VFI News Four Killed in Hamas Shooting Attack, Hamas Ends Ceasefire by Firing at Israel, Strikes Resume

In this exclusive VFI News coverage, we bring you the latest developments on the recent Hamas terror attack in Jerusalem. Our comprehensive analysis delves into the events surrounding the attack and the swift response from the IDF.

As Hamas violate the terms of the truce, by not releasing the remaining hostages, Israel is forced to continue to use military pressure to force them into submission.

As tensions rise, we explore the broader context in Gaza, providing insights into the geopolitical landscape.

#HamasAttack

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Hamas in Gaza fired rockets at southern Israel on Friday morning, December 1, setting off rocket sirens in the area for the first time in a week. This marked the end of the temporary ceasefire in the region which held for one week.

More specifically, Hamas not only renewed rocket fire toward southern Israel but also failed to provide an adequate list of hostages to release to extend the ceasefire deal, with Israel announcing that this stood in violation of the ceasefire agreement and that the war was resuming.

Hamas had violated the framework of the ceasefire before; on Tuesday, three explosive devices were detonated adjacent to IDF troops in two different locations in the northern Gaza Strip, and in one of those, terrorists also opened fire at the troops, who responded with fire. Several soldiers were lightly injured during the incidents.

On Friday, over an hour before the ceasefire was set to end at 7 a.m., a rocket was fired from Gaza toward southern Israel, with a second round of rocket fire reported a few minutes before the end of the ceasefire. IDF said that Israel also conducted airstrikes against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip on Friday morning, after Hamas’s initial strikes.

Meanwhile, the IDF ordered civilians in Khan Yunis, the city where Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is believed to be hiding, to evacuate on Friday morning, warning that “the city of Khan Yunis is a dangerous combat zone.”

The IDF instructed Gazans to follow IDF instructions in various media outlets. If they see the number of the block they are in published, they should follow the instructions that will be issued for that specific block. “The IDF takes all possible precautions to avoid causing loss of civilian life or injury, adopting all available means,” said the IDF. (JPost / VFI News)

“God, we ask that You extend Your loving shield of protection over all Israeli and Gazan innocent civilians. We pray that our forces will soon be able to eliminate all Hamas targets so that we can live in peace and try to restore our lives after the tragedies that have occurred. We extend our deepest sympathy to all Israelis who have been personally affected by the war and we pray for its immediate cessation, as well as for the return of all remaining hostages. May You assist us towards accomplishing these gravely important missions.”

The articles included in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Vision for Israel. We try to provide accurate reporting on news pertinent to Israel, the Middle East, the diaspora, and Jewish issues around the world—and we hope that you find it both informative and useful for intercessory prayer.

Four people were killed and four other people were wounded in a shooting attack at the entrance to Jerusalem on Thursday morning, November 30, according to emergency services.

Among those murdered in the attack was Rabbi Elimelech Wasserman, 73, who served as a rabbinical judge in the rabbinical court in Ashdod, according to Religious Services Minister Michael Malchieli. Chana Ifergan, 67, the principal of Beis Yaakov Bnot Hadassah in Beit Shemesh, was also killed in the attack.

Livia Dickman, 24, of Har Nof, was named as the third victim. Yuval Doron Castelman from Mevaseret Zion, an attorney who would have turned 39 the day after the attack, was mortally wounded by friendly fire while responding to the incident from the other side of the road.

Two other people were seriously wounded in the attack, and two more were in light to moderate condition. According to police, two terrorists from east Jerusalem carrying an M16 and a handgun arrived at the Givat Shaul junction near the entrance to Jerusalem on Thursday morning and began firing at civilians at a nearby bus stop.

The two terrorists, Murad and Ebrahim Nemer were shot and killed by security forces and a civilian who was at the scene, including an IDF soldier who was heading back to base after being on a break from service in Gaza.

