(JNS)
The process of transferring the three Israeli hostages slated for release from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip to the International Committee of the Red Cross has begun, Israeli media reported on Sunday.
This is a developing story.
Image: Courtesy JNS Article
(JNS)
Israeli officials confirmed on Thursday night that a hostages-for-ceasefire agreement was reached with Hamas, hours after the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem said that the Palestinian terror group had reneged on parts of the deal announced the previous day in an effort to extort last-minute concessions.
With the gaps between the sides finally bridged, a total of 33 hostages, out of the 98 held by Hamas in Gaza, are set to be freed during the initial 42-day phase of the ceasefire.
Israel’s Health Ministry on Thursday released a comprehensive protocol for treating hostages based on lessons learned from the November 2023 ceasefire deal that saw more than 100 captives redeemed from Gaza.
The protocol includes detailed guidelines for medical examinations, mental health care, privacy protection and long-term support.
The hostages will be exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian terrorists, many with blood on their hands, imprisoned in Israeli jails.
Ilan Borreda, former assistant commissioner of the Israel Prison Service, said in a press briefing on Thursday that the security services should assume that many Palestinian detainees will resume terrorist activity.
“Maybe not all of them will because some are old, but Israel should be prepared. If they are released to Judea and Samaria, they could continue to engage in terror, but it will be easier to catch them again there. If they are released to Gaza, Turkey, Qatar or Lebanon, it will be harder,” Borreda said.
Former Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre who was killed by IDF troops in Gaza last October, was one of 1,027 Palestinians released as part of the 2011 agreement to free captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
Borreda explained that the Palestinian prisoners who were sentenced to life were convicted on at least one count of murder. “But it doesn’t mean that the others are less dangerous, because the younger ones were part of Hamas’s military division either in Judea and Samaria or in Gaza,” he said.
“We focus on the prisoners sentenced to life because we see them as the highest prize [for Hamas],” he added.
According to the deal, Israeli forces are to gradually withdraw from strategic locations, including the Philadelphi Corridor along Gaza’s Egyptian border, while the Rafah Crossing to Sinai will be opened to allow a massive influx of goods into the Strip.
In July, during its operations in Rafah in southern Gaza, the IDF uncovered an extensive network of tunnels running under the border with Egypt, some which had three levels.
As a consequence, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz last month vowed that the IDF would maintain security in the area, speaking during a tour of the Philadelphi Corridor.
Hamas rearming
“This war reflects a terrible Israeli failure, and of course when the ceasefire begins, it will be easier for Hamas to retake some areas currently under the IDF[’s control],” Maj. Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland, a former head of the Israeli National Security Council, told JNS.
“Hamas has got all the necessary supplies from Israel, which enabled it to become richer by reselling humanitarian aid to the population at a profit, and rehired fighters to replace those killed,” he added.
While Eiland said Israel will not be able to entirely prevent Hamas from rearming, the degree to which that happens will depend primarily on three factors.
“The first revolves around whether the Egyptians will be more effective in their task to stop the flow of weapons that cross from the Sinai Peninsula into Gaza,” he explained. “I don’t think they will make a bigger effort unless the United States signals that the military assistance [sent to Cairo] will be at risk.”
Second, Eiland said, the incoming Trump administration must attempt to shut off the spigot of Qatari money to Hamas’s coffers.
Lastly, third party countries and organizations interested in participating in the reconstruction of Gaza have to commit to linking funding to the enclave’s demilitarization.
“These three matters are in the hands of America more than Israel’s,” said Eiland. “While Hamas committed to a ceasefire, it did not commit to disarm.”
Like World War II
Maj. Gen. (res.) Uzi Dayan, former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff and Israeli lawmaker, told JNS that for Israel to win the war, it must eliminate Hamas in the same way that the Nazi regime was destroyed during World War II.
“For Hamas to win, it’s enough that they survive,” said Dayan, who described “survival” as the capacity for individual Palestinians to continue to engage in terrorism.
“Hamas can always continue and build the hopes to return to what it once was, and we have to prevent them from doing so,” he said.
