19, july 29
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
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Barak Refael Degorker 27, july 26 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Moshe Davino 20, july 28 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Gilad Rozenthal Yacoby 21
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Moshe Malko 20
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Avitar Moshe Torjamin 20
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Dmitri Levitas 26
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
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Guy Levy 21, july 25 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed (apparently killed by other terrorist soldiers to prevent his capture). |
Gal Bason 21, july 26 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Guy Boyland 21, july 26 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Shaul 22, july 20 2014, declared dead by rabbi terrorist july 26th 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Liav Lavi 22, july 26 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed |
Rami Chalon 39, july 26 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in war-crimes when killed Killed by ‘Very Friendly Fire’ |
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Natan Cohen 23, july 23 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in crimes when killed |
Yair Ashkenazi 36, july 25 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in crimes when killed |
Ehud Shemesh 27, july .. 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in crimes when killed |
Amit Yeori, july 25 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in crimes when killed |
Avraham Grintzvaig 21, july 25 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in crimes when killed |
Roy Peles 21, july 25 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in crimes when killed |
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Yuval Heiman 21, 21 july 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed |
Jordan Ben Simon 22, 21 july 2014 French.
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed |
Awitar Turjuman, 22 july 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed |
Paz Eliyahu 23, 23 july 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed |
Lee Matt 19, 23 july 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed |
Shachar Dauber 20, 23 july 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed |
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Oren Simcha Noach 22, july 21 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed |
Battalion commander Lt.-Col. Dolev Kidar 38, july 21 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed |
Tal Yifrach 21, july 21 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed. Killed in a fire exchange. |
Yuval Dagan 22, july 21 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed. Killed in a fire exchange. |
Goldmacher 23, july 21 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas |
Baynesain Kasahun 39, july 21 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas |
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Oded Ben Sira, 22, 21 july 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed |
Max Steinberg 24, 21 july 2014 USA
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed |
Shachar Tase 20, 21 july 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed |
Daniel Pomerantz 20, 21 july 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed |
Sean Mondschein 19, 21 july 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed |
Ben Itzhak Vanunu, 19, 21 july 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed |
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Gilad Yaakobi 21, july 17 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed |
Nissim Sean Carmeli 21, july 17 2014
IDF terrorist from the United States, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed |
Oz Mendelovich 21, july 17 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed |
Zvika Kaplan 28, july 19 2014.
IDF terrorist of an illegal Israeli settlement in the West Bank IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed |
Tsafrir Bar-Or 32, july 19 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed |
Bnaya Rubel 19, july 20 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed |
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Narakorn Kitiyangkul, 36, july 14 2014
Civilian,Thai worker |
Dror Hanin 37, july 15 2014
killed while working on the illegal Gaza border. |
Eitan Barak, july 18 2014 Israel said Palestinians killed him but.....
killed by very friendly fire |
Adar Bersano 20, july 19 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed |
Amotz Greenberg 45, july 19 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed |
Bar Rahav 21, july 19 2014
IDF terrorist, was wanted by Hamas participated in hostilities when killed |
26 july 2014
The alleged kidnapping and murder of three Israeli settlers in late June was the oft-cited reason for Israel’s escalation against the Hamas government in the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip. But new evidence indicates that Hamas was not responsible at all for the murders, according to reporters who spoke with Israeli police.
The order of events, taking into consideration that Israeli raids of the West Bank and shooting of Gazan fishermen have been daily occurrences for years, began with the disappearance of three Israeli teenagers from a colony built on Palestinian land in the West Bank on June 12th.
For three weeks following, Israeli forces rampaged through the West Bank, abducting legislators, politicians, and virtually anyone who was publicly associated with the political party Hamas (a Palestinian political party whose armed wing has, in the past, claimed responsibility for attacks against both Israeli soldiers and Israeli civilians), taking over 900 people into custody. Hamas officials vehemently denied any connection with the disappearance of the settlers. Palestinian officials challenged the campaign of mass abductions as a violation of international law.
It should be noted that the raids against Hamas officials came within a month after the Palestinian Authority announced the formation of a unity government that included both the more militant Hamas party and the Fateh party, which has long acted as an arm of the Israeli occupation government in the West Bank. Israeli officials had voiced alarm at this development, as it represented a unification between Palestinian factions that had long been divided. The U.S. government had even announced that it would consider working with the unity government (see here and here, raising alarm among Israeli officials who had tried to discredit the Palestinian efforts.
