Congregation Beth Judea�Rabbi Morris Zimbalist�Israel at War

Israel: Operation Iron Swords

Palestinian Militant Groups: Operation al-Aqsa Flood

Media: Third Intifada

Situation as of Monday morning, October 9, 2023

Hamas killed at least 9 Americans in this weekend’s unprecedented terror attack, the State Department confirmed this morning. Hamas is reportedly holding additional Americans among the more than 100 hostages in Gaza.

�� In northern Israel, reports are emerging this morning of multiple attempted infiltrations from Lebanon. The IDF reports they have neutralized the initial terrorist infiltration, but more may be underway.�

More than 800 Israelis have now been confirmed killed and more than 2,500 wounded in the ongoing and abhorrent terror attack.

Images of Hamas’ barbarity continue to emerge.

• Soldiers have been decapitated.  
• Whole families slaughtered in their homes.  
• Parents killed as they shielded their babies—the babies left crying next to their dead parents.
• Young women raped.

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Recent Developments to Note

• IDF says it has regained control of all Gaza border towns, but terrorists may remain inside Israel.� 
• Analysts estimate that it could take another 2-3 days until Israeli communities are fully cleared of all terrorists.

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• In the north, reports are emerging this morning of multiple attempted infiltrations.� 
• 300,000 Israeli reservists have been called up—the largest number in Israel’s history.� 
• The IDF has attacked over 1,200 targets in Gaza and continues to lay the groundwork for a sustained campaign against Hamas.

Tablet Magazine

• 700 dead in a country of 9.3 million people is the equivalent of a terror attack on America in which over 25,000 people were brutally murdered. (MZ: We already know the death toll is rising.)

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• Since last year, Israel has issued over 15,000 new work permits for Gazans to work in Israel, believing that this humanitarian gesture would be reciprocated by Hamas. (MZ: Israel did the right thing but made a mistake in their anticipation of reciprocation.)

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• What happened most recently was that an emerging Saudi-Israeli peace agreement began to take shape—which would have offered a potentially powerful counterweight to Iran’s ambitions to regional hegemony. Needless to say, the Iranians don’t like that.

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• Iran’s thinking seems to have been that if the Hamas attack was brutal and deadly enough, the Israelis would have no choice but to strike back extra hard in Gaza, generating thousands of photographs and videos of destroyed buildings, dead bodies, and crying children that will inflame the so-called “Arab street,” making it impossible for the Saudis to publicly ally themselves with Israel and leaving Iran in control of the region.

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Who is NOT to blame for this war

• Israel
• The greater Palestinian people
• The Current United States Government
• Former Presidents Obama and Trump
• Democrats and Republicans
• The greater Jewish Community
• The greater Muslim/Interfaith Community

Who IS to blame for this current war

• Iran – The lead state sponsor of international terrorism and all of its proxies including, but certainly not limited to: Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) just to name a few.
• All proxy groups above have been recognized as international terrorist organizations.
• Israel’s lack of a viable partner among the Palestinian leadership for dialogue and diplomacy.
• Rampant anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism, and Jew hatred from both Jewish and non-Jewish groups running the gamut within the political and social justice circles.