Dear MEPIN readers,
I write to you from Tel Aviv, where the beaches and cafés are full as Israelis incomprehensibly balance the threat of an Iranian attack as they go on with life as usual.
Please watch my television interview challenging the New York Times article that said Israel has run out of targets in Gaza. Unfortunately, the problem is too many hidden targets, as the war has evolved into an insurgency, and the IDF is facing thousands of fighters still in hundreds of miles of tunnels that emerge intermittently, as well as embedding themselves in humanitarian zones. My analysis is based on the firsthand information I gained this week as I was again able to speak with an elite unit in the south.
On i24, I also discussed the current Iranian threat and the challenges of the hostage deal, especially if Israel is forced to leave the Netzarim crossing and the Philidelphi corridor.
Please also watch my videos of Kibbutz Nahal Oz, which is not open to visitors. It is one of the most devastated communities on the Gaza border. I also visited another evacuated community, Nir Am, on the first day the community returned. There, I spoke with students who will also be living in Nir Am in an army pre-preparatory program (Mechina) and who decided to come to support the community. The videos of the young people are inspirational and extraordinary.
If you would like to help Nahal Oz, and they really need your financial aid,
Unfortunately, I cannot show you videos of the soldiers’ faces. Still, I want to share their determination, optimism, and ethics, which are ubiquitous among officers and soldiers.
As always, please write to me. By the time you read this article, the events in the region would have changed again. I will be up north on Sunday. – Eric