After the teens’ bodies were found on June 30th, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu stated unequivocally, "They were kidnapped and murdered in cold blood by animals in human form. Hamas is responsible, and Hamas will pay../../../” for their disappearance. He did not, however, present any evidence to support this claim. Six weeks later, after the abduction and torturous interrogation of hundreds of Palestinians in the West Bank, there has still been no evidence presented that shows Hamas involvement – or even the involvement of any Palestinians at all – in the deaths of the three youth.
Indeed, on Friday, July 25th, BBC reporter Jon Donnison published on Twitter a series of statements from a conversation he had with the Israeli police spokesperson, Micky Rosenfeld.
Donnison wrote, “Israeli police MickeyRosenfeld tells me men who killed 3 Israeli teens def[initely] lone cell, Hamas affiliated but not operating under leadership … Seems to contradict the line from Netanyahu government.../../../”
He also wrote that Rosenfeld told him, “Israeli police spokes Mickey Rosenfeld also said if kidnapping had been ordered by Hamas leadership, they'd have known about it in advance.../../../”
In addition to implying that Israel has moles within the leadership of the Hamas party, this statement also draws into question the stated justification for Israel’s offensive into Gaza, which has already claimed up to 1,000 lives.
This is not the first time that Israeli officials have admitted that they do not believe Hamas was behind the disappearance and subsequent deaths of the teens. On June 15th, Sheera Frenkel of Buzzfeed reported, “The kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers was likely carried out by a small group of militants with no direct orders from Hamas, ISIS, or any other regional terror group, said senior Israeli and Palestinian officials Sunday. ‘What we do know, is that this was likely an opportunistic move. The men behind this may have ties to a larger terror group, but this does not have the markings of a well-planned, complex operation,’ one Israeli officer, based in the West Bank, told BuzzFeed. ‘It makes it more difficult to find them if there isn’t a larger trail of intelligence to sniff out.’../../../”
Most analysts familiar with the issue say that the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza has nothing to do with the three teens (or the subsequent increase in Palestinian resistance shelling that followed the Israeli raids and abductions of 800 Hamas-affiliated people in the West Bank), but was meant to challenge the Palestinian Authority’s unity government, and had been planned for months.
It Turns Out Hamas Didn’t Kidnap and Kill the 3 Israeli Teens After All
The order of events, taking into consideration that Israeli raids of the West Bank and shooting of Gazan fishermen have been daily occurrences for years, began with the disappearance of three Israeli teenagers from a colony built on Palestinian land in the West Bank on June 12th.
For three weeks following, Israeli forces rampaged through the West Bank, abducting legislators, politicians, and virtually anyone who was publicly associated with the political party Hamas (a Palestinian political party whose armed wing has, in the past, claimed responsibility for attacks against both Israeli soldiers and Israeli civilians), taking over 900 people into custody. Hamas officials vehemently denied any connection with the disappearance of the settlers. Palestinian officials challenged the campaign of mass abductions as a violation of international law.
It should be noted that the raids against Hamas officials came within a month after the Palestinian Authority announced the formation of a unity government that included both the more militant Hamas party and the Fateh party, which has long acted as an arm of the Israeli occupation government in the West Bank. Israeli officials had voiced alarm at this development, as it represented a unification between Palestinian factions that had long been divided. The U.S. government had even announced that it would consider working with the unity government (see here and here, raising alarm among Israeli officials who had tried to discredit the Palestinian efforts.
After the teens’ bodies were found on June 30th, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu stated unequivocally, "They were kidnapped and murdered in cold blood by animals in human form. Hamas is responsible, and Hamas will pay../../../” for their disappearance. He did not, however, present any evidence to support this claim. Six weeks later, after the abduction and torturous interrogation of hundreds of Palestinians in the West Bank, there has still been no evidence presented that shows Hamas involvement – or even the involvement of any Palestinians at all – in the deaths of the three youth.
Indeed, on Friday, July 25th, BBC reporter Jon Donnison published on Twitter a series of statements from a conversation he had with the Israeli police spokesperson, Micky Rosenfeld.