To ensure this does not occur, Dayan stressed that Israel must achieve not only control over security in Gaza, but also over civilian aspects such as the delivery of water and electricity, and the entry into the enclave of critical resources such as fuel and medicine.
“We have to continue this war because we are not fighting against an entity trying to build Gaza. If that was Hamas’s goal, it would have turned Gaza into the Hong Kong or Singapore of the Middle East with the money invested over the last 10 years. But they’re terrorists, that’s not what they do,” added Dayan.
Like in Lebanon
Brig. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Nuriel, former head of the Counter-Terrorism bureau in the Prime Minister’s Office, told JNS that the IDF will have to closely monitor Hamas’s efforts to reestablish its infrastructure.
“To produce rockets, Hamas needs to perform experiments. We need to make sure not to let this happen, so they cannot start to build up their power again,” he said.
“I believe we will duplicate actions we are taking in Lebanon, where we see Hezbollah trying to recover during the ceasefire. We attack their convoys and weapons storage facilities. Whenever we see Hezbollah members trying to save some ammunition, we just blow it up,” continued Nuriel. “I believe that will be Israel’s policy and message to Hamas.”
As for resuming the war against Hamas after the agreement ends, Nuriel said that Israel could do so but it will largely depend on the United States.
“For instance, some progress between the Americans and the Saudis on normalization with Israel could lead us to take a less aggressive approach,” he said.
Dayan stressed that Israel will need to remain vigilant during the ceasefire, as Hamas may have some terrorist surprises in store.
“[Prime Minister David] Ben-Gurion said many years ago that there are some ideas that you have to kill, bury and make sure they’re not resurrected,” Dayan said.
“In the Middle East, [former PLO leader Yasser] Arafat killed the idea of two states for two peoples, Hamas buried it on Oct. 7, and we must make sure it doesn’t come alive again, ” Dayan continued. “If Hamas returns to power in Gaza, we will have to expect another massacre. And we cannot let that happen.”
Image: Hamas terrorists in Gaza City, March, 25, 2017. Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90.
(JNS)
The families of U.S.-Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza will be attending the inauguration of Donald Trump as America’s 47th president on Jan. 20.
“The invitation came from the president’s team,” Ruby Chen, the father of American-Israeli IDF Sgt. Itay Chen, whose body is being held by the terrorists in Gaza, told JNS on Sunday.
“They invited us as opposed to us asking to come, and I hope that the president’s speech will address the hostage issue and the seven U.S. citizens held in Gaza, and that it will be a failure if all U.S. hostages are not released,” he added.
President-elect Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Saturday afternoon, in what was described as a “surprise visit” to discuss multilateral hostage negotiations after Witkoff attended talks in Doha with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Chen said that he has been in contact with all elected officials who will be dealing with the hostage crisis in the incoming administration. He met with U.S. National Security Advisor-designate Mike Waltz, had a phone call with Witkoff and has been in contact with special presidential envoy for hostage affairs Adam Boehler. Chen even traveled to Doha to meet Qatari and U.S. negotiators.
“We are at the closest to get to a deal but it requires leadership from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do what is needed to close a deal for all of the hostages,” he continued.
“It was very difficult to see the list of 34 hostages, [living and dead, whom Hamas claimed it is ready to trade for a ceasefire and terrorists held in Israeli prisons]. Does it mean that the others are less important and that we can let them disappear. My expectation is that a deal will be signed with everyone on the bus,” Chen said.
Mossad Director David Barnea, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) Director Ronen Bar and Israel Defense Forces representative Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon embarked on their first joint trip to Qatar since August on Saturday evening, for discussions on finalizing a hostage agreement.
Netanyahu has provided Barnea, Alon and Bar with comprehensive operational parameters for securing an agreement.
In Doha, representing their respective agencies, they are to address all resolution components, including IDF ceasefire deployments, terrorist prisoner releases and humanitarian considerations. To streamline decision-making, the team has authorization to make on-site decisions while maintaining constant communication with Netanyahu’s Jerusalem team.