Murad was imprisoned in Israel from 2010-2020 because of his intention to carry out terrorist operations in Gaza; his brother, Ebrahim was imprisoned in 2014 due to terrorist activity. Hamas announced as well that the two terrorists were part of the terrorist movement, saying that the attack came as a “natural response to the occupation’s unprecedented crimes.” (JPost / VFI News)

“God, we pray for the families of the Israelis who were killed in the terrorist attack and we ask that You bring them comfort and peace. We offer our heartfelt condolences to them and we pray that no more Israelis will die at the hands of terrorists. We pray that our forces will thwart any attack planned by the terrorists.”

The IDF said Wednesday, November 29, that it had notified the family of a mother and two young children kidnapped to Gaza that it was investigating a “cruel and inhumane” Hamas statement claiming the three had been killed.

The statement by Hamas’s military wing asserted Shiri Bibas, 32, and her children, four-year-old Ariel and 10-month-old Kfir, were killed in an Israeli strike during the war in the Strip, without saying when this had allegedly occurred. Gaza terror groups have made such claims regarding hostages in the past, seen as part of a psychological warfare campaign.

“The Hamas terror organization continues to act in a cruel and inhumane manner,” the IDF said. The IDF has also stressed that it has as of yet been unable to confirm Hamas’s claims.

Meanwhile, a senior member of the Hamas terrorist movement stated that it is “not so important” how many hostages are still alive, in an interview on Thursday. He additionally said that Hamas had kidnapped 10-month-old Kfir Bibas and his four-year-old brother Ariel to force them to “impose pressure on their government, to tell them that you pushed us to hell.”

Hamas has also released a video of Israeli hostage Yarden Bibas — one day after the terror group claimed his wife and two young children were killed. The chilling video was uploaded on social media and features the 34-year-old father in tears as his captors inform him that his children have been killed along with his wife. (TOI / VFI News)

For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, Let them even be taken in their pride, And for the cursing and lying which they speak. - Psalm 59:12

Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, called for Israel to set a time limit for the terrorist group to release the remaining hostages it is holding and to kill its leaders – including his own father – if they fail to do so, in a video posted on X, former Twitter, on Tuesday, November 28.

“Hamas has been waging psychological warfare against humanity... They want to release thousands of mass murderers back to the street in return for the Israeli hostages. Israel cannot afford this, but also humanity cannot afford this – because the release of mass murderers means the death of many other innocent people,” said Yousef.

“Israel must not compromise,” stressed the son of the Hamas co-founder. “I understand that Israel had to compromise in the past week or two in order to release children, women, elders, and defenseless civilians,” he accepted.

“Israel cannot continue like this. Prisoners like Ibrahim Hamed and Abdullah Barghouti must be sentenced to death. Hamas must have a timeframe – a month or two or six months – to return the hostages and if they don't return the hostages within the time frame, Israel must execute top Hamas leaders in prison, especially the mass murderers,” Yousef advised.

“When I say execute top Hamas leaders, I mean no exceptions. That includes my own father, the co-founder of the Hamas movement. In this war, there are no exceptions,” added Yousef. “I made a mistake 10 or 15 years ago when I saved his life many times... He was supposed to die for his actions. I saved his life. Things did not change; things got worse,” he lamented. (JPost / VFI News)

“The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them; the cords of their sins hold them fast.” - Proverbs 15:22

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In a recording from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting on Wednesday, November 29, with heads of local councils in areas where Hamas-led terrorists carried out their massacres on October 7, Netanyahu is heard saying that “the price of agreeing to end the fighting is that you leave Hamas there, that [Yahya] Sinwar emerges from the rubble and flashes a ‘V’ sign. I won’t agree to that.”

Netanyahu says Sinwar initially wanted to release only two Israeli hostages and seven Thais, and was rejected. Later Sinwar offered 50, for a five-day truce, before the previous deal was agreed, the prime minister says.

