It’s been a very, very complicated few days in Israel. A few triumphs, the horror of the three escaping hostages killed by our own forces (itself a very complicated story that defies easy “blame”), complete incomprehension at the cruelty Hamas evinced even towards their own children, a heartbreaking picture of a soldier and the three week old daughter he leaves behind, and a celebration of a released student greeted when she returns to her high school.
We start with the above video:
Yousef Mahmoud Hamid al-Mansi is former communications minister of Hamas. Al-Mansi and was arrested on December 5. He was interrogated by Israeli forces. For reasons that become obvious when you watch the clip at the very top of this post, the IDF wanted the world to hear what his operative had to say about Hamas.
Watch the video below to hear what he has to say about the war, Hamas and Yahya Sinwar. Given recent polls that show high levels of support for Hamas in both Gaza and the West Bank, it’s hard to know if he’s telling the truth, if he’s out of touch, or whatever … but that some people are expressing this view is worthy of note.
Now a video clip from the field.
This clip has made its way around Israeli social media, including a tweet here.
It was 2 am and IDF soldiers noticed some suspicious movements in the horizon. In a time of war, that would generally mean to open fire. But the IDF, being the IDF, waited and then noticed it was a kid, a 4 year old girl. She was walking around aimlessly without shoes and with multiple wounds.
The IDF soldiers took her to the field doctor, they treated her wounds and helped her in every way they could. After they treated her, they brought her to the humanitarian corridor so they can try to locate her family and care for her.
Turns out, the child was sent by Hamas into the heart of a war zone to see if the Israeli soldiers were up and alert. Their cruelty knows no bounds.
Why don’t you see this story in the press? Good question.
Note that at 35 seconds in, can hear a soldier sigh.
No other response really makes any sense. What is there to say about “human beings” who would use a four year old girl that way?
A heartbreaking photo of a 23-year-old soldier and the three week old daughter he left behind:
A few days ago, the IDF allowed publication of notice that Sergeant Major Shai Uriel Pizam, twenty-three years old, from Kibbutz Ein HaNatziv, fell in battle in Gaza. His funeral was held last night, after Shabbat, on his Kibbutz.
He leaves behind a young wife and this three-week-old daughter.
Far from the international headlines, Israel is becoming a country filled with broken-hearted widows and orphans, and children so young that they will have no memories of their fathers.
A finally, something that will bring a momentary smile to our collectives faced.
Maya Limberg, held hostage by Hamas but later released, returned to her art high school in Jerusalem. This was how she was greeted.
May we soon see other similar celebrations.
If you’re just joining us, Israel from the Inside typically posts a written column on Mondays and a podcast on Wednesdays. That is obviously irrelevant for the time being.
We’ve delayed all the podcasts that were ready to go, because the people whose stories they tell deserve to tell them when we all have the bandwidth to hear. Hopefully, that will return some day.
For the next three weeks, beginning Sunday, December 17th, we will be posting a bit less, as people in the United States will be on vacation, traveling and the like, and here in Israel, as some reservists are being rotated out of units, those of us who could not leave while our kids were/are at the front, will be using the time to visit kids abroad.
Impossible Takes Longer is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble and at other booksellers.
Our Threads feed is danielgordis. We’ll start to use it more shortly.
Rage. Frustration. Tragedy. Heartbreak. Celebration.