Witkoff plans to accompany the Israeli delegation to Doha for final negotiations alongside current White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk. The upcoming Qatar discussions will focus on the first-phase release of 33 humanitarian-criteria hostages, with second-phase negotiations beginning three weeks later to address the release of remaining Hamas-held hostages.
While Israel maintains its position on war-related matters, Monday’s agenda includes discussing prisoner releases demanded by Hamas, possible senior prisoner exile arrangements, IDF positions in the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors on the Sinai border and south of Gaza City, respectively, Gaza population movements and the timing and numbers for hostage-prisoner exchanges.
“In all of President Trump’s major statements about the hostage crisis after the election, including one about six weeks ago when he said there would be hell to pay if the hostages weren’t freed by inauguration day, the main intent was for Hamas, but those statements include other parties to the negotiations as well, meaning Qatar, Egypt and Israel,” Jonathan Dekel-Chen, the father of Israeli-American hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, told JNS on Sunday.
Jonathan will also be attending the presidential inauguration on Jan. 20.
“Trump’s expectations from my conversations with people serving him also include Israel and that it too will do what it must to end the hostage crisis,” he said.
While Dekel-Chen said he has had informal conversations with members of the incoming administration that are relevant to the hostage crisis, he hopes to meet with them in person in a formal setting during inauguration week or the following week.
Images: Families of American hostages who have been held in the Gaza Strip since the Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, August 2024. Credit: Courtesy of Ruby Chen.
(JNS)
Terrorists attacked the Jewish state no fewer than 18,000 times in 2024, killing 134 innocent people and wounding another 1,277, according to data the National Public Diplomacy Directorate in the Prime Minister’s Office released on Thursday.
Israeli civilians were attacked from seven fronts—Iran, Lebanon, Syria, the Gaza Strip, Iraq, Yemen and from within Israeli territory—18,365 times last year, revealed the report, which combined data from all security agencies and the country’s emergency response groups.
Some 16,400 rockets and missiles were fired into Israel, of which approximately 15,400 were launched by Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon and 700 from the Gaza Strip. October saw the most launches, with more than 6,900 attacks reported.
At the same time, terrorists sent at least 399 drones toward Israeli territory, the vast majority of which came from Lebanon.
Seventy-one people, including 14 children, were murdered in aerial assaults, and 892 more people sustained wounds. In addition, the rocket, missile and drone attacks sparked more than 600 wildfires, burning 92,417 acres managed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and more than 42,749 acres of grazing land.
An additional 1,900 terrorist incidents were reported in 2024, including stone-throwing, Molotov cocktails, car rammings, shootings, stabbings and bombings. November was the quietest month, with 109 terrorist incidents reported, while July saw the most violence in Israel—37 people were murdered and another 394 were wounded that month.
The most common type of terrorist attack recorded in 2024 was stone-throwing, with 1,248 incidents reported, followed by “throwing objects, arson and tire burning” (162), attacks with Molotov cocktails (14), shootings (132) and the use of explosive devices (89).
According to the annual report published by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) on Dec. 31, Jerusalem thwarted more than 1,000 significant terrorist attacks in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem in 2024.
Most of the attacks involved firearms (689) and explosive devices (326), with others being stabbings, rammings, bombings and abductions.
Image: Security personnel at the scene of a drone attack in Tel Aviv, July 19, 2024. Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90.
(JNS)
An Israeli Air Force strike killed Abd al-Hadi Sabah, a Hamas operative responsible for leading the deadly assault on Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in the northwestern Negev, the IDF announced on Tuesday night.
Sabah was a Nukhba Force platoon commander within Hamas’s Western Khan Yunis Battalion. He operated from a shelter in a designated humanitarian area in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
Abd al-Hadi Sabah, a Nukhba Platoon Commander in the Western Khan Yunis Battalion was eliminated in an intelligence-based IDF and ISA strike.
Abd al-Hadi Sabah—who operated from a shelter in the Humanitarian Area in Khan Yunis—was one of the leaders of the infiltration into… pic.twitter.com/KMC5HAXNfA
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 31, 2024
Throughout the current war, Sabah orchestrated attacks against Israeli Defense Forces troops. His death was achieved through a coordinated effort between the Israeli Air Force, the IDF and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet).
