Arsen Ostrovsky on U.S. Secretary Blinken’s recent visit to the region and criticism of the humanitarian aid going into Gaza, saying: If Washington really wants to help the situation in Gaza, it should “force Qatar and Turkey to pressure Hamas into accepting the U.S.-brokered deal and release of the hostages,” rather than “putting more pressure on Israel, who are already doing everything we can, while being forced to fight a seven-front war against Iran.

Published in JNS, October 23, 2024.

David M. Weinberg: This year, merriment will surely take a step back, with the traditional hakafot – circles of dancing – modulated by the addition of poems and prayers that focus on repair, redemption, resilience, and heroism.

That said, the elevation of Torah learning on Simchat Torah, along with the traditional prayers for prosperity on the simultaneous holiday of Shmini Atzeret, are serious religious milestones that cannot be eviscerated by Hamas. The Hamas invasion and massacre should be formally commemorated with all appropriate solemnity and solidarity on other days.

Published in The Jerusalem Post, October 20, 2024.

Israel’s military success against the Hezbollah terrorist army has opened the door for a diplomatic end to the war in Lebanon. In this Daily Briefing, Citizen Spokeswoman Ruth Wasserman Lande explains what Israel is demanding.

October 22, 2024.

Prof. Kobi Michael: In the end, Sinwar was the ultimate leader of Hamas, not only in the Gaza Strip, but he was also elected to replace Haniyeh as the head of the political wing, which means the leader of the entire organisation. So, the organisation, once again lost its head. But what is more crucial than that, it lost its most crucial centre of gravity in the Gaza Strip.

Published in The National, October 18, 2024.

Brig. Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser: Hezbollah has been significantly weakened and this undermines Iran’s deterrence and could prompt the regime to explore the nuclear option as a form of ultimate deterrence.

In light of Israeli successes, and in light of the fact that Trump could win the U.S. elections [scheduled for less than a month from now], this could strengthen those [in Iran] who support a breakout now. At the same time, they also have considerations that pull them in the opposite direction. Even if they discussed this, there is no expression that, at this time, they took a certain decision to move forward.

It’s a very high risk, especially in the current environment.

Published in JNS, October 16, 2024.

Ruth Wasserman Lande: The American elections are extremely challenging and sensitive. Does Israel need the United States by its side? Yes, it does. Is the United States currently sending a problematic message to Israel, preventing it from fully succeeding? Yes, it is. One of the main examples, aside from Iran, is in the Gaza Strip. If the United States had allowed Israel to act decisively and much earlier, it would have been the only leverage, aside from military force, that could push Hamas to release the hostages. Instead, American pressure is essentially providing Hamas with a lifeline, allowing them to steal humanitarian aid, sustain themselves, and continue engaging in terrorism, rather than creating sustainable sources of income for the people.

The interview took place on the I24 channel in English on October 16, 2024.

Brig. Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser: I expects Israel to strike Iranian nuclear sites in one of its “rounds” of attacks against Iran. Not only do I expect that, but I expect the international community to support us.

I believe this is true,  because everybody has to understand this is not going to be a one-time attack by Israel.

Given Israel will be launching multiple rounds of attacks against Iran, we have to make sure the Americans know we are attentive to their concerns about wide-scale regional war.

The nuclear sites will have to be dealt with in the next round, if it’s not going to be dealt with this round.

Published in BBC, October 15, 2024.

Arsen Ostrovsky: Hezbollah is not the Salvation Army. They are a genocidal terror group, sworn to Israel’s destruction and acting at the behest of the Iran regime. And that they are doing all this right under the noses of UNIFIL.

The interview took place on Sky News (Australia), October 14, 2024.

Prof. Kobi Michael: Israel’s actions against Iran and the targets it chooses will depend on the level of cooperation between Israel and the United States. If Israel is able to reach an understanding with the U.S. regarding the destruction of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure—whether not in the initial phase of operations, but perhaps after Iran’s response—I assume that Israel will target military assets, and possibly symbolic targets as well, during the next stage of operations. However, if Israel is unable to reach an understanding with the U.S. by November 5th, the day of the U.S. presidential election, I assume Israel will proceed independently, targeting a broader range of sites, including Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

The interview took place on the ILTV channel on october 13, 2024.

Prof. Kobi Michael: There were reports about a month ago that Hamas has earned as much as $500,000 by selling the humanitarian aid it looted from the international organizations. With this money, it pays salaries to its remaining members and manages to mobilize new ones.

Hamas continues to take control of at least 50 percent of all the humanitarian aid that enters Gaza. The trucks with humanitarian aid are inspected by Israel before they enter the Gaza Strip. Once they are on the other side of the fence, they are supposed to be taken over by international organizations that distribute the aid. But these organizations are not able to manage the enormous amount of aid that is being sent to Gaza.

Col. (res.) Prof. Gabi Siboni: It’s a strategic failure of the IDF that it refused to take control over the aid distribution, and the strategic failure of the international community which insists on delivering humanitarian aid to zones of the Strip where the IDF had ordered the civilians to evacuate.

Humanitarian aid should not at all be heading towards the north of the Strip, where the IDF ordered the civilians to evacuate to the south.

Published in TPS, October 13, 2024.