This is the daily briefing of the Israeli citizen spokesperson’s office. We’re live on all social media platforms: YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Please like and subscribe across all our platforms and to my personal platforms at Asher Westrop. It really helps to spread the message. Now you can start submitting questions in the chat, and I’ll get to as many as I can at the end of the briefing.
IDF Air Strikes on Hamas Targets
Last night, the Israeli Air Force targeted a number of Hamas terrorists who were operating in an UNRWA school in the town of Nerat in central Gaza. The IDF announced the strike in a press release, but it attracted very little media attention. It’s easy to understand why: Hamas uses UNRWA facilities so often that it is no longer considered to be news. Additionally, the idea that UNRWA is an asset utilized by Hamas is an uncomfortable truth that many simply prefer to ignore.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad in UNRWA Headquarters
Three days ago, the IDF received intelligence that Hamas and Islamic Jihad were using UNRWA’s Gaza headquarters as a military base. The intelligence was good; the IDF raided the complex and captured Hamas terrorists who tried to escape. What the IDF found inside UNRWA’s headquarters was truly remarkable: drones, war rooms used for surveillance operations, rockets, machine guns, mortars, bombs, and grenades—all inside UNRWA’s headquarters.
UNRWA’s Silence and Calls for More Funding
Incredible as it may seem, the head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, said nothing about the Hamas takeover of this UNRWA headquarters. Lazzarini didn’t say a word about how Hamas took over the UN’s headquarters in Gaza and turned it into a military base. In fact, at around the same time that the IDF was uncovering a Hamas military base at the UN’s headquarters in Gaza, Lazzarini was begging the UN’s donors to give more money to UNRWA. The same is true for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres. He had nothing to say about the fact that Hamas was using the UN’s headquarters as a military base; instead, he begged the UN’s donors to give more money to UNRWA.
The Reality of UNRWA’s Role
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, and I quote, “UNRWA is one of the greatest factors providing hope and stability across a troubled region.” Now, nine months after the October 7 Massacre, after all we’ve learned about how UNRWA is a front for Hamas, it should be clear that UNRWA provides no hope and no stability. UNRWA exacerbates despair and incitement. UNRWA is an obstacle to peace. UNRWA teaches Palestinians that their conflict with Israel should continue until there is no Israel. UNRWA perpetuates a Forever War.
The Role of UNRWA in the Conflict
The UN’s mandate is to tell the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Palestinian refugees from 76 years ago that they get free healthcare and education courtesy of European and American donations, right up until the point that they receive the right to immigrate to Israel and change the name of the country to Palestine. Frankly, it’s absurd. What donors would want to pay for these ideas? UNRWA exists in order to make a resolution of this conflict frankly impossible. You can have UNRWA, or you can have peace, but you can’t have both. There cannot be a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict if UNRWA continues to exist.
Call for Dismantling UNRWA
Let’s have the courage to say it clearly: UNRWA should be completely dismantled. Whatever services it provides to Palestinians should be provided either by the Palestinian Authority, the Jordanian government, or by the myriad international aid agencies that do not have terrorists on their payroll.
Israeli Foreign Ministry’s Demand
Earlier this month, the Israeli Foreign Ministry sent a letter to UNRWA Chief Philippe Lazzarini listing 108 UNRWA employees who are known Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists. The Israeli Foreign Ministry demanded that these 108 employees be fired immediately. We should all be asking some pretty simple questions: How are there so many terrorists on the UN payroll? Will these 108 terrorists be fired, or will they continue to receive money from UNRWA? Why is it so hard for so many people to accept the truth about UNRWA?
Q&A Session
Question from Robin on Instagram Live: Is UNRWA still in operation?
Robin, thank you so much for asking that question. As I’ve just mentioned, UNRWA is very much still in operation, very much still being defended by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, by UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini, and so many others who say that UNRWA is the only solution and the status quo must be maintained despite its 76-year-old mission continuing to be a failure. They are continuing to support a status quo that is misaligned with the reality of the situation in Gaza and for Palestinians in general. The idea that they can return as refugees to a land that simply does not exist anymore and to the modern state of Israel and try to take back some part of a country that doesn’t exist and remove Israel from the equation is frankly ludicrous. Israel is here. Israel is here to stay. Israel is not going anywhere. No matter what the future holds for any Palestinians, it will not be the removal of the nation of Israel. So yes, UNRWA continues to exist and operate, but as we’ve called for here at the Israeli citizen spokesperson’s office, this reality is misaligned with what is occurring on the ground and needs to be changed so that others who are more adept at dealing with this situation can actually help to find a reasonable solution for Palestinians on the ground.
Question via Twitter Direct Message: In the aftermath of the near assassination of former President Trump, there has been a proliferation of anti-Jewish conspiracy theories online. Do you have any thoughts on this and what can be done to combat such hatred?
