What happened to the hostages during 491 days in hell of Gaza? With the return of Ohad Ben Ami, Ori Levi, and Eli Sharabi from Hamas captivity on Saturday, new details are emerging about their harrowing ordeal, both psychologically and physically, as evidenced by the images that shocked the world.It's all absolutely abominable.
The three hostages were held in severe conditions, according to their testimonies. For most of their captivity, they were given very little food kept in underground tunnels without exposure to daylight. They stated that they had no way of knowing whether it was summer or winter outside.
Their access to media was extremely limited, with Al Jazeera being the primary source of news they were exposed to. They were given very little food, and even when they did receive meals, the nutrition provided was insufficient to meet their bodily needs, leading to extreme weight loss.
The hostages recounted that in the days leading up to their release, they were given slightly more food in an apparent attempt to create the illusion that their captivity conditions had been adequate. However, when they emerged, they appeared frail and emaciated, reflecting the true reality of their ordeal.
According to a source at Sheba Medical Center, Levi and Sharabi were unaware that their family members had been murdered. Levi's wife, Einav, was killed in the "death shelter" at the Nova festival, while Sharabi's wife and three daughters were also murdered. The body of his brother, Yossi, is still in Gaza. The two were informed of their loved ones' fate by psychologists who spoke to them at the reception point in Re'im.
"ALL CAPS IN DEFENSE OF LIBERTY IS NO VICE."
Saturday, February 08, 2025
3 hostages of Hamas were kept underground
New details of 3 more hostages freed from the captivity of Hamas tells of the horrible situation they were in:
Sunday, February 02, 2025
Why Steve Witkoff cannot remain an envoy
Melanie Phillips has taken valid issue with Donald Trump's middle east envoy, Steve Witkoff, who's already led to the rightfully controversial release of convicted jihadists for freeing Israeli hostages of Hamas:
Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, has called the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal an “inflection point” for peace in the Middle East.Even Daniel Greenfield's taken issue with Witkoff's conduct:
He told Fox News that he hopes to broaden the Abraham Accords by bringing in every state in the Middle East, including Qatar and Egypt, which he praised for their key roles in negotiating the Gaza ceasefire.
Qatar, he said, had been “enormously helpful in this,” and the communication skills of its prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, had been “indispensable”.
While the commitment of the new administration to expanding the Abraham Accords — signed in 2020 under the first Trump administration — is a welcome sign, Witkoff’s remarks should provoke no little unease among those who properly understand what Israel is facing.
Qatar can never be a solution in the Middle East because Qatar is the problem. Far from being instrumental in bringing peace and security to Israel, Qatar has been instrumental in bringing it mass slaughter.
For Qatar is behind Hamas. It created it, funds it and protects its leaders. Qatar promotes the Muslim Brotherhood — the jihadi parent of Hamas — and hosts the Islamist propaganda news outlet Al Jazeera.
It’s an enemy of the west because it is governed by an Islamist regime that allies itself with other Islamist enemies of the west including Al-Qaeda, ISIS —and Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who had until last month a $10 million US bounty on his head.
In my article early last week, “Trump Should Pull Out of Gaza Nation Building”, I warned that this was coming.It would also be abuse of the USA citizenry's taxpayer dollars. Witkoff cannot remain in the position he's been given. He's an embarrassment and has already caused plenty of damage that can be avoided. Not to mention that people as barbaric as the Muslims in Gaza turned out to be don't deserve to live there.
If the Trump administration backs the deal, it will be forced to act as a ‘guarantor’ which will not only mean protecting Hamas, but an extended terrorist nation-building program bigger even than Iraq or Afghanistan. Phase 3 of the deal reportedly calls for a 3-5 year rebuilding program.
That timetable would have President Trump spend his whole second term rebuilding Gaza.
And the UN’s actual numbers are far worse. The UN Development Program is estimating $50 billion in costs to rebuild Gaza by 2040
Steven Witkoff, the real estate guy with a history of previous dealings with Hamas’s state sponsors in Qatar, appointed by President Trump to act as his Middle East envoy, is now parroting the UN’s numbers.
Witkoff, a real estate developer, assesses that the demolition and moving of the debris alone will take five years.
“There has been this perception we can get to a solid plan for Gaza in five years. But its impossible. This is a 10 to 15 year rebuilding plan,” he said.
That 15-year plan would put it at… 2040.
What that means is the U.S. would be dragged into this nation-building project in Gaza for President Trump’s entire second term and for, if he should get them, J.D. Vance’s two terms in office.
Madness.
Friday, January 31, 2025
More hostages released, but not without horrifying abuse along the way
Some more hostages were freed from Hamas, including non-Israelis from Thailand, but the Hamas allowed violent crowds to abuse the prisoners along the way:
Here's more on the subject by Brendan O'Neill.
