23 Aug 2023, Jerusalem: Israel’s government recognizes that Iran funding and directives are behind the Palestinian acts of terrorism against Jews in Israel. Israel has recently attacked Iranian outposts in war-torn Syria. Iran apparently seeks to take advantage of the problems in Syria, and fill the void there with military bases from which to launch kinetic attacks at Israel.
Iran’s goals have been thwarted somewhat by Israel’s secret incursions into Syria to attack the Iranian bases there. Iran’s response: mobilize Palestinians with finances and funding to attack Jewish civilians.
Israel’s response: Continue to call attention to Iran’s actions and backing of terrorists.
“Israel hints of more strikes at Iranian, Hamas targets; Two suspects arrested in killing of Batsheva Nigri;” Jerusalem Post, 23 Aug 2023 pg 1.
“Israel hints of more strikes at Iranian, Hamas targets; Two suspects arrested in killing of Batsheva Nigri;” Jerusalem Post, 23 Aug 2023 pg 1.
“Preschool teacher Batsheva Nigri was ‘a fun, happy woman,’ her Beit Hagai neighbor Hannah Zarichon said Monday on N12, after she was gunned down by terrorists in the presence of her 12-year-old daughter on Route 60 near Hebron… Nigri, mother of three, … was buried Monday night in Kfar Etzion.” (“Batsheva Nigri – ‘an infectionus laugh and a huge smile’;” Jerusalem Post, 22 Aug 2023 pg 1.)
“Batsheva had hitched a ride from Beit Hagai to Kiryat Arba. The driver, Aryeh Gottlieb, 39… was in serious but stable condition from gunshot wounds…”
(“Terrorists gun down mother in front of daughter; ‘We’re in wave of terror we haven’t known in a long time,’ says top general;” Jerusalem Post, 22 Aug 2023 pg 1, 7.)
“Terrorists gun down mother in front of daughter; ‘We’re in wave of terror we haven’t known in a long time,’ says top general;” Jerusalem Post, 22 Aug 2023 pg 1, 7.
Operation Home and Garden began July 3 and ended July 5, 2023, and was active only in Jenin.
Operation Break the Wave in March 2022 and is ongoing, nationwide, but with a focus in Northern West Bank (aka Southern Samaria) after a spike in terrorist attacks began in 2021.
Yesterday’s attack in Hebron would be considered Southern West Bank, located in Judea.
“This is the fifth Israeli to die in a terrorist attack this month and the 29th victim this year. Twelve of the terrorist attacks took place in the West Bank (Samaria and Judea), but this was the first fatality this year in the South Hebron Hills.” (article, pg 1).
Pray for our work in troubled West Bank (Samaria).
20 Aug 2023: In the map below, see Turqus Aaya where a man took a wrong turn with his car and had to be rescued by the IDF after he was attacked with stones and his car set on fire.
North of there, Huwara, the site where father and son were shot to death at a car wash.
South of there, south of Hebron, a car was shot up in a drive by shooting this morning (21 Aug 2023).
I am located northwest of there in Samaria near the line at Rosh haAyin.
21 Aug 2023: An Israeli woman, 39, was killed and an Israeli man was wounded this morning near Hebron in a drive-by shooting. This is considered a very serious attack this morning; we can expect an uproar.
Channel 11 “Kan,” 21 Aug 2023.
Screenshot from Channel 14, 21 Aug 2023 showing the site o a terrorist attack near Hebron.
21 Aug 2023, Samaria: While writing this post, another Arab attack against a Jew is reported on the TV, an Israeli car was shot up near Hebron. A woman (39) has died, the driver, a man is wounded critically; unknown condition of a 1-yr old passenger and a 15-yr old hitchhiker.
As for the attack two days ago, Silas Nigerker, 60, and his son Avia Nir, 28, went to the Muslim town of Huwara to do work on their car, and visit with friends. Silas was well known and well-liked there and knew many Muslims personally. They were shot at point-blank range at a car wash on the afternoon of Shabbat.
“Right calls for military campaign to root out West Bank terrorism; IDF continues search for Huwara terrorist who killed two Israelis;” Jerusalem Post, 21 Aug 2023, pg 1.
“Everyone in Huwara knew him;” Jerusalem Post, 21 Aug 2023, pg 1.
“IDF searches for terrorist who killed father and son in Huwara; Security forces brace for revenge attacks from Jewish extremists;” Jerusalem Post, 20 Aug 2023 pg 1.
“Right calls for military campaign to root out West Bank terrorism; IDF continues search for Huwara terrorist who killed two Israelis;” Jerusalem Post, 21 Aug 2023, pg 1.
Abraham Accords after 3 years; let’s have an update:
Article image from “Three years on, Abraham Accords changed the lexicon of the Middle East” Jerusalem Post, 14 Aug 2023, pg 1.
