Dozens Of Palestinians Killed In Rafah Blast Died From ‘Secondary Explosions’ Likely From Hamas Weapons: IDF

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released results from their initial investigation into the deaths of dozens of people at a tent camp in Rafah on Tuesday, saying that the munitions the country used were too small and were used too far away from where the people died to have been responsible for their deaths.
The IDF launched a strike against senior Hamas terrorists on Sunday night who were meeting inside a compound in Rafah that is used by Hamas.
Hamas-controlled local officials claimed that approximately four dozen people were killed in the strike and claimed that Israel was responsible for their deaths.
“The strike was based on precise intelligence that indicated that these terrorists, who were responsible for orchestrating and executing terror attacks against Israelis, were meeting inside the specific structure we targeted,” said IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari. “These terrorists were responsible for the deaths of Israelis and they were actively commanding operations that could have killed even more. Their deaths saved lives.”
He showed images from Israeli aerial surveillance from the time of the strike that shows the IDF targeted a structure approximately 200 yards away from where the fire broke out in the tent camp.
“Contrary to reports, we conducted the strike outside the area that we designated as a humanitarian area and called civilians to evacuate to,” he said. “Our strike was over a kilometer and a half away from the Al-Mawasi humanitarian area.”
The strike hit an area approximately 200 yards away from the tent camp using munitions with the smallest warheads that can be used by military aircraft. The warheads had only 35 pounds of explosive material, which is extremely small compared to what is commonly used on battlefields around the world.
“Our munition alone could not have ignited a fire of this size,” he said, noting that Hamas has been operating out of the area since October 7, which is a war crime since they are operating around civilians.

 

Hagari showed that there were rocket launchers just a few dozen yards away from where their strike targeted.
“We are also assessing footage documented by Gazans on the night of the strike, posted on social media, which appear to show secondary explosions, indicating that there may have been weapons in the area,” he said. “Our signal intelligence intercepted some phone calls that reinforce this concern, raising the possibility that weapons stored in a nearby compound caught fire.”
The IDF released an audio file of a conversation that was intercepted between two Gazans in which one says that the fire erupted because Hamas had a bunch of ammunition in the area at a warehouse that started exploding.
“I mean the Jewish bombing wasn’t strong, it was a small missile, because it didn’t create a large hole,” the Gazan said to his friend.

 

https://x.com/JoeTruzman/status/1795455282568474914

https://x.com/LTCPeterLerner/status/1795467082726846558

https://www.dailywire.com/news/dozens-of-palestinians-killed-in-rafah-blast-died-from-secondary-explosions-likely-from-hamas-weapons-idf

Even As ICC Pressures Netanyahu to Stand Down, Hamas Once Again Launches Rockets Into Israel From Rafah.

On Sunday, Hamas terrorists launched yet another barrage of rockets at Israel - from Rafah. This is the first such attack in some months.
Hamas terrorists launched a barrage of rockets into Israel on Sunday, with roughly a dozen of them being fired from the hotly contested city of Rafah.
Israel's Iron Dome successfully intercepted the majority of the rockets, with alarms sounding in Tel Aviv and other major cities. The strike comes as Israeli forces are increasing operations in and around Rafah, what Israel says is the final major stronghold for Hamas in Gaza.
Hamas took responsibility for the barrage and argued it was retaliation for "Zionist massacres against civilians."
Hamas complaining about "massacres against civilians," even if it were true - it isn't; Israel has gone to historic lengths to prevent collateral damage - this would be one of the greatest instances of the pot calling the kettle black in military history.
This attack originated from the same Rafah where the International Court of Justice has "ordered" Israel to cease operations while also requesting arrest warrants on Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Israel has, in effect, told the International Court of Justice where to stick it; the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are still pushing into Rafah, which is one of Hamas' last holdouts in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli troops on Saturday engaged in clashes with Palestinian gunmen across the Gaza Strip, including Rafah, a day after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt operations in the enclave’s southernmost city that would risk destroying the civilian population.
A statement from the Israel Defense Forces said that a cell in Rafah that opened fire at troops was killed, and several tunnel shafts were found and destroyed, alongside caches of weapons.
Meanwhile, the United States, in a seeming example of support to both sides in an ongoing conflict, is still struggling to place a floating pier in Gaza to deliver humanitarian supplies; there is no evidence any such supplies delivered to date have actually gone to civilians in Gaza.
It's past time Israel resolved this issue.
The self-described Palestinian people's leadership, such as it is, have been offered land on which to establish a Palestinian state at least five times and have rejected all offers. The October 7th attacks, launched by Hamas on Israel, were one of the most horrific, barbarous attacks since at least the Second World War - and constituted the greatest mass murder of the Jewish people since that conflict. Ever since that attack, many in the international community, like the International Court of Justice, have been counseling Israel to show restraint.
These people seem incapable of absorbing the fact that Israel has already shown tremendous restraint, given their capabilities. From their use of "roof knockers," which warn not only civilians but also Hamas terrorists to evacuate buildings that are about to be destroyed, to their establishing evacuation routes for Gazan civilians to evacuate combat areas, Isreal has gone to lengths to prevent civilian deaths and injuries that are above and beyond the regular practices of war. Isreal also has the military capacity to have flattened all of Gaza into smoking rubble, and while the damage is extensive, and while civilian casualties have been deliberately caused by Hamas establishing strongholds near civilian facilities and even schools, what Israel has done so far is small potatoes compared to what they are capable of.
Israel is within their rights to continue operations until every last Hamas terror fighter has been captured or has had his birth certificate permanently revoked.