Update: Donald Trump continues to make important points why Jordan and Egypt should take in these Muslims from Gaza. And here's more about freed hostage Arbel Yehud, and the Thais who were freed as well.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dropped the hammer in response to what he described as "shocking scenes" when terrorists released hostages on Thursday.This is just one more reason why all these Mohammedans, as they were once described even by George Washington, cannot remain in the area.
Terrorists released Israeli and Thai hostages on Thursday, but Israeli President Isaac Herzog noted in a post on X that "the scenes of abuse and terror towards the hostages as they were transferred to the Red Cross were horrifying …"
Netanyahu responded by ordering a delay in the planned release of terrorists, demanding assurance regarding the release of hostages, but the prime minister's office later indicated that the demand had been satisfied.
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, together with Defense Minister Israel Katz, has ordered that the release of the terrorists slated to be released today be delayed until the safe exit of our hostages in the next phases is assured. Israel demands that the mediators see to this," the office noted on X.
But it later seemed to indicate that the issue had been resolved, stating, "Pursuant to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's demand, the mediators have conveyed a commitment, according to which the safe exit of our hostages who are due to be released in the next phases has been assured." It added, "Israel insists that the lessons be learned and that strict care be taken in the next phases regarding the safe return of our hostages."
Netanyahu had indicated there were "shocking scenes" when the hostages were released.
"I view with utmost severity the shocking scenes during the release of our hostages. This is additional proof of the inconceivable brutality of the Hamas terrorist organization," Netanyahu noted, according to the prime minister's office. "I demand that the mediators make certain that such terrible scenes do not recur, and guarantee the safety of our hostages. Whoever dares to harm our hostages will pay the price."
Here's more on the subject by Brendan O'Neill.
Update: Donald Trump continues to make important points why Jordan and Egypt should take in these Muslims from Gaza. And here's more about freed hostage Arbel Yehud, and the Thais who were freed as well.
Saturday, January 25, 2025
Released hostages receive recovery treatment, and 4 more were released too
The 3 hostages released in the past week are now undergoing recovery treatment for returning to regular life:
Update: everyone's still rightfully worried about the fate of the family of Kfir Bibas.
On their second day of freedom at Sheba Medical Center, three recently released hostages – Doron Steinbrecher, Emily Damari, and Romi Gonen – are undergoing a carefully orchestrated reintegration process, beginning with the restoration of their official identities through new biometric documentation.Now, it also appears 4 out of 5 more hostages who were army officials were released:
The Interior Ministry has established a mobile processing station within the hospital, where the three will have their photographs taken and fingerprints collected for new identification cards. This procedural milestone follows scheduled sessions with hairdressers and aestheticians, marking their transition back to civilian life.
Authorities have implemented comprehensive security protocols at the facility, maintaining a controlled environment where immediate family members – parents and siblings – are accommodated overnight. Access remains strictly limited, with conventional smartphones prohibited; only basic "kosher phones" without cameras are permitted within the complex.
Medical staff report that the released hostages, who shared their captivity experience, have maintained the close bonds formed during their ordeal. They occupy adjacent rooms in a secured wing of the facility, dividing their time between family visits and group interactions. Sleeping arrangements have been customized to individual preferences, with some choosing to have family members nearby while others opted for separate accommodations.
Four of the five IDF lookouts kidnapped during the October 7 massacre from the Nahal Oz military post were released from Hamas captivity on Saturday.It remains to be seen what Levy thinks of Islam now, recalling she was reportedly an apologist and perpetuated the "palestine" fabrication that's meant to delegitimize Israel. Why, what does she even think of those Muslims in Gaza who celebrated September 11, 2001?
Liri Albag (19), Naama Levy (20), Karina Ariev (20), and Daniella Gilboa (20), were brought to Israel from Gaza by the Red Cross - the same Red Cross which refused to visit them during the 15 months they were held in captivity.
In a cynical and brutal act by the Hamas terror organization, the four hostages were turned over to the Red Cross at the center of Falastin Square in Gaza, as the square was full of terrorists watching. [...]
A fifth lookout, Agam Berger, is still held by Hamas.
Agam's family said, "We thank the people of Israel for their warm embrace. We are overjoyed and moved by the return of our four girls home - we are all one big family! We eagerly await embracing Agam, God willing, in the coming week. We will not rest until all hostages are safely returned home."
Update: everyone's still rightfully worried about the fate of the family of Kfir Bibas.
Sunday, January 19, 2025
3 female hostages released
Finally, 3 hostages of Hamas in Gaza were released:
6:24 p.m.: The IDF has confirmed that the three released hostages have arrived at the initial reception point in southern Israel, where they will be reunited with their mothers.According to this article, one of the hostages, Emily Damari, lost 2 of her fingers on her left hand:
IDF officers from the Manpower Directorate and IDF medical officials are accompanying the released hostages during an initial medical assessment.
IDF representatives are accompanying their families at the hospital and updating them with the latest available information.
Damari and the other two hostages Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher, released after 471 days in Hamas captivity, are undergoing initial medical assessments at the army facility, and they will soon be taken to a hospital.It's terrible that happened, and she and the 2 others freed are lucky to have survived over a year in captivity.
The images show a bandage on Emily’s hand after she was wounded during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. Smiling, she holds up her bandaged hand as she waves.
According to Damari’s family, Emily lost two fingers after being shot by Hamas terrorists during the onslaught.
Tuesday, January 07, 2025
Jean-Marie Le Pen dies at 96
The French politician who was sadly one of the most antisemitic creeps of his time has died at age 96:
Julian Jackson notes how Jean-Marie Le Pen did little more than poison French/European politics, and unfortunately, he did do only so much to damage efforts to oppose the spread of Islamofascism. I seriously doubt he even wanted to defend Charlie Hebdo's own freedom of speech. He won't be missed, and it's to be hoped his departure will help improve the landscape again one day.
Jean-Marie Le Pen, the former leader of the French National Front party, presidential candidate, member of the European Parliament, and patriarch of the Le Pen political family dynasty, has died at the age of 96.Tragically, he was. And despite any claims to the contrary, he wasn't really opposed to Islam any more than Jean-Luc Melanchon was. As a result, his supposed opposition to mass migration was all a sham, and besides, when somebody like that gets chummy with despots like the late Saddam Hussein, something is terribly wrong.
A figure who loomed large over French politics over the past five decades, Mr Le Pen was hailed Tuesday by his supporters as a fearless “patriot” and derided by his detractors as a fascist and an antisemite.
In a moment of historical coincidence, Le Pen’s death was announced on the day that France marked the tenth anniversary of the Islamist attack on the offices of the satirical Charlie Hebdo magazine, in which two Algerian jihadists shot and killed 12 people and injured 11 more in reprisal for the magazine publishing a caricature of Mohammed.Also notice how Melenchon repeats the morally equivalent cliche of blurring the difference between "islamophobia" and antisemitism, which he himself has been just as guilty of. There's just no excuse.
After reiterating his belief that the Holocaust was a “detail” in 2015, the party he founded voted to expel him, and two years later, his daughter Marine Le Pen renamed the party to the National Rally (Rassemblement National) in a bid to distance herself and the party from her father’s legacy. Their relationship never fully recovered after the split.
While he cast the move as politically suicidal, Marine Le Pen has grown the party to the largest in the French parliament. She currently stands as the frontrunner to replace Emmanuel Macron as president of the republic when his second and final term ends in 2027. [...]
Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon said that “respect for the dignity of the dead and the grief of their loved ones does not erase the right to judge their actions,” accusing Le Pen of spreading “hatred, racism, Islamophobia, and antisemitism.”
Julian Jackson notes how Jean-Marie Le Pen did little more than poison French/European politics, and unfortunately, he did do only so much to damage efforts to oppose the spread of Islamofascism. I seriously doubt he even wanted to defend Charlie Hebdo's own freedom of speech. He won't be missed, and it's to be hoped his departure will help improve the landscape again one day.
Monday, January 06, 2025
The Death of the 'Progressive Moment'
I don't know if we're talking about just a "moment." We should be burying a movement. And they're not "progressives." They're leftists, communists. Let's see them decimated over the next four years --- and beyond.