A participant is then heard saying that “this is the worst breach [of faith] we’ve ever had, including with the [national] leadership… We screamed about it all,” she says in reference to Hamas’s overt preparations for the onslaught. “And we were always told, ‘Hamas is deterred.’ We believed. We believed you,” she laments. “How is security and the sense of security to be restored?” she asks.

“First of all, through the destruction of Hamas,” says Netanyahu. “And second, by ensuring that no other group of its kind will take control of Gaza.” He says Israel will maintain overall security control of the Strip and that he has told this to President Biden, while also stressing his appreciation for the president for his help in returning hostages. (TOI / VFI News)

“I will save you from the hands of the wicked and deliver you from the grasp of the cruel.” - Jeremiah 15:21

The military’s vaunted Unit 8200 signals intelligence unit was not operational near the Gaza border on the morning of October 7 due to a two-year-old decision to reduce personnel and halt operations overnight and on weekends, a new report alleged Monday, November 27.

The move, detailed by the Israeli public broadcaster, left the army without a key asset for wiretapping and code decryption, possibly adding to the confusion and chaos that delayed an effective military response to the terror onslaught on October 7.

According to the broadcaster, following private consultations, a high-ranking officer within the Israel Defense Force’s Intelligence Corps reduced the unit’s manpower two years ago after concluding that intelligence-gathering methods utilized by 8200 would not help detect a threat from Gaza in real-time.

Further, according to the report, while Unit 8200 alone couldn’t have prevented the October 7 attack had it been operational during the early hours of the morning, its members would have been able to provide a clearer picture of what was unfolding during the first hours of the onslaught and could have potentially located Hamas’s elite Nukhba forces as they moved across southern Israel, under the cover of thousands of rockets, slaughtering people indiscriminately as they went.

In the weeks following October 7, several reports have attested that senior IDF officials, including those from 8200, ignored warnings from subordinates regarding suspicious activity along the Gaza border. (TOI /VFI News)

The US House of Representatives on Thursday, November 30, passed a bill that would permanently freeze $6 billion in funds the US had opened up to Iran earlier this year as part of a prisoner swap deal that saw the release of five American detainees, American media reports.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC), passed in a 307-119 vote. 90 Democrats joined almost all Republicans present in voting for the legislation, while 118 Democrats and one Republican, opposed it.

The White House previously defended the decision to unfreeze the $6 billion, arguing it was necessary to release the five Americans who they considered wrongfully detained.

The Biden administration also said the money can only be used for humanitarian reasons, though Iran has pledged to use the money however it wishes to.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken last month disputed claims that the Iranian assets may have helped pay for terror attacks outside the Gaza Strip, stating that “not a single dollar from that account has actually been spent to date.” (INN / VFI News)

“The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” - Proverbs 12:26

Ministers from across Israel’s political spectrum recently signed a joint call spearheaded by Deputy Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Moshe Abutbul, asking people to come volunteer on Israeli farms to help save the nation’s agricultural sector, the ministry stated.

After October 7, many people who would otherwise have been working on these farms were either called up for army service, did not return due to safety concerns, or were subject to a “closure imposed by the Palestinian Authority.” Additionally, many foreign workers who were employed on these farms decided to return to their home countries.

To address the problem, the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry “decided to fund logistical costs to bring volunteers to work in agriculture amid the emergency situation faced by Israeli agriculture,” the ministry wrote.

“This includes covering transportation, accommodation, and food for the volunteers in order to fill the gap until permanent workers can be brought in.”

Further, the ministry stated that it supports volunteer efforts from organizations within the public sector to fuel this agricultural effort. The ministry explains the need for this on its website page, where volunteers can go to sign up to assist Israeli farms.

According to the ministry statement, Construction and Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf stated that employees of the Israel Lands Authority were among those to volunteer to help pick fruits and vegetables. (JPost / VFI News)

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” - 2 Corinthians 9:6

The suggestions, opinions, and scripture references made by VFI News writers and editors are based on the best information received.

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