https://redstate.com/wardclark/2024/05/26/hamas-once-again-launching-rockets-into-israel-from-rafah-while-the-un-pressures-israel-to-stand-down-n2174694

 Israel sends Commando Brigade into Rafah.

Israel is sending more IDF troops into Rafah as they are preparing to widen their offensive. ABC News reports that the IDF has confirmed that they’ve sent the Commando Brigade into Rafah overnight, which is dedicated entirely to special operations.
It doesn’t sound like they have a large offensive going yet, but they are destroying tunnels as they expect the war to widen soon.
Here’s more from ABC News:
The Israel Defense Forces’ Commando Brigade was deployed to southern Gaza’s Rafah overnight, joining the 162nd Division that has been operating in the eastern part of the city since earlier this month.
The move comes as the Israeli government is expected to approve widening the offensive there.
“Additional troops will join the ground operation in Rafah,” Israel Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant said Thursday, in remarks after completing an operational situation assessment at the Gaza border in Rafah.
“Several tunnels in the area have been destroyed by our troops and additional tunnels will be destroyed soon. This activity will intensify,” he said.
I know they are giving civilians time to leave Rafah to appease people like Biden, but I fear that Hamas members will have the chance to escape via tunnels that lead into the Sinai if they don’t widen the mission soon.

 

 IDF Discovers 700 Tunnel Shafts In Rafah, Including 50 That Cross Into Egypt.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have discovered hundreds of tunnel shafts inside the Hamas stronghold of Rafah in southern Gaza, including dozens of tunnels that cross into Egypt.
Israeli Deputy Attorney General Gilad Noam made the revelation while speaking at the International Court of Justice.
“Rafah, in particular, is a focal point for ongoing terrorist activity. It is a stronghold for Hamas’ operators with several battalions belonging to the Rafah brigades entrenched in the area,” he said. “Also present in Rafah is an intricate underground tunnel infrastructure that runs underneath the city and provides ample space for operators, command and control rooms, and military equipment.”
“Nearly 700 tunnel shafts have been identified in Rafah from which approximately 50 tunnels cross into Egypt,” he continued. “These tunnels are used by Hamas to supply itself with weapons and ammunition. It could potentially be used to smuggle out of Gaza hostages or Hamas senior operators.”

 WATCH:

https://x.com/IsraelWarRoom/status/1791469078294458747?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1791469078294458747%7Ctwgr%5E619824ad113266d09ad2bdd132262e6e12b92610%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fidf-discovers-700-tunnel-shafts-in-rafah-including-50-that-cross-into-egypt

Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies’ Long War Journal, noted that Israel has been very patient with Egypt while Egypt has been playing “spoiler during this crisis.”
“After Cairo refused to let in Palestinian refugees — a temporary measure that would have shortened the Gaza war — Jerusalem assented to the positioning of heavy Egyptian reinforcements in the supposedly demilitarized Sinai to seal off the Rafah border,” Truzman said. “And all the Israelis have got in return has been vitriol and, most recently, Egyptian support for the foul allegations being leveled against them at The Hague. President Sisi is supposed to be a pragmatist rather than a populist. This cannot continue.”

https://www.dailywire.com/news/idf-discovers-700-tunnel-shafts-in-rafah-including-50-that-cross-into-egypt

 Biden’s Bogus Holocaust Remembrance.