Donnison wrote, “Israeli police MickeyRosenfeld tells me men who killed 3 Israeli teens def[initely] lone cell, Hamas affiliated but not operating under leadership … Seems to contradict the line from Netanyahu government.../../../”
He also wrote that Rosenfeld told him, “Israeli police spokes Mickey Rosenfeld also said if kidnapping had been ordered by Hamas leadership, they'd have known about it in advance.../../../”
In addition to implying that Israel has moles within the leadership of the Hamas party, this statement also draws into question the stated justification for Israel’s offensive into Gaza, which has already claimed up to 1,000 lives.
This is not the first time that Israeli officials have admitted that they do not believe Hamas was behind the disappearance and subsequent deaths of the teens. On June 15th, Sheera Frenkel of Buzzfeed reported, “The kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers was likely carried out by a small group of militants with no direct orders from Hamas, ISIS, or any other regional terror group, said senior Israeli and Palestinian officials Sunday. ‘What we do know, is that this was likely an opportunistic move. The men behind this may have ties to a larger terror group, but this does not have the markings of a well-planned, complex operation,’ one Israeli officer, based in the West Bank, told BuzzFeed. ‘It makes it more difficult to find them if there isn’t a larger trail of intelligence to sniff out.’../../../”
Most analysts familiar with the issue say that the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza has nothing to do with the three teens (or the subsequent increase in Palestinian resistance shelling that followed the Israeli raids and abductions of 800 Hamas-affiliated people in the West Bank), but was meant to challenge the Palestinian Authority’s unity government, and had been planned for months.
It Turns Out Hamas Didn’t Kidnap and Kill the 3 Israeli Teens After All
By
Katie Zavadski
When the bodies of three Israeli teenagers, kidnapped in the West Bank, were found late last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not mince words. "Hamas is responsible, and Hamas will pay," he said, initiating a campaign that eventually escalated into the present conflict in the region.
But now, Israeli officials admit the kidnappings were not Hamas's handiwork after all. (Update: The comments from the Israeli spokesperson in question indicate that the group thought to be responsible, a "lone cell," may not have been under direct orders from Hamas's leadership, but was loosely affiliated with the group. The headline of this post has been changed to reflect that discrepancy. See below for more.)
BuzzFeed reporter Sheera Frenkel was among the first to suggest that it was unlikely that Hamas was behind the deaths of Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel, and Eyal Yifrach. Citing Palestinian sources and experts in the field, Frenkel reported that kidnapping three Israeli teens would be a foolish move for Hamas. International experts told her it was likely the work of a local group, acting without concern for the repercussions:
[Gershon Baskin] pointed out that Hamas has earlier this month signed an agreement to form a unity government with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, bridging, for the first time in seven years, the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank and Gaza.
“They will lose their reconciliation agreement with Abbas if they do take responsibility for [the kidnappings],” Baskin added.
Today, she may have been proven right:
Sheera Frenkel ✔ @sheeraf After Israel's top leadership exhaustively blamed Hamas for kidnap of 3 teens, they've now admitted killers were acting as "lone cell."4:40 PM - 25 Jul 2014
Order of events: 3 teens kidnapped->100s of Palestns in WB arrested->revenge attacks on Palestinians->violence along Gaza/Israel border->war4:42 PM - 25 Jul 2014
Repeated inconsistencies in Israeli descriptions of the situation have sparked debate over whether Israel wanted to provoke Hamas into a confrontation. Israeli intelligence is also said to have known that the boys were dead shortly after they disappeared, but to have maintained public optimism about their safe return to beef up support from the Jewish diaspora. Writing for Al Jazeera, Musa al-Gharbi argued that Israel was deliberately provoking Hamas:
All the illegal and immoral actions related to Operation Brother’s Keeper were justified under the premise of finding and saving the missing teens whom the Israeli government knew to be dead — cynically exploiting the tragedy to whip up public outcry in order to provoke and then confront Hamas. This pattern of deception continues under the ongoing military offensive in Gaza. For example, last week in collaboration with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Abbas, in its efforts to alienate Hamas, Israel announced a bad-faith cease-fire proposal, which Hamas was not consulted on and never agreed to but whose violation supposedly justified Israel’s expansion and intensification of the military campaign into Gaza.
Despite continued negotiations, the violence shows no signs of letting up, and after Thursday night's massive protests in the West Bank, there is still no ceasefire agreement. On Friday, it became clear that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's attempts to broker a seven-day truce were rejected by Israeli officials. Instead, Israel will apparently widen its ground operation in the Gaza Strip, despite international outcry about the civilian death toll. According to unnamed officials, the proposed truce was too generous to Hamas's demands.
Hamas, meanwhile, still hasn't weighed in on the agreement, whose details are being kept secret, but continued to launch rockets into Israel. International peace talks are set to resume in France this weekend, and we're keeping our fingers crossed.
Updated, July 26, 11:44 a.m.: This claim was also reported by BBC's Jon Donnison, who spoked to Israel Police Foreign Press Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld:
Jon Donnison ✔ @jondonnisonbbc Israeli police MickeyRosenfeld tells me men who killed 3 Israeli teens def lone cell, hamas affiliated but not operating under leadership1/2 1:28 PM - 25 Jul 2014
Seems to contradict the line from Netanyahu government. 2/2 1:29 PM - 25 Jul 2014
Israeli police spokes Mickey Rosenfeld also said if kidnapping had been ordered by Hamas leadership, they'd have known about it in advance.5:56 PM - 25 Jul 2014
Mickey Rosenfeld said lone cells much harder to track. Said they would find whoever was now protecting the two suspects. 5:57 PM - 25 Jul 2014
Update, July 28, 9:21 a.m.: Rosenfeld, the Israeli spokesperson, is seeking to clarify that while the lone cell did not receive direct orders from Hamas, it was still affiliated. “The kidnapping and murder of the teens was carried out by Hamas terrorists from the Hebron area,” he claimed in comments to The Daily Beast. “The security organizations are continuing to search for the murderers.”
But Donnison, the BBC journalist, is not backtracking from his earlier reporting:
Jon Donnison ✔ @jondonnisonbbc Follow For those asking, I stick by 100% tweets regarding comments made to me by Israeli police spokes Mickey Rosenfeld. He said it. Period. 1/2 8:14 PM - 26 Jul 2014
And what's more I suspect what he said is common knowledge in Israeli intelligence circles. 2/2 8:14 PM - 26 Jul 2014
When the bodies of three Israeli teenagers, kidnapped in the West Bank, were found late last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not mince words. "Hamas is responsible, and Hamas will pay," he said, initiating a campaign that eventually escalated into the present conflict in the region.
But now, Israeli officials admit the kidnappings were not Hamas's handiwork after all. (Update: The comments from the Israeli spokesperson in question indicate that the group thought to be responsible, a "lone cell," may not have been under direct orders from Hamas's leadership, but was loosely affiliated with the group. The headline of this post has been changed to reflect that discrepancy. See below for more.)
BuzzFeed reporter Sheera Frenkel was among the first to suggest that it was unlikely that Hamas was behind the deaths of Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel, and Eyal Yifrach. Citing Palestinian sources and experts in the field, Frenkel reported that kidnapping three Israeli teens would be a foolish move for Hamas. International experts told her it was likely the work of a local group, acting without concern for the repercussions:
[Gershon Baskin] pointed out that Hamas has earlier this month signed an agreement to form a unity government with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, bridging, for the first time in seven years, the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank and Gaza.
“They will lose their reconciliation agreement with Abbas if they do take responsibility for [the kidnappings],” Baskin added.
Today, she may have been proven right:
Sheera Frenkel ✔ @sheeraf After Israel's top leadership exhaustively blamed Hamas for kidnap of 3 teens, they've now admitted killers were acting as "lone cell."4:40 PM - 25 Jul 2014
Order of events: 3 teens kidnapped->100s of Palestns in WB arrested->revenge attacks on Palestinians->violence along Gaza/Israel border->war4:42 PM - 25 Jul 2014
Repeated inconsistencies in Israeli descriptions of the situation have sparked debate over whether Israel wanted to provoke Hamas into a confrontation. Israeli intelligence is also said to have known that the boys were dead shortly after they disappeared, but to have maintained public optimism about their safe return to beef up support from the Jewish diaspora. Writing for Al Jazeera, Musa al-Gharbi argued that Israel was deliberately provoking Hamas:
All the illegal and immoral actions related to Operation Brother’s Keeper were justified under the premise of finding and saving the missing teens whom the Israeli government knew to be dead — cynically exploiting the tragedy to whip up public outcry in order to provoke and then confront Hamas. This pattern of deception continues under the ongoing military offensive in Gaza. For example, last week in collaboration with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Abbas, in its efforts to alienate Hamas, Israel announced a bad-faith cease-fire proposal, which Hamas was not consulted on and never agreed to but whose violation supposedly justified Israel’s expansion and intensification of the military campaign into Gaza.
Despite continued negotiations, the violence shows no signs of letting up, and after Thursday night's massive protests in the West Bank, there is still no ceasefire agreement. On Friday, it became clear that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's attempts to broker a seven-day truce were rejected by Israeli officials. Instead, Israel will apparently widen its ground operation in the Gaza Strip, despite international outcry about the civilian death toll. According to unnamed officials, the proposed truce was too generous to Hamas's demands.
Hamas, meanwhile, still hasn't weighed in on the agreement, whose details are being kept secret, but continued to launch rockets into Israel. International peace talks are set to resume in France this weekend, and we're keeping our fingers crossed.
Updated, July 26, 11:44 a.m.: This claim was also reported by BBC's Jon Donnison, who spoked to Israel Police Foreign Press Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld:
Jon Donnison ✔ @jondonnisonbbc Israeli police MickeyRosenfeld tells me men who killed 3 Israeli teens def lone cell, hamas affiliated but not operating under leadership1/2 1:28 PM - 25 Jul 2014
Seems to contradict the line from Netanyahu government. 2/2 1:29 PM - 25 Jul 2014
Israeli police spokes Mickey Rosenfeld also said if kidnapping had been ordered by Hamas leadership, they'd have known about it in advance.5:56 PM - 25 Jul 2014
Mickey Rosenfeld said lone cells much harder to track. Said they would find whoever was now protecting the two suspects. 5:57 PM - 25 Jul 2014
Update, July 28, 9:21 a.m.: Rosenfeld, the Israeli spokesperson, is seeking to clarify that while the lone cell did not receive direct orders from Hamas, it was still affiliated. “The kidnapping and murder of the teens was carried out by Hamas terrorists from the Hebron area,” he claimed in comments to The Daily Beast. “The security organizations are continuing to search for the murderers.”
But Donnison, the BBC journalist, is not backtracking from his earlier reporting:
Jon Donnison ✔ @jondonnisonbbc Follow For those asking, I stick by 100% tweets regarding comments made to me by Israeli police spokes Mickey Rosenfeld. He said it. Period. 1/2 8:14 PM - 26 Jul 2014
And what's more I suspect what he said is common knowledge in Israeli intelligence circles. 2/2 8:14 PM - 26 Jul 2014
The military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades said on Saturday that its fighters shot and killed an Israeli soldier near Nablus in the northern West Bank.
In a statement released from Gaza, the group said that fighters with the group opened fire at an Israeli military jeep "from a close distance at the Itamar settlement east of Nablus" at around 1:10 a.m.
"Our fighters confirmed that they killed an Israeli soldier in the jeep before they withdrew unharmed," the statement added.
The group warned that military operations would continue in the West Bank in response to the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.
An Israeli military spokeswoman did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Also on Saturday morning, militants affiliated with the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade claimed responsibility for opening fire on Qalandia checkpoint and injuring Israeli soldiers during a gun battle there.
Tensions have been high in the West Bank as tens of thousands have protested the Israeli assault on Gaza that has killed more than 940 Gazans in the last 18 days.
Israeli forces have killed 12 Palestinians in protests in the last two weeks, including nine in a twenty-four hour period ending early Saturday.
In a statement released from Gaza, the group said that fighters with the group opened fire at an Israeli military jeep "from a close distance at the Itamar settlement east of Nablus" at around 1:10 a.m.
"Our fighters confirmed that they killed an Israeli soldier in the jeep before they withdrew unharmed," the statement added.
The group warned that military operations would continue in the West Bank in response to the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.
An Israeli military spokeswoman did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Also on Saturday morning, militants affiliated with the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade claimed responsibility for opening fire on Qalandia checkpoint and injuring Israeli soldiers during a gun battle there.
Tensions have been high in the West Bank as tens of thousands have protested the Israeli assault on Gaza that has killed more than 940 Gazans in the last 18 days.
Israeli forces have killed 12 Palestinians in protests in the last two weeks, including nine in a twenty-four hour period ending early Saturday.
