Fresh rockets target south but shaky Gaza ceasefire appears to hold:
Two rockets were fired on Southern Israel on Thursday night, both of which were shot down by the Iron Dome. This follows the reports of a ceasefire being reached early Thursday, which had already been broken by sporadic rocket attacks during the day. The IDF struck a series of targets in response to the rockets early Thursday, but throughout Friday there was no renewed attacks from either side, and the ceasefire appears to be holding.
Local council leaders in the towns bordering Gaza announced a return to normal on Friday.
Residents of towns bordering Gaza are not happy with the IDF:
Although the IDF claimed mission success, the residents of Gazan-border towns were not pleased with the result. On Channel 12, many residents who were interviewed spoke out against the operation, which they felt was incomplete and would not result in a definite calm. In particular, many border-town residents were quite upset that on Thursday morning the IDF had declared their communities safe only to sound the sirens a few hours later when more rockets fell.
Former Deputy Director of Shin Bet lambastes the IDF for not conquering Gaza:
Yitzchack Ilan (who lead the Shin Bet Security Services during Operation Protective Shield in 2002) had harsh words for the IDF regarding the recent operation in Gaza. In an interview on Radio 103FM on Thursday, he recounted that in Protective Shield the army had to invade and conquer Judea and Samaria in order to achieve quiet.
At the time, “there were generals who disagreed with the operation for the same reasons as today,” Ilan said. “They spoke of the price, the death of soldiers, and of Palestinians, they said their blood would be in vain. So what? What is the purpose of the IDF? Our civilians are supposed to defend the army or the opposite? . . . We payed a heavy price and worked hard. There are no rockets or suicide bombers from Judea and Samaria. How did we do this? With help from Abbas? Judea and Sumeria are quiet because of the rule of the army.”
Cuban immigrants have their citizenship revoked 3 months after immigrating to Israel:
Two immigrants from Cuba were arrested and detained for 52 days, and are currently involved in a court battle against the Population and Immigration Authority after they had their citizenship revoked due to “misinformation.”
Anna Salomon was raised Jewish and has a Jewish grandfather who was born in Israel in 1945. She has three nephews already living in Israel, and her and her husband Jorge successfully completed the immigration process. The couple received their standard identity documents, opened bank accounts, received health insurance, and had found jobs in Israel. Three months after they were granted citizenship, the Population and Immigration Authority ordered their arrest, saying there had been a mistake in their approval process. They were told that their citizenship was revoked and they would have to leave the country.
The couple have hired a lawyer and are fighting the decision in the local district court.
Families of Israeli terror victims suing Hamas for half a billion shekels:
Five terror victims filed a lawsuit against Hamas in the Jerusalem District Court. Normally in cases like these it is impossible for the plaintiff to recover damages, however this case is unique. In addition to Hamas, the couple is bringing charges against three Gaza-based money changers who they accuse of helping fund Hamas. These three have bank accounts and assets in the United States, which have been frozen due to sanctions. Due to the agreements between the US and Israel, the plaintiffs should be able to recover damages if they win.