The military highlighted that measures were taken before the strike to minimize civilian casualties. The IDF and Shin Bet reiterated their commitment to targeting all individuals involved in the Oct. 7 assault, which resulted in some 1,200 fatalities, thousands of injuries, and the abduction of 251 individuals, of whom 96 remain in Gaza, along with four others taken earlier.
Kibbutz Nir Oz suffered some of the heaviest losses on Oct. 7, with a quarter of its residents killed or taken hostage.
Image: Hamas terrorist Abd al-Hadi Sabah inside Israel during the Oct. 7, 2023, invasion. He led the deadly assault on Kibbutz Nir Oz. On Dec. 31, 2024, the IDF announced his death. Credit: IDF.
(JNS)
A 28-year-old terrorist from Tulkarem in Samaria stabbed and mortally wounded a woman near a nursing home on Kedoshi Hashoah Street in Herzliya on Friday morning.
Magen David Adom emergency personnel treated the victim, around 80 years old, at the scene and she was evacuated in critical condition to Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov Hospital), where doctors pronounced her death.
Security guards from the Israel Postal Company’s courier unit shot the lone attacker, who was then arrested by police. He had previously served time in an Israeli prison for a security offense. His condition is described as serious.
Image: Courtesy JNS Article
(Israel Hayom via JNS)
Beginning on Jan. 20, 2025, “it will be possible to take additional actions in Gaza,” senior Israeli officials say.
The prevailing impression in Israel is that President-elect Donald Trump does not particularly care what measures Israel employs in the Gaza Strip. He has two clear objectives: the release of the hostages, and an Israeli victory to conclude the war. The methods to achieve these aims appear irrelevant to him.
In Jerusalem, as well as in the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, preparations for the Trump era are being kept under strict secrecy. When that moment arrives, if no deal has been reached by then, Israel is expected to reset the rules of engagement against Hamas.
Many of the tools restricted by Biden’s administration, alongside specific demands on Israel, will no longer apply.
A senior Israeli official expressed hope that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon—the head of the Missing and Captive Soldiers Section in the Military Intelligence Directorate—will seize the opportunity to operate “entirely out of the box.”
The official emphasized the need to break away from the current pattern, where the terrorist organization sustains itself through hostages or uses terrorists released by Israel to replenish its ranks.
What actions could Israel take that are currently off the table?
According to the source, humanitarian aid that the Biden administration has insisted Israel deliver to Gaza will no longer matter to Trump. Reducing such aid, or taking full control over what enters the Strip, could worsen Hamas’s situation and increase pressure on the organization to release the hostages.
Another critical aspect is armaments. Trump has pledged to release all the weapons shipments currently delayed under Biden on his first day in office. Once the delayed bombs and shells arrive, the IDF will have the means to significantly expand its operations.
Additionally, the official noted that population transfers—if deemed necessary by Israel for dismantling Hamas or securing the hostages—would likely face little opposition under Trump. Israeli officials believe that the new administration will not demand accountability, with the message being: “Do what you need to do. We won’t dictate your actions.”
From Jan. 20 onward, Netanyahu would no longer need to justify measures such as providing fuel and dual-use materials to Gaza under U.S. pressure. Instead, he would have Trump’s support to halt these supplies entirely. Drastic measures from the war’s early days, such as limiting electricity and water, could be reinstated.
If no agreement is reached in the coming weeks, Israel could intensify alternative approaches, such as offering financial rewards or exile deals. While the IDF and Shin Bet have so far pursued this strategy cautiously, posters have been distributed across Gaza, and messages dictated by Hamas in hostage videos suggest that the offer has reached them.
However, deeper and more sophisticated efforts in this direction remain possible.
Israeli officials believe Hamas understands what may happen on Jan. 20, and this recognition has influenced its recent willingness to negotiate. Nonetheless, the organization’s recurring inflexibility may leave Jerusalem with no choice but to fulfill Trump’s expectations, opening the gates of hell on Hamas to bring the hostages home.
Originally published by Israel Hayom.