What is happening with the USA’s Biden Administration, the State Dept, with the proposed nuclear deal with Iran – and how does that affect Israel and the Middle East?
Article image from “US-Iran Deal will support terrorism, Israel warns,” Jerusalem Post, 13 Aug 2023, pg 1.
Please Pray for our ongoing work in a troubled Land.
Two Israeli teenagers, 18 and 19, probably a boy and a girl (I’m just guessing), spoke on a phone in Hebrew while on vacation in Berlin-Kreuzberg, Germany.
A car pulled up, 3 men got out, questioned the teens in German, and with no answer in German, they began beating the 19yr old (probably the boy). The 18 year old was not beaten, which leads to my guess that it was probably a girl.
“Israeli tourist, 19, beaten in Germany,” Jerusalem Post article below:
10 July 2023 News update: The Jenin operation is done, (Operation Home and Garden) while setting a new world record: zero non-combatants killed.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/373909
Col. Richard Kemp on Jenin op: ‘Remarkable achievement unprecedented in modern warfare’
Former commander of British forces in Afghanistan lauds IDF for avoiding killing any civilians in Jenin operation.
4 July 2023, Samaria: While Operation Break the Wave (in Jenin, Samaria, aka West Bank) still continues for more than a year since March 2022, Operation Home and Garden is quite different and began just yesterday. And yet Op Home and Garden is also quite different from the routine raids and arrests the IDF conducts as well as those of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and the Border Police.Article “Jenin operation unlikely to end terrorism wave,” Jerusalem Post, 4 July 2023 pg 1.Jerusalem Post, 4 July 2023 pg 1.Jerusalem Post, 4 July 2023 pg 1.
28 June 2023, Samaria: In May 2021, exactly 2 years before now, Israel suddenly came under Islamic missile attack from armed forces in Gaza, who are funded, supplied, and commanded by Iran. Here’s a series of videos as a recap of Shavuot Season ‘21.
Before I share the first-hand accounts thru video, and news interviews, I quickly want to add: That war in 2021 was unusual not only for the “overwhelm” strategy used by the Gazan rocketeers, but also that Israeli Arabs got into hand-to-hand combat against Israeli Jews in the streets of the mixed cities. What I mean is – Israeli citizens, who are Arabs, who pay taxes to Israel and vote for Parliament (Knesset) Members, and having Arab Israeli representatives occupying seats in the Knesset, and even at that moment in the Coalition not only the Opposition, Israeli Arabs who have lived side by side with Jews for generations, were suddenly, as soon as rockets were raining down from Gaza (Gazans are not citizens) these Arab Israelis went door to door marking the Jewish apartments with paint for the gangs to break in and violate the Jewish families. This had not really happened before, and it was a shock to society. Never before had the Israeli Arab citizens taken sides with the Gazans (who are non-Israelis) in such a blatant, violent, and cruel way. Previously they had done other things such as using cars to mow down Jews standing at the bus stops, which is already cruel, but the street fights and the door-to-door combat among mixed Arab-Jewish neighbors was unprecedented, and used in addition to the car rammings and such. It led to the downfall of the government which was historical in that the Arab Knesset members had joined the coalition for the first time.
To be clear: There were no reports of Jewish neighbors attacking Arabs door-to-door. There were gangs of Jewish young men joining together to defend fellow Jews. I interviewed firsthand one Jewish young man who said that he joined with eighty friends every day (80) to form automobile convoys and drive to the mixed cities in order to fight and defend the Jewish residents of those cities. The Jewish Israeli government of course rebuked such actions and called on Jews to calm themselves and trust in the Army and Police to defend them. However, the only words from the Arab Muslim Knesset Members were to incite the Arab Israelis to continue the street violence.
My first-hand reports of the overhead missiles are below. But first, Sky News Australia interviewed Colonel Richard Kemp, battlefield expert, on Gaza’s attacks and Israel’s responses, and a “fake out” move by which the IDF goaded the armies of Gaza into attacking Israel, which was a clever trap:
At first, the long-range missiles from Gaza were reaching the Jerusalem area, and that was quite a shock, since Iran has difficulty smuggling those into Gaza thru the tunnels in Egypt, and so Jerusalem doesn’t often come under fire for that reason:
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Suddenly, Tel Aviv and surrounding areas were also under missile fire, and I was caught out on the street when six of them exploded overhead:
What it felt like for me holed up in a bomb shelter with a cat in Bat Yam near Tel Aviv:
One Shabbat, I was caught outside walking when 23 missiles were simultaneously launched at Bat Yam, Rishon Lezion, Cholon and Tel Aviv. The Gazans were for the first time making a pointed effort to overwhelm the Iron Dome batteries that can only fire 20 anti-missile defenses at a time before reloading:
The day after that was Shavuot Pentecost 2021, and I retraced my steps where I had been under the 23 missiles the day before:
Thanks to all Partners and Intercessors who help me continue the work under difficult circumstances. Pray about our Work.