His administration’s actions to stop the shipment of precision bombs to Israel belies his remembrance claims.
“Never again, simply translated for me, means never forget,” Joe Biden said during his speech at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Holocaust Remembrance Day.
“We must keep telling the story,” Biden continued. “We must keep teaching the truth. We must keep teaching our children and our grandchildren. The truth is we’re at risk of people not knowing the truth.” He then added, in reference to Hamas’s October 7 genocidal attack against Israel: “Here we are, not 75 years later, but just seven-and-a-half months later, and people are already forgetting. They’re already forgetting that Hamas unleashed this terror. I have not forgotten, nor have you. And we will not forget.”
They were appropriate words for the somber occasion, but unfortunately, coming from Biden, they were little more than words. Biden has repeatedly shown that while he may talk a big game, he equivocates when it comes to backing it up. To make matters worse, on the very day Biden challenged America and the world to “never forget” what the Jews suffered in the Holocaust, his administration hit pause on sending a shipment of precision bombs to Israel.
According to Politico, the Biden administration “is essentially taking action through inaction” as it continues to pressure Israel into stopping its advance on the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. Indeed, the munitions “were ready to be shipped to Israel when word of the hold came down.”
What good is remembering the Holocaust if you are unwilling to do everything in your power to stop such a genocide of the Jews from happening again?
The truth is that Biden’s policymaking is guided by reelection concerns, not a commitment to our closest ally in the Middle East. He is bleeding the radical Left youth vote, who have so embraced the Marxist dynamic of oppressor vs. oppressed that they have actually sided with Hamas against Israel.
Biden’s criticism of Israel has increased, as he is desperately trying to get the Jewish state to agree to a ceasefire that would only serve to ensure that Hamas survives. Hence, the dubious narrative of Israel being engaged in a genocidal war against the Palestinians, as the Biden administration regularly repeats its concerns for protecting innocent civilians in Gaza.
The trouble is, by stopping the shipment of precision bombs, Biden has made it that much harder for Israel to carry out targeted strikes against Hamas while avoiding civilian casualties. Furthermore, Biden has ironically only ensured that the war will drag on for even longer as Israel presses to end the Hamas threat once and for all.
In his Holocaust speech, Biden said, “We must give hate no safe harbor.” How is seeking to prevent Israel from defeating Hamas, a terrorist organization that continually spews hatred of Israel and Jews, a commitment to giving no safe harbor to hate?
With this kind of equivocation, how can any of our allies trust Biden to honor America’s commitments? Taiwan has got to be wondering whether Biden will raise a finger in defense if China attacks across the Strait.
Once again, what good is “remembering” if you are unwilling to learn the lesson from history? Israel exists today because of the Holocaust. To truly remember the Holocaust is to act in defense of Israel’s right to exist and to defend it from foreign threats. Anything less is to express toothless sentiment.
Or, to put it another way, it’s to play politics. (It’s to buy votes.)

https://patriotpost.us/articles/106655-bidens-bogus-holocaust-remembrance-2024-05-09

 Netanyahu Responds To Biden’s Betrayal Of Israel: ‘If We Have To Stand Alone, We Will Stand Alone.’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to President Joe Biden’s controversial remarks this week — that the U.S. will withhold military support from Israel if it goes after Hamas terrorists inside the Gaza city of Rafah — by saying that Israel is not afraid to stand alone if it has to.
Netanyahu made the remarks as the country has been engaged in a seven-month war against Palestinian terrorists who massacred 1,200 people inside Israel on October 7, 2023.
“We are on the eve of Independence Day. In the War of Independence 76 years ago, we were few against many,” Netanyahu said. “We had no weapons, there was an arms embargo on Israel, but with the greatness of our spirit, bravery and unity amongst us – we won.”
“Today we are much stronger. We are determined, and we are united to defeat our enemy and those who seek our destruction,” he continued. “If we have to stand alone, we will stand alone. I already said that if we have to – we will fight with our fingernails. But we have much more than fingernails, and with the same greatness of spirit, with God’s help, we will win together.”
His remarks come after Biden smeared Israel during an interview with CNN on Wednesday in which the president accused the country of deliberately targeting civilian population centers. Biden’s remarks, which come after he pledged to not abandon Israel, follow pressure that he faced from pro-Hamas protesters that caused chaos on college campuses across the U.S. late last month and earlier this month.

