Backgrounder on the Qatar raid…..
The Mossad director, David Barnea, opposed killing the Hamas officials in Qatar partly because such an action could rupture the relationship he and his agency had cultivated with the Qataris, who had been hosting Hamas and mediating ceasefire talks between the militant group and Israel, these people said.
The Mossad’s reservations about a ground operation ultimately influenced how the strike was carried out and perhaps its likelihood of success. They reflected a broader opposition within the Israeli security establishment to the attack ordered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While Israeli security officials widely agree that all Hamas leaders, including those living overseas, should be eventually pursued and killed, many questioned the timing of the operation, given that the Hamas officials were gathering in Qatar, a major U.S. ally, and that these officials were mulling a proposal from President Donald Trump to free Israeli hostages held in Gaza in exchange for a ceasefire in the Gaza war.
Instead of deploying Mossad operatives, Israel on Tuesday turned to a secondary option: launching 15 fighter jets that fired 10 missiles from afar. Hamas said the airstrike failed to kill senior officials including its acting leader Khalil al-Hayya. Instead, Hamas said, the attack killed several relatives and aides of its delegation as well as a Qatari officer. Israeli officials have so far declined to publicly share assessments of the outcome, though in the immediate aftermath, it seemed “Israel did not get who they wanted,” according to a person familiar with the details of the operation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media….
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UN General Assembly supports a ‘Hamas-free government for Palestine’…..
(Hamas dosen’t )
The UN general assembly has voted to back a Hamas-free government for Palestine as part of a carefully crafted compromise that sees Arab states go further in condemning its October 2023 attack on Israel in return for clear support for a Palestinian state.
The aim is to show that Israel and the US are isolated in opposing a long-term solution to the Gaza war, and how countries such as Germany, a strong supporter of Israel, are backing a solution in which the Palestinian Authority governs the West Bank and Gaza.
The 142-10 vote on Friday was to endorse the so-called New York declaration, a statement calling for a two-state solution, crafted by France and Saudi Arabia in July.
It includes some of the sharpest criticism of Hamas ever endorsed by the UN. The text states: “We condemn the attacks perpetrated on 7 October by Hamas against civilians,” and “Hamas must release all hostages” held in Gaza….
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Israel having some problems with its military mobilization for the Gaza Op….
As Israel calls up tens of thousands of reservists for its invasion of Gaza City, a growing number of soldiers — and their mothers — are saying no.
There are no official figures, but newly formed groups are broadcasting their refusal to serve despite the risk of imprisonment. It’s a new phenomenon in the nearly two-year war sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, though so far it has had no apparent effect on military operations.
The defiance is emerging as Israelis have joined mass protestsaccusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of prolonging the war for political purposes instead of reaching a deal with Hamas to bring back the remaining 48 hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
Many opponents, including former senior security officials, fear that the latest offensive will achieve little and put the hostages at risk. Israel also faces heavy international criticism over the humanitarian catastrophe unleashed by the war and its blockade.
One group calling on Israel’s leaders to stop sending their children into war is comprised of mothers who fear their sons will die in vain.
“I couldn’t stop thinking of how to break his leg, break his arm, wound him in some way that he won’t be able to go back,” Noorit Felsenthal-Berger said as she wiped tears from her cheeks, terrified her youngest son will be forced to return….