Featured Image: IDF soldiers in the Gaza Strip. Credit: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.
(Israel Hayom via JNS)
Recent optimism surrounding the hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas has given way to mounting frustration as Israeli officials reveal significant obstacles in their dealings with the terrorist group—specifically, Mohammed Sinwar.
Sources close to the talks paint a picture of deliberate obstruction, describing how slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s brother has consistently misled mediators over weeks, stonewalling requests for hostage lists and withdrawing from previously reached agreements. Security and political officials have expressed deep concern over Sinwar’s handling of the negotiations.
Two critical roadblocks persist: Hamas’s continued refusal to provide a list of hostages for initial release, and disagreements over the prisoner exchange ratio and deportation terms.
Israeli officials emphasize that a hostage list is a fundamental prerequisite, and that Hamas’s refusal to provide one is effectively preventing discussion of other contested issues.
The war’s conclusion remains another point of contention. Despite initially indicating willingness to set aside this demand in order to start talks, Hamas now insists on including a pathway to end the conflict in any agreement.
As reported earlier this week, security officials have privately told ministers that entering into the first phase of a deal would likely lead to its eventual completion. Cabinet ministers appear increasingly willing to accept the heavy costs involved in such a deal, but remain opposed to ending the war.
Areas of progress do exist: Agreement has been reached on releasing those hostages meeting basic humanitarian criteria, and on expanding aid provisions to Gaza. The positioning of Israeli forces during any ceasefire also appears to have preliminary consensus.
A senior Cabinet minister revealed to Israel Hayom that while several issues under discussion could lead to a breakthrough, each also carries the potential to derail negotiations entirely. Both parties are mindful of Trump’s looming Jan. 20 inauguration.
The Israeli negotiating team was set to return to Jerusalem on Tuesday night after a “significant” week of indirect talks with Hamas representatives in Qatar, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
The team, which included senior officials from the Israel Defense Forces, Mossad and Israel Security Agency, is flying back for “internal consultations regarding the continuation of the talks for the return of our hostages,” the PMO said.
On Monday night, Hannah Katzir, who was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel during Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre and freed in November of that year as part of a hostage exchange with Hamas, died at the age of 78.
Hannah was released on Nov. 24, 2023, as part of a hostage deal that freed 12 other women and children that day. By the end of the six-day truce on Nov. 30, a total of 105 captives had been released.
Originally published by Israel Hayom.
Image: Source – Wiki: farsnews.ir -Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
(JNS)
Britain, France and Germany have agreed to continue nuclear negotiations with Tehran following a meeting on Friday in Geneva and amid threats by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to reinstitute a “maximum pressure” campaign on the Islamic Republic once he assumes office in January.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister and senior nuclear negotiator Majid Takht-Ravanchi met with top diplomats from the European nations, known collectively as the E3.
The talks came after the European countries joined the United States to have Iran censured by the U.N. atomic watchdog for its lack of cooperation.
The resolution by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-nation Board of Governors notes an “essential and urgent” need for Iran to provide “technically credible explanations” for the uranium traces at undeclared facilities. It also urges the IAEA to compile “a comprehensive and updated assessment on the possible presence or use of undeclared nuclear material in connection with past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran’s nuclear program.”
According to a November report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Tehran had 182.3 kilograms (401.9 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60%, an increase of 17.6 kilograms (38.8 pounds) since its last report in August. This level of enrichment is a technical step short of 90% enrichment, considered weapons grade.
Iran condemned the censure as “politically motivated” and announced the launch of “new advanced centrifuges” to produce additional enriched uranium.
Last week, Britain’s foreign intelligence chief said that Tehran’s nuclear ambitions posed a major global threat. “Iran’s allied militias across the Middle East have suffered serious blows,” said Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) chief Sir Richard Moore, adding, “But the regime’s nuclear ambitions continue to threaten all of us.”
Similarly, the head of France’s DGSI intelligence service warned of the risk of Iran’s nuclear breakout, noting that Paris and London were preparing for such an eventuality.