 

WATCH:
https://twitter.com/netanyahu/status/1788614020628422748

https://www.dailywire.com/news/netanyahu-responds-to-bidens-betrayal-of-israel-if-we-have-to-stand-alone-we-will-stand-alone

 Netanyahu Throws Down the Gauntlet on Hamas and Taking Rafah.

The operation to root out Hamas in Gaza will continue, according to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. That follows months of pressure from the White House and the international community to stop short of entering Rafah, the last stronghold held by the terrorists.
Throwing down the gauntlet, Netanyahu stipulated that the operation to take Rafah would occur whether Hamas agreed to a hostage deal or not. 

 

https://twitter.com/BarakRavid/status/1785256224600076742?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1785256224600076742%7Ctwgr%5E670a5df12ce9cdfca4b0a5edcae520d2f1dddc9b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fredstate.com%2Fbonchie%2F2024%2F04%2F30%2Fpro-hamas-fanatics-explode-at-netanyahu-makes-major-announcement-on-rafah-n2173533

Joe Biden had previously called an invasion of Rafah a "red line" for American support. That threat didn't seem to land, and for good reason. Rafah holds multiple battalions of Hamas fighters and is the command and control center for its leadership. To not move in would be to surrender and concede the fight to the terrorists, who would inevitably regroup and retake most of Gaza in the absence of IDF intervention.
It should also surprise no one that the weeks of pro-Hamas "encampments" on American universities have done nothing to dissuade Israel from doing what needs to be done. On Monday night, rioters at Columbia University stormed the Hamilton Hall, smashing windows and hanging banners reading "intifada."
Naturally, the pro-Hamas contingent lashed out after Netanyahu's announcement on taking Rafah, suggesting Israel doesn't care about the hostages. That's ludicrous. Israel has offered multiple ceasefire deals to Hamas, all heavily slanted in favor of the terrorist group, in exchange for releasing the hostages. Hamas has rejected every single one.
At some point, reality outweighs want. I'm sure Israel would love to secure the release of the hostages before moving into Rafah, but that just may not be possible. How many hostages are even still alive? Hamas won't say, and it's clear they are being used to delay Israel's advance. That can't be allowed to continue. In the end, the only chance of actually getting the hostages back is by force. Hamas is never going to let go of its bargaining chip willingly.

https://redstate.com/bonchie/2024/04/30/pro-hamas-fanatics-explode-at-netanyahu-makes-major-announcement-on-rafah-n2173533

 The International Criminal Court is writing up international arrest warrants for Bibi Netanyahu.
The ICC has, of course, issued no warrants for the arrest of Hamas leaders who ordered the mass slaughter and government-sponsored rape squads.

Megatron @Megatron_ron
BREAKING:
Netanyahu:
"We will enter Rafah and we don't care about the court in The Hague, the court is anti-Semitic"
"We will enter Rafah because we have no other choice. We will destroy the Hamas battalions there, we will complete all the objectives of the war, including the return of all our abductees.
There are many forces trying to prevent us from doing this. Recently they were joined by another force - the International Criminal Court in The Hague. This court has no authority over the State of Israel. The possibility that he will issue arrest warrants for war crimes against IDF commanders and state leaders, this possibility is a scandal on a historical scale.
This will be the first time that a democratic country, which is fighting for its life according to all the rules of international law, is accused of war crimes. If this thing does happen, it will be an indelible stain on all of humanity. It would be an unprecedented anti-Semitic hate crime, a crime that would add fuel to the anti-Semitic incitement that is already raging in the world.
I want to make one thing clear: no decision, neither in The Hague nor anywhere else, will harm our determination to achieve all the goals of the war - the release of all our hostages, a complete victory over Hamas and a promise that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel, as well as to restore security and the residents to the north.

https://twitter.com/Megatron_ron/status/1785337223409217873