Following the IDF’s elimination of Muhammad Nimah Nasser (Abu Nimah), Hezbollah commander responsible for one of three regional Hezbollah divisions in south Lebanon, there has been a relentless barrage of over 200 rockets to the north from the Golan Heights to Tiberias, Nahariya and Akko on the Mediterranean coast. Some enemy drones that crossed Israeli airspace were shot down. One hit a mall in Akko. Another hit a kindergarten where children were present. Miraculously no child was injured. Wildfires in the north were started. Latest news says there were casualties in the north, which at this time are still under military censorship.

Nasrallah has said that the war in the north will end when the war against Gaza ends. What is it going to take for Israel to declare real victory over Hamas?

Abu Ali Express provides a very informative post, which I summarize below.

There were 60-70,000 armed terrorists in Gaza when the war began:

• 30,000 Hamas terrorists
• 10,000 Islamic Jihad terrorists
• 5,000-7,000 terrorists of various other Palestinian terror groups
• 20,000 Hamas policemen and other Hamas security operatives.

How many of those are dead? Well, according to the Gazan Ministry of Health, 38 thousand Gazans have been killed so far, and Israel estimates that over 42% of those killed were terrorists (an excellent ratio by any international military standard). So, that’s 16,000 dead terrorists. Israel television channel Kaan estimates 1300 terrorists are jailed. Hamas claims 10,000 are missing, let’s hope under the rubble, or in collapsed tunnels. Using the same ratio, would give another 4,200 dead terrorists. Add to that the thousand killed in Israel on October 7, and you’ve got about 22,000 dead terrorists.

That gives us fifty thousand Hamas terrorists still alive – although some many be injured and unable to return to battle – still enough to continue Hamas’ rule of Gaza and to thwart any other entity that aspires to be a governing alternative.

So how is it that the IDF did not kill more terrorists?

Because terrorists all wear civilian clothes and assimilate into the civilian population where, because of Biden’s magnifying glass, we can’t simply bomb them, we need to fish them out one by one. According to the daily rate of deaths indicated by the Ministry of Health in Gaza in the last two months, that is going to take a long, long time.

But there is a winning strategy even for that. Take Rafah for example.

Rafah’s Hamas brigade contains four battalions, each one comprising 1,000 terrorists. So far, 900 terrorists have been killed in Rafah. The remaining 3,000 fled north, blending in with the “refugees.”

The IDF has allowed this in order to speed up evacuations. But eventually, Israel needs to segment the Strip – divide it into many small and separate territorial cells, with a clear geographical demarcation and then start clearing these territorial cells from terrorists – to turn them into territories free of weapons and operatives. Entry into any such area cell, after it has been cleared, will be allowed to any resident of Gaza who wishes to do so, after passing a physical check and a check against the various intelligence systems.

In this way, within a few months, most of the area cells in the Gaza Strip will be sterile, while in areas that have not yet been cleared, the IDF will be able to use more military force than in areas where there is now a mix between terrorists and the civilian population.

In this way, Israel will be able to work according to the logic of any geographical order it chooses, let’s say from the south (after Rafah is cleared) to the north or any other order, and thus allow governing alternatives to grow within these territorial cells without fear that Hamas will harm them or eliminate them. Israel will be able to present to the world within a short period of time the first field cells that operate in this format and show that there is a horizon for “the day after” without Hamas, in the Strip that is slowly turning into a demilitarized area. In these cells, schools will begin to operate (with an education program imported from the United Arab Emirates), primary civil infrastructure will be established and normal life will be possible. They will be the antithesis of the areas where Hamas is still present. Israel will receive a high score in the international arena and will promote a solution that will be good for it to manage the Gaza Strip.

Israel can and must defeat Hamas in Gaza. No matter how long it takes. In such a war, patience is paramount, along with full confidence in victory. Such confidence projects outward and is absorbed by the enemy.

All Israel’s enemies all over the world fanatically read and follow what is happening in Israel every day, analyzing the situation in Israel hourly, mostly based on what they see in the Israeli media.

The more the media broadcasts defeatism, rift, division, words of hatred, fratricidal war, the more the enemy will draw encouragement and strength, which will strengthen his spirit and encourage him to fight instead of surrendering. I would add that the spirit of the majority of the Gazan population has been broken for a long time. Those who hold on to the battle are the senior leadership in the Gaza Strip and the military layer that surrounds them (with the help of the leadership from outside).

The more Israel presents a unified, strong, invincible and undeterred front, alongside effective military action to eradicate Hamas as stated above, the less time it will take for Hamas to be defeated. Together we will win 🇮🇱

Thank you Abu Ali Express! What would we do without your wisdom?

Now a word about yesterday’s terror attack in the mall in Carmiel, which is up north. An Israeli Arab with no criminal background from a nearby village snuck up on two off duty soldiers and viciously stabbed them. The first soldier Sergeant (Sgt.) Aleksandr Lakiminskyi, 19, from Nahariya, a driver in the 71st Battalion, 188th Brigade, despite being fatally wounded heroically grabbed his weapon and put several fatal bullets into the terrorist, thus saving the life of his fellow soldier who is in serious but stable condition.

The terrorist’s family, who showed up at the mall, were also arrested. The fact that he was an Israeli Arab is ominous. Israel needs to make an example of his family, destroying their home and sending them into exile in Gaza. The home destruction will be easy. Exile, impossible.

To end on a hopeful note, Rabbi Marc D. Angel, in discussing this week’s Torah portion:

“So this is the message: good words ultimately prevail even if so many people don’t hear them right now. Truth overcomes falsehood. Love overcomes hatred. Righteousness defeats evil. We may not see immediate results, but we can hope that our words will eventually take root.”

Amen. God willing, we will continue to bring the truth to all those who are interested in hearing it.

Gaza War Diary is taking a vacation from July 7-14, unless something happens that is out of the ordinary. I will see you, G-d willing, on July 15. Have a restful vacation, and keep praying.

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