It seems like Shifaa hospital turned out to be a bigger jackpot than anticipated. The raid 3 nights ago was the result of intelligence pointing to high ranking terrorists hiding there and suspicion that Hamas is trying to rebuild the tunnel system that the IDF destroyed ~100 days ago. What has the IDF achieved so far?
▪️ Reports in foreign networks about the arrest of Khaled al-Batsh, a very senior Islamic Jihad leader. It's either he was there for a hip replacement or to orchestrate terror. If the news are true, then it's a huge Israeli success and a blow for Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.
▪️ Thus far, the troops have killed ~90 terrorists in the hospital and its surroundings, the IDF and Shin Bet have questioned over 300 suspects at the compound, and an additional 160 suspects have been transferred to Israeli territory for further questioning.
▪️ Among the captives was Mahmud Qawasma, a senior military figure in Hamas, who was involved in the kidnapping and murder of 3 young Israelis back in 2014, what was the opening shot of operation Resolute Cliff.
▪️ The operation in #Shifaa will take a few more days. The troops are revealing weapons, money, tons of new information. An IDF officer said: "we are sitting on a gold mine."
The American national security advisor: "Israel eliminated thousands of Hamas operatives, including Marwan Issa (#3 in Hamas)." Hamas is afraid to acknowledge this Issa's death publicly, minimizing Israel's success and trying to avoid hurting the morale of its men. They can read it here instead.
In addition to that, #Hamas is afraid #Israel will reach Issa's body first and use it as a bargaining chip in future negotiation.
Remember Muhammad Mustafa, the PA's new prime minister? Well, Hamas issued a condemnation, stating that such decisions should be made between all Palestinian parties. #Fatah waited for a day before launching its reply: "you did not consult with us before October 7. Do you want to consult Iran first regarding our new PM?"
The tension between Hamas and Fatah isn't new. Like a married couple they hate each other, but at least they live in separate houses. In 2007 after winning the elections in Gaza, Hamas threw Fatah rivals off the roofs. Now Fatah fantasizes coming back to Gaza as kings, after Israel shed its blood there. Will not happen.
The longest tunnel in the north of the Gaza Strip was destroyed: it's over 2.5 kilometers long, crosses battalions and brigades and connects the north and the south. >> See video down the thread.
The Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) published a survey the checked the support for the 2 state solution in the Israeli public. Only 9 years ago, this vision was supported by 60% of Israelis. It lost grip through the years, and crashed to 35% only following October 7. Trying to revive this idea, as the US administration does, will not be accepted by Israelis in the next decade.
#Middle_East_economies: After discussing Israel's economy in the previous report (>> see link down the thread) let's talk about Lebanon. The Washington Post article "As Lebanon teeters on the edge, a war with Israel would be catastrophic" portrays a dark future for the small country's financial status. Highlights from the article:
▪️ The army salaries have fallen so low, that many soldiers resort to side jobs like Uber driving or valet parking.
▪️ Depositors in Beirut attacked one bank's HQ with fireworks because it refused to release their savings.
▪️ Since 2019, the country's GDP has fallen by 50 percent, and 80% of the people are in poverty.
▪️ $6.5b every year are remittances from the Lebanese diaspora, which account for more than a third of the GDP!!! In short, Lebanon is so unproductive, it relies on its exiles to sustain its economy.
▪️ The country has been without a president for more than a year, a functioning government for almost two, and the currency has lost more than 90 percent of its value since 2019.
Unlike the situation after the 2006 war, when Lebanon still had a functioning economy, things are completely different now that Lebanon is on a brink of bankruptcy, with a general lack of interest in Lebanon among younger gulf leaders. Who will finance the re-construction? Nobody. Is Lebanon really hoping to become the next Gaza?