I’ll start by doing a bit of a plug for the “State of a Nation Podcast” with Alon Levy, where we spoke with Isabella Tabarovsky just recently about some of the ancient hatreds, blood libels, and histories of hatred and anti-Semitism around the Jewish people. This is nothing new. When societies struggle through difficult times, it has become common in the West, the East, and around the world to blame the Jews. Why this is, is a deeper question that cannot be answered here in a daily briefing. However, this is nothing new, and no matter what atrocities and horrors occur throughout the world—whether it be assassination attempts, wars, or famines—this hatred is as old as the Jewish people itself and something we must continue to fight and combat. As Jewish people, as the people of Israel, and beyond in the diaspora, it is critical that we stand together at these times, define and defend the truth and the reality of the situation, and not fall prey to these conspiracies. We must work together from a grassroots position and from positions of power to push back against these sorts of ludicrous and baseless conspiracy theories. We will continue to do so just as we do here at the Israeli citizen spokesperson’s office, where we fight for the true narratives occurring throughout the world.
Question from Eai on Instagram Live: Has Israel given a deadline to Hezbollah to back away, or will it be backed away by force for the safe return of the North’s citizens to their homes?
The situation in Israel’s North is incredibly complex and difficult. Hezbollah stands right by Israel’s borders with hundreds of thousands of rockets, drones, missiles, and other weapons targeted straight at Israel and its people. While it is critical that Hezbollah move back behind the Litani River and the UN Security Council Resolution 1701 mandated position, creating concrete deadlines for these things is nearly impossible. Israel is trying its best to back Hezbollah off, or it will be backed off if they don’t do so on their own. The key goal for Israel and its government is to ensure the protection of the Jewish and Israeli people and to return the 60,000 displaced people to their homes safely. With a militant group on the border with hundreds of thousands of rockets aimed at them, it is simply not the time to do so. What happens in the near future remains to be seen, but the status quo as it stands is simply not tenable.
Question from Sarah via Instagram Stories: What is the situation with the humanitarian aid going into Gaza? Are the border crossings still open? How much aid is going in, and what are Israel’s priorities in dealing with the humanitarian situation in Gaza at this time?
Thank you for asking this question. The latest reports indicate that efforts are being made to clear the backlog at the Kerem Shalom Crossing. They are looking to improve medical services, sanitation, and facilities in Gaza and are doing more work to help the Gazan people than Hamas, their supposed de facto government. Just yesterday, 211 trucks entered Gaza. It is incumbent on Israel to continue this work because they understand the humanitarian needs on the ground. Despite the backlog at the borders and crossings, Israel manages to provide significant aid. Over 1.2 billion pounds of food aid have been provided to Gaza since the start of the war. This statistic proves that there is more than enough aid available and ready; it just needs to be distributed. Israel and other organizations are doing what they can to facilitate this.
Question about Hostages: What is the current situation with the hostages?
Unfortunately, there is no new information regarding the hostages. As negotiations with Hamas continue, the key message is that we need to bring them home now. We still have not had the Red Cross provided access to these hostages to see their status. We are not entirely sure what is happening on the ground inside Gaza with them. All we can do is continue to keep the pressure up and ensure that we are fighting day and night to get those hostages returned. Currently, 120 hostages are still being held inside Gaza. They need to be returned as a precondition to any negotiations happening with Hamas or others in Gaza.
Question from Rachel on Twitter: The Paris Grand Synagogue Rabbi says there is no future for Jews in France. Should the Jews in Paris leave and come to Israel or stay and fight?
Frankly, I’m not sure that I agree with the rabbi. A country such as France, with such a deep and detailed history with the Jewish people, should not be so quick to forgo that history of Jewish connection and community within the country. While it is critical that we have Jews in Israel, those who make Aliyah, those who are already here helping to fight for the Jewish people and Israel, Jews have had a broad and diverse history around the world. Jewish diaspora communities are a critical part of the Jewish experience and connection to the world. We shouldn’t be so ready or quick to forgo that connection. Whether you are in the diaspora or listening to our briefing from inside Israel, your roles are critical in building your communities, strengthening the voice of the Jewish people, and fighting against anti-Semitism. It is imperative that we stand up as Jewish people and fight for our rights as a community, our strength as a community, and rally together. This message is critical to what we’re doing here at the Israeli citizen spokesperson’s office.
Conclusion
That’s all the questions we have time for today. I will reiterate how important it is to like and subscribe to everything we do across multiple platforms. It is so important that you help us get this message out and spread it far and wide. Share, retweet, and repost wherever you can because this message is important for the people of Israel, the Jews around the world, and all supporters of Israel and the Jewish people. Thank you so much for watching. I’ve been Asher Westrop Evans. Thank you for watching.
