Every single mosque in Gaza searched by Israel Defense Forces has been found to be packed with assault rifles, bombs and other ordnance, according to an IDF commander from the Nahal Brigade.

On the third floor of a mosque in Jabalya, IDF soldiers uncovered a fully-equipped room used for RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) training of terrorists, including weapons, a computer with a training program and a projector.

Nahal Brigade soldiers also found bombs, rifles, grenades, cartridges, and other ordnance.

Some of the weapons, bombs and ammunition found in the mosque as elsewhere in Gaza, such as schools and clinics, were stored inside bags from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar fled northern Gaza at the beginning of the fighting by hiding in a humanitarian convoy heading southward, the Kan public broadcaster says citing an Israeli official familiar with the details.

Sinwar escaped Gaza City and headed toward south Gaza’s Khan Younis in a vehicle that provided “humanitarian cover,” the report says, adding that more precise details of the vehicle are barred from publication at this point.

The report adds that Israel’s assessment is that Sinwar is still in Khan Younis, or rather in one of the tunnels that run underneath it.

As the war between Hamas and Israel continues with no end in sight, far more Americans (65%) say Hamas bears a lot of responsibility for the current conflict than say that about the Israeli government (35%).
Bar chart showing nearly two-thirds of Americans say Hamas has ‘a lot’ of responsibility for war; 35% say the same of Israeli govt.

Much smaller shares of Americans say the Palestinian people (20%) and the Israeli people (13%) have a lot of responsibility for the war.

A new Pew Research Center survey, conducted Nov. 27-Dec. 3 among 5,203 adults, finds sizable partisan and age differences on these questions, as well as about many other aspects of the two-month-old war:

Majorities of both Republicans and Republican-leaning independents (73%) and Democrats and Democratic leaners (62%) say Hamas has a lot of responsibility for the conflict. But Democrats (50%) are more than twice as likely as Republicans (21%) to say the Israeli government bears a lot of responsibility.
About half of adults ages 18 to 29 (46%) say Hamas has a lot of responsibility for the war. That compares with majorities of 60% or more among older age groups.

To: New York State College and University Presidents

This week, like many Americans, I was shocked to see the presidents of several prominent universities – current leaders that are responsible for educating young minds who will grow into the leaders of tomorrow – fail to clearly and unequivocally denounce antisemitism and calls for genocide of the Jewish people on their college campuses.

I contacted SUNY Chancellor John King to ensure that it is SUNYs policy that calling for the genocide of any group of people on one of SUNY's 62 campuses would be considered a violation of the SUNY code of conduct, and would lead to swift disciplinary action. Chancellor King affirmed that was the case, and that SUNY will not tolerate antisemitism or hatred of any kind. CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez has confirmed the same to be true for CUNY schools.

In addition, failure to address such activity would constitute a violation of New York State Human Rights Law as well as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Under Title VI, any recipient of federal funds is responsible for keeping students free from a hostile environment based upon their ethnicity or national origin - a standard that that has been applied to antisemitism.

--snip--

I assure you that if any school in New York State is found to be in violation, I will activate the State's Division of Human Rights to take aggressive enforcement action and will refer possible Title VI violations to the federal government.

Israeli forces fought a string of battles with Hamas terrorists in northern Gaza on Saturday as they pressed ahead with the ground offensive, with troops being attacked in at least two instances from within schools, the military said.

--snip--

The IDF also said that Hamas has continued to fire rockets from a “humanitarian zone” established in southern Gaza’s al-Mawasi area. It said that yesterday at 6 p.m. “Hamas terrorists launched numerous rockets into Israel from the designated humanitarian zone.”

--snip--

In the south, the IDF said its 98th Division continued to battle Hamas in Khan Younis, with the Air Force carrying out strikes on the terror group’s sites. According to the IDF, troops of the Golani Infantry Brigade’s 12th Battalion raided a mosque in the Khan Younis area where Hamas operatives were. It said a bomb was detonated near the forces, and the troops directed an attack helicopter to strike Hamas operatives on the roof of the mosque, a number of others who came out of a tunnel, and more gunmen who were spotted in the area.

--snip--

Overnight the military said there had again been fierce clashes in the north, with the fighting showing how deeply entrenched the terrorists are inside the civilian fabric of Gaza. At least two of the clashes took place inside a mosque and schools, including one run by the United Nations.

Iran’s regime has released a new statement attacking what it calls a “Zionist lobby” in the US, targeting voices in the US who condemn antisemitism on college campuses. Iran’s regime has put out statements via its foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani.

This appears to be a reaction by the Iran regime to the US Congress focusing on antisemitism at major US universities. University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill resigned on Saturday after a congressional hearing on antisemitism last week.
Why is Iran interested in this controversy?

It appears Iran’s regime is seeking to use anti-Israel protests in the US to bolster Iran’s own lobbying attempts. Iran has sought to influence US campuses and policy for decades. This culminated to some extent in the push for the Iran deal in 2015. Iran and its supporters in the West sought to influence conversations at the highest levels and in media, portraying Iran as “moderate.

--snip--

The new Iranian focus on US campuses may reveal Iran’s interest or even active attempt to inflame protests in the West. It is unusual for Iran to comment on the internal issues at US universities. Therefore, the focus by Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson in this regard is unique.

The panel said it believed the schools were not doing enough to address "rampant antisemitism" on their campuses following the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, which prompted a massive, ongoing Israeli counterