14 Days: Hostages rescued

HOSTAGES RESCUED 

In a daring operation in Rafah early on February 12, Israeli forces rescued two hostages, Fernando Marman, 60, and Louis Norbeto Har, 70, both immigrants from Argentina kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on October 7. Argentina’s President Javier Milei, who visited Israel a week before, praised the IDF for the successful rescue of the two men, who were said to be in “good medical condition.” The IDF said at least 31 of the remaining 134 hostages had been confirmed dead. The IDF expanded its campaign, uncovering a command center used by Hamas under UNRWA’s headquarters in Gaza City. On February 11, Sgt.-Maj. Adi Eldor, 21, and Sgt.-Maj. Alon Kleinman, 21, were killed in battle in southern Gaza, bringing the death toll in the ground operation to 229.  Meanwhile, four months after Israel declared war against Hamas, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken shuttled across the region in an attempt to expedite a hostage deal. On his fifth trip since the Hamas attack on October 7, Blinken held talks in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and Israel on a deal discussed at a Paris meeting of US, Israeli, Egyptian, and Qatari officials. 

HEZBOLLAH ATTACKS 

Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets from Lebanon at northern Israel after an alleged Israeli drone strike in the southern Lebanese town of Nabatieh targeted two Hezbollah operatives, including a senior commander. The drone strike was said to have been in retaliation for a Hezbollah rocket launch at a military base in northern Israel on February 8 that wounded three soldiers, one of them seriously. Israeli Air Force commander Maj.-Gen. Tomer Bar warned Hezbollah that Israel is ready to significantly step up its strikes if it continues to attack.

BIDEN’S ORDER 

US President Joe Biden issued an executive order on February 1 targeting violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank whom he has said have undermined stability in the area, imposing sanctions against four Israeli extremists who carried out violent attacks. “The situation in the West Bank – in particular high levels of extremist settler violence, forced displacement of people and villages, and property destruction – has reached intolerable levels and constitutes a serious threat to the peace, security, and stability,” Biden said. In response, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that “the vast majority of residents of Judea and Samaria are law-abiding citizens, many of whom are fighting right now in active and reserve duty to protect Israel. Israel acts against all violators of the law in all places; therefore, there is no place for drastic steps on this matter.”

MOODY’S DOWNGRADE 

US Credit ratings agency Moody’s on February 9 downgraded Israel from “A1” to “A2,” citing material political and fiscal risks for the country due to its war with Hamas. “While fighting in Gaza may diminish in intensity or pause, there is currently no agreement to end the hostilities durably and no agreement on a longer-term plan that would fully restore and eventually strengthen security for Israel,” Moody’s said in a statement. In response, Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron said the Israeli economy was strong and would recover from the impact of the war, but called on the government and the Knesset “to address the economic issues raised in the report.”

PTSD DEAL 

An agreement was signed at Israel’s Defense Ministry in early February for the establishment of a national center to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among the country’s armed forces.  The initiative came as the result of a generous donation from Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) in the US. Led by the Sheba Medical Center in cooperation with the Disabled Veterans IDF Organization, its goal is to create mental health clinics around the country to treat individual soldiers as well as family members.

WORLD CHAMPS 

Israeli windsurfer Sharon Kantor, 21, won a gold medal at the iQFoil World Championships in Lanzarote in the Canary Islands on February 3, while Israel’s Katy Spychakov, 24, came in third after Britain’s Emma Wilson. Kantor’s victory secured her position as Israel’s representative at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in July. Israeli fencer Yuval Freilich, 29, won gold in the Qatar Grand Prix on January 31, wearing a shirt emblazoned with the words Am Yisrael Chai (“The people of Israel live”). Freilich, a former European champion, defeated world champion Yannick Borel of France with a score of 9:15, moving him one step closer to advancing to the Paris Olympics. 

EUROVISION ENTRY 

Eden Golan, 20, from Tel Aviv, was selected on February 6 to represent Israel at May’s Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden. In the finale of the TV show Hakochav Haba (Rising Star), Golan beat out finalists Or Cohen, Mika Moshe, and Dor Shimon to take the top spot. “It’s a dream, particularly this year, when it has even more meaning,” said Golan, who was born in Kfar Saba and grew up in Moscow, returning to Israel with her family in 2022.