At the Wall Street Journal, "The Progressive Moment in Global Politics Is Over":
Weak economic growth and record immigration are driving gains by the right, especially populists.The progressive moment is over—at least for now. This past year showed that the progressive politics that dominated most industrialized countries over the past two decades or more is shifting to the right, fueled by working-class anxieties over the economy and immigration, and growing fatigue with issues from climate change to identity politics. The return of Donald Trump to the White House is the most dramatic and important example—but it is far from the only one. Across Europe, where economic growth has largely stalled, conservatives and populist right-wing parties are making unprecedented gains. Three-quarters of governments in the European Union are either led by a right-of-center party or are ruled by a coalition that includes at least one. The shift is set to continue. Canada appears poised to kick out a deeply unpopular progressive prime minister and Germany is expected to dump its center-left government. Polls show the top two parties in Germany represent the center-right and the far-right. Part of the shift is the normal pendulum of politics swinging back and forth between established parties on the left and right. The difference this time is a strong strain of populism and a growing rejection of traditional parties. In country after country, many working-class voters—especially those outside the biggest cities—are signaling the same thing: They mistrust the establishment—from academics to bankers to traditional politicians—and feel these elites are out of touch and don’t care about people like them. Years of increased migration and trade, coupled with low economic growth, have led to a backlash and a rise in nationalism, where people want more of a sense of control, political analysts say. The rise of social media has exacerbated divisions and led to an upsurge in antiestablishment parties. “It’s a broad shift that goes across countries,” said Ruy Teixeira, a lifelong Democrat who now works for the center-right American Enterprise Institute think tank. “Working-class people are just pissed off—about immigration, about all the culture war stuff, and the relatively poor economic performance that has shaped the working-class experience in the 21st century.” While one of the two establishment parties won in the U.S., the Republicans have largely been taken over by the insurgent figure of Trump, who clearly has a mandate from voters to shake things up, said Teixeira. He said he doesn’t see either the left or conventional right easily recapturing Trump’s populist, multiracial working-class majority. In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s center-left Liberal Party looks to be careening toward a decisive election loss, trailing the Conservative Party by roughly 20 points in opinion polls. Trudeau must hold a vote by October 2025...
More.
And for Canada, see, "Trudeau to Resign as Voters Sour on His Vision for Canada."
Plus, at Instapundit, "WELL, BYE."
Sunday, January 05, 2025
NYC allows march supporting intifada
Just a short time after the terrorist attack in New Orleans, a march by Islamic terror supporters took place in New York City at Times Square, calling for another intifada (via Breitbart):
Several hundred demonstrators called for an intifada on Wednesday at an anti-Israel protest in New York City’s Times Square to mark New Year’s Day.NYC, as it's been in the last decade or so, has really sunk to new lows if they allow this, which amounts to little more than exploitation of "free speech rights" as an excuse to espouse pro-violence slogans. All the officials in charge of the Big Apple have done is let their city become infested with vermin, much like Europe itself. This will have tragic consequences in the future.
Attendees chanted “Resistance is glorious — we will be victorious,” “We will honor all our martyrs,” and “Gaza, you make us proud.” They carried signs that said “Zionism is cancer,” “No war on Iran,” and “End all US aid to Israel.”
“There is only one solution — Intifada revolution,” they chanted, using a common refrain at anti-Israel rallies in the US. “Intifada,” Arabic for “uprising,” is associated with the Second Intifada, a period of terror attacks in Israel in the early 2000s marked by suicide bombings.
Speakers at the Wednesday rally urged attendees to recommit to anti-Israel activism in the new year.
“2024 was a year of struggle against the crime of Zionism,” a speaker told the crowd. “We will be here every single year for generation after generation until total liberation and return.” [...]
A handful of pro-Israel counter-protesters showed up to wave Israeli and American flags on the sidelines of the demonstration, while heckling the anti-Israel activists. A Jewish retiree led chants of “Get a job” directed at the protesters.
Arguments broke out between the two sides situated on opposite sides of a metal barrier. One anti-Israel protester shouted “Hamas,” “Go back to Europe” and “You’re all white people” at the pro-Israel demonstrators, and hurled racist slurs at a Black member of the pro-Israel group.
Friday, January 03, 2025
A jihadist from Texas committed a terrorist attack in New Orleans
A terrorist attack occurred near Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, as a Muslim from Texas murdered 10 people celebrating New Year's Eve with a Ford truck (Hat tip: Breitbart):
Update: The Daily Wire found that the criminal donated to Democrats.
The suspect accused of plowing a truck through a crowd on Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning has been identified by a law enforcement source and confirmed by the FBI as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar.A prominent FBI official used the now classic cliche that it "wasn't a terrorist attack". Even though some explosive devices were found, and the mayor of New Orleans made clear it was a terrorist attack. This is absolutely terrible, and makes clear the USA must combat the problem of jihadists living within.
Police fatally shot him after the attack, which killed 10 people and injured 35.
The FBI said in a statement midday Wednesday that Jabbar is a U.S. citizen from Texas.
The FBI confirmed that Jabbar was carrying an ISIS flag in the truck, and authorities have said he was dressed in military gear. The FBI said they also found weapons and a potential IED were located in his vehicle.
Jabbar was driving a Ford pickup truck. The FBI said the truck appeared to be rented.
Law enforcement said they are investigating the possibility that the attack involved multiple suspects. They are looking into whether a different suspect rented the truck used in the attack.
Update: The Daily Wire found that the criminal donated to Democrats.
Labels:
Crime,
GLOBAL JIHAD,
Islamic Extremism,
Islamic Fascism,
Terrorism,
USA
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