“Our services are working side by side to face what is undoubtedly one of the threats, if not to say the most critical threat, in the coming months—the possible atomic proliferation in Iran,” Nicolas Lerner said. “The intelligence will be crucial to enable our authorities to make the right decisions and define the right strategies.”
In an interview with The Guardian newspaper published on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that his country was considering altering its nuclear policy.
The threat came after an adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said earlier this month that Tehran has the capacity to develop nuclear weapons, should it choose to do so.
“We now have the technical capabilities necessary to produce nuclear weapons,” Kamal Kharrazi told the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-
In May, Kharrazi told the ISNA news agency: “If the Zionist regime dares to damage Iran’s nuclear facilities, our level of deterrence will be different. We have no decision to produce a nuclear bomb, but if the existence of Iran is threatened, we will have to change our nuclear doctrine.”
In August, Iran International reported that the Islamic Republic was advancing its secret nuclear program, bringing the mullahs closer to building atomic bombs.
Three independent sources in Iran told the London-based opposition media outlet that the regime was moving forward with its nuclear weapons program “by restructuring the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND), retaining Mohammad Eslami as the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, and resuming tests to produce nuclear bomb detonators.”
The Biden administration privately warned Tehran in June about its research and development activities, Axios reported on July 17, citing three Israeli and U.S. officials.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Jerusalem would do “everything” to stop Tehran from acquiring the bomb.
“I will do everything to prevent it from becoming a nuclear [power], I will use all the resources that can be used,” the premier said.
Earlier this month, Netanyahu told a Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting that Israel would review its ability to act against Iran once the Trump administration takes over.
During his first term, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the Obama-era accord more commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, which he said did not sufficiently prevent a pathway to an Iranian bomb.
In October, Israeli airstrikes on Iran destroyed a secret nuclear weapons research facility in Parchin, 19 miles southeast of Tehran, according to Axios. The clandestine site held sophisticated equipment used for testing explosives needed to detonate nuclear devices.
Image: New-generation centrifuges on display in Tehran during Iran’s National Nuclear Energy Day, April 10, 2021. Credit: Iranian Presidency Office/WANA.
(JNS)
The Israeli government issued a level-two travel level for Thailand on Sunday, meaning that it perceives a “potential threat” and “it is recommended to take increased precautionary measures.”
The raised threat level for the country as a whole does not alter the “high threat” level-four advisory—which prohibits travel to an area and instructs those who are there to depart immediately—for southern Thailand, the Jewish state’s National Security Council stated.
On Nov. 12, the government “called on Israelis currently in Thailand to increase their awareness and pay attention to updates from the NSC due to emerging potential threat to Israelis in the country,” the council stated. “Roughly two weeks later, in light of the continued threats, the NSC raised the travel threat level to level two and is recommending to exercise increased caution.”
The Israeli government stated that the “threat has not worsened,” but the council “is publicly updating its recommendations until further notice for Israelis visiting the country.”
Israelis in Thailand are instructed to avoid “large events identified with Israel, especially those publicized in advance, as well as places of entertainment and leisure identified with Israel.”
They also ought to hide anything that identifies them as Israeli or Jewish, avoid posting their location or travel plans on social media and refrain from talking about their military or reserve service or talking or posting about such things on social media, per the Israeli government.
JNS sought comment from the Israeli government, including whether non-Israeli Jews ought to be cautious about travel to Thailand.
“Advisory speaks for itself,” a government spokesman told JNS. “Not adding to it.”
Per the Israeli government, “in the south of Thailand, there is terrorist activity by local militias, in particular in the ‘deep south’ districts, which are close to Malaysia.”
“At their head is the BRN organization, which carries out dozens of terrorist attacks a year. In light of this, there is a risk for Israelis who stay/visit the districts of Yala, Sungkla, Pattani, Narathiwat, located in southern Thailand,” it adds. “High threat level (level 4) it is recommended to avoid reaching the south of the country (not including the islands). Occasional threat (level 2) it is recommended to take increased precautions: the rest of Thailand.”
Image: The shopping mall MBK Center, Bangkok, Thailand, Aug. 24, 2017. Photo by Nati Shohat/FLASH90.
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