14 Days: Hamas war

HAMAS WAR 

The IDF demolished the largest terror tunnel uncovered in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, on March 5. According to the military, it was four kilometers long and up to 50 meters deep and ended near the Erez Crossing into Israel. As fierce fighting continued five months into the war, the army announced that Maj. (res.) Amishar Ben David, 43, a cousin of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and Sgt. First Class (res.) Michael Gal, 29, from Jerusalem had been killed in southern Gaza, bringing the IDF death toll since the start of the ground offensive to 249. While international mediators held talks in Cairo before Ramadan, Hamas insisted that a ceasefire must be in place before any deal is implemented for the release of the remaining 134 hostages held in Gaza. The IDF said on March 3 that contrary to Palestinian reports, Israel had not fired a drone during an incident four days before in which more than 100 Gazans were killed in a stampede as they charged an aid convoy in Gaza City. The army acknowledged, however, that troops had opened fire on several Gazans who threatened soldiers at a nearby IDF checkpoint.

ELI ATTACK 

Rabbi Yitzhak Zeiger, 57, a father of three and resident of Shavei Shomron; and Uria Hartum, a 16-year-old high school student from Dolev, were killed when a Palestinian terrorist opened fire on an Israeli car at a gas station near Eli on February 29. The assailant was shot dead at the scene by the owner of a nearby hummus restaurant, Aviad Gazbar, who had recently returned from reserve duty in the Gaza Strip.  “I fired a bullet so that the terrorist would know I was here. I saw that he saw me, and he started charging towards me. I took him down and continued scanning,” Gazbar said. The Shin Bet later identified the terrorist as Muhammad Manasra, 31, an officer in the Palestinian Authority police force.

UN REPORT 

A UN team concluded after a visit to Israel that there were “reasonable grounds to believe” that sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, was committed in multiple locations during the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, and there was “convincing information” that hostages had been subjected to sexual violence as well. The trip was led by Pramila Patten, the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence.

MERON INQUIRY 

A state commission of inquiry held Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, police commanders, and other officials responsible for the 2021 Meron crowd crush in which 45 people were killed. Its final report presented on March 6 determined that Netanyahu, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, who served as public security minister at the time, and police chief Kobi Shabtai, along with several other officials, all bore personal responsibility for Israel’s worst civilian disaster. “Netanyahu did not act as expected of a prime minister to correct this state of affairs [at Meron], despite the fact that the issue was the focus of serious reports from the state comptroller,” it said.

LOCAL ELECTIONS 

In municipal elections held across Israel on February 27, there was a low voter turnout of under 50 percent, primarily attributed to the ongoing war against Hamas. In Jerusalem, Mayor Moshe Lion defeated challenger Yossi Havilio with 81.5% of the vote, while haredi parties won over half the seats in the 31-seat Jerusalem City Council for the first time. In Tel Aviv, veteran Mayor Ron Huldai fended off a challenge from Orna Barbivai, securing a record sixth term.

BIDEN’S PORT 

US President Joe Biden said on March 8 that Israel would provide security for a temporary port to be built by the US military off the coast of Gaza City. While affirming US  support for Israel, Biden used his State of the Union speech to urge it to allow in more aid to Gazans: “To the leadership of Israel I say this: Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip.” The Pentagon said US military personnel would work on vessels along the shore, and not on land.

LABOR STALWART 

Avraham “Baiga” Shochat, a former finance minister and one of the founders of the city of Arad, died in Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital on February 28 at the age of 87. Following three terms as mayor of Arad, from 1967 to 1989, Shochat was elected to the Knesset for the Labor Party in 1988. After chairing the Knesset economy and finance committees, he served as finance minister twice, from 1992-1996 and between 1999 and 2001. “Baiga, who for many years walked in trust and partnership with prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, was not a man of words but rather a restless achiever,” President Isaac Herzog said, noting that he had recently celebrated the launch of Shochat’s autobiography, Between Desert and Treasure. Shochat was married to Tama, the daughter of prime minister Levi Eshkol, with whom he had three children.