Israel’s Heroic Hostage Rescue Operation: A First-Person Account
Hello everyone, I am Deron Spielman, and this is the live Daily Briefing from the Israeli Citizen Spokesperson’s Office. Today is June 10, 2024, marking day 248 of the October 7th War. Please start submitting your questions through whichever platform you are watching—X, Instagram, or YouTube—and I will do my best to answer some of them at the end.
The Heroic Hostage Rescue Operation
More facts continue to emerge about Israel’s heroic hostage rescue operation on Saturday. As more details come to light, so do more warped opinions. The enemies of Israel have been struggling to find ways to condemn Israel for rescuing its own people, who were held hostage for eight months in private residences in Gaza. Their main argument now is to question how the reportedly high number of casualties in Gaza can justify rescuing only four people. Sadly, this sentiment is echoed by major news networks and newspapers as well.
Addressing the Casualty Reports
This question can only be asked out of ignorance. First of all, the reports on the number of casualties in Gaza are always laid at Hamas’s doorstep. Hamas lies about their numbers all the time. Everyone knows Hamas is lying all the time, and they never disclose how many Hamas fighters were killed. Just one month ago, the UN halved the number of women and children in Gaza it had been reporting as killed, realizing that Hamas was lying.
The Truth About the Hostage Rescue Operation
Here is the truth about the hostage rescue operation: Hamas shot at the hostages as they tried to escape and attacked the rescue force. The rescue force was at risk of being trapped in a hostile area, surrounded by enemy forces firing AK-47s and RPGs. Only then did the IDF respond. Those who condemn the rescue operation apparently think that the Israeli rescue force should have let Hamas execute everyone or take more hostages instead of returning fire. People who think this way have a distorted view of reality and lack a basic sense of right and wrong. Can you imagine any hostage rescue force asking for permission before returning fire against terrorists? The IDF defended themselves and brought our hostages home. It was their natural, moral, and legal right to do so. The people of Israel will not leave anyone behind.
Media Reactions and Misconceptions
BBC news anchor Helena Humphrey wins the prize for the most puzzling question asked a day after the hostage rescue operation. She interviewed former IDF Lieutenant Colonel spokesman Jonathan Conricus and asked if there would have been a warning to civilians to get out in time. Conricus calmly answered that Israel cannot warn ahead of a raid because then the terrorists would kill the hostages, defeating the purpose. It turns out that common sense is unfortunately not so common. Most people know that Israel did the right thing by rescuing its citizens. I wish that the world’s most important news organizations would understand that too.
The Hostages and Their Captors
Since our daily briefing yesterday, we have learned that three of the four hostages who were rescued were being held at the home of a man named Abdalah Al Jamal. Al Jamal was a Hamas terrorist who told the world he was a journalist, publishing numerous articles on a news site called Palestine Chronicle while holding hostages in his home with his family. Al Jamal was the Gaza correspondent for the Palestine Chronicle, a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. You can’t make this up. A few years ago, Al Jamal published an opinion piece on the Al Jazeera website. Al Jazeera recently distanced itself from Al Jamal, even they know it’s a bad look. Al Jamal was previously a spokesperson for the Hamas-run Ministry of Labor in Gaza. He was 100% Hamas and was killed in the Israeli rescue operation. However, I am sure we will find him on the list of casualties as a civilian.
The Situation in Northern Israel
Finally, an update on the situation in Northern Israel. This morning, Hezbollah in Lebanon fired a guided anti-tank missile into a house in the Israeli community of Yiron. Just two hours ago, sirens went off all across Northern Israel, warning of suicide drone infiltrations. Israel has been under attack from Hezbollah since October 8th, when they joined the war that Hamas started just the day before. Almost every day, Hezbollah is firing rockets, shooting anti-tank missiles, and sending suicide drones into Israel. 60,000 Israelis have been displaced from their homes as a result of this threat.
The Role of the United States
I just read an article in CNN that said Israel and Hezbollah are ramping up cross-border attacks as if each side is equally guilty. The article did not mention that Hezbollah made a choice to join the war that Hamas started, nor did it say anything about Lebanon’s refusal to take back control of its territory from a terrorist army. It’s important to tell the truth about the situation. That’s what I’m doing as a citizen spokesperson, and I hope everyone watching will do the same. We expect everyone, including every world leader, to speak up against Hezbollah’s attacks and demand that it back off from the border before Israel is forced into a major war to push it away. Hezbollah must back off, or it will be backed off.
