JC Israel Briefing Day 544: Israel aiming to seize control of Rafah

But hostage families have reacted with shock to news of the expanded operation. They are sceptical that taking land will add pressure and say they fear it will make it even harder to return their loved ones.

In a statement from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the families said they were “horrified” to wake up to the Defence Minister’s announcement that the military operation in Gaza would be widened for the purpose of “territorial seizure.”

They accused the government of prioritising “fighting again and again in the same places” over a hostage deal. “The responsibility for releasing the 59 hostages from Hamas captivity lies with the Israeli government,” the forum argued. “Our difficult feeling is that this mission has been pushed to the bottom of its priorities, and has become only a secondary mission.”

Unlike earlier raids, the new operation involves a broad ground assault into Rafah’s al-Janina neighbourhood – marking a significant escalation. Defence Minister Israel Katz announced this morning that operations are about to expand, and the IDF has issued evacuation calls for eastern Rafah. This is the first time since April 2024 that such a large number of Israeli troops has entered Rafah.

Explosions were heard across the Gaza border region this morning as Israeli aircraft bombed targets in the centre and south of the Strip. Palestinian reports said Israeli forces began the ground phase of the operation shortly after the overnight airstrikes.

On the northern front, the identity of the main target of yesterday’s Israeli strike on Lebanon is now known. He was a senior operative in Hezbollah and Iran’s Quds Force: Hassan Bdair. Badir was killed in a targeted air strike in Beirut, and according to Israel, was taken out precisely as he was helping Hamas plan a “significant and imminent terror attack against Israeli civilians.” The building hit was in Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold. Israel called the strike a justified pre-emptive action.

Elsewhere, Russia has come out strongly against Donald Trump’s threat to bomb Iran. Trump’s threat to bomb Iran should it fail to negotiate on its nuclear aspirations only “complicates the situation,” Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said yesterday. He commented: “The consequences of this, especially if the strikes are on nuclear infrastructure, could be catastrophic for the entire region.” Observers are closely watching Russian statements on Iran, as there are fears that the Iran issue could escalate into a clash of the superpowers, led by America and Russia.

Meanwhile, the editor of Israel’s oldest English-language media outlet is being investigated in Israel’s so-called Qatargate scandal. We reported in yesterday’s bulletin that police are investigating a journalist as part of their probes into whether officials at the Prime Minister’s Office had inappropriate links with Qatar. The journalist can now be named as Jerusalem Post editor Zvika Klein.

Last year, Klein visited Qatar by invitation of its government and published a series of reports based on meetings with senior officials. Here is how police suspect Klein and the PMO staff may be involved:

Netanyahu aides Jonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein are suspected of connections to Qatari operatives. Judge Menahem Mizrahi lifted a gag order on the case yesterday and said there is “reasonable suspicion” that this was the case.

Judge Menahem Mizrahi lifted a gag order on the case Tuesday, stating there is reasonable suspicion that both Urich and Feldstein had undisclosed connections to Qatari operatives. The judge suggested that the aim was to spread pro-Qatari messaging and diminish Egypt’s role in hostage negotiations. Police believe the men were paid through a lobbying firm owned by Jay Footlik, a US citizen.

The Jerusalem Post reported that its editor gave testimony as a witness, and was cautioned. But the newspaper said that the nature of any allegations against him has not been specified.

Haaretz reported that the suspicion is that the public relations firms and Netanyahu aides—partly during the period when Netanyahu was not in office—were running a campaign that “whitewashed” Qatar’s image and portrayed Qatar as a hospitable destination for Jewish visitors and a credible diplomatic actor.

Netanyahu was also questioned on Monday, though not under caution. According to Channel 12, he told investigators he had no knowledge of any links between his advisers and Qatar.

And the US State Department honoured the first Israeli hostage to speak out about sexual abuse while in Hamas captivity, in a ceremony yesterday. Amit Soussana received the International Woman of Courage Award in Washington yesterday. She spoke from the podium about sexual violence she lived through, and said: “I vowed that if I would survive, I would never be silent.” She said: “We are about to celebrate Passover, but for the hostages, it will be their second in captivity. They cannot wait. Every day is unimaginable suffering. I call on the world to act now.”

In a separate development, another former hostage has described being shackled underground for months, starved, stripped, and humiliated by Hamas captors in Gaza. Elia Cohen, who spent 505 days in Gaza, said: “We were chained day and night. The only time they took the chains off was once every two months for a shower.”

In a televised interview with Channel 12, Cohen said Hamas guards would tighten the leg shackles after Israeli air strikes. “The hunger was the hardest part,” he said. “We lived on dry pita with two spoons of beans. Sometimes they gave us less, just to watch us beg.” He recalled being operated on without anaesthetic. “They stuffed cloth in my mouth and said: ‘If the neighbours hear you scream, we can’t protect you.’”

Finally, in a Palestinian West Bank village yesterday, some 30 masked men set fire to Palestinian homes and vehicles, injuring several residents. They are thought to be extremist settlers. The IDF confirmed “violent friction” occurred between Israeli and Palestinian civilians in Duma and said investigations are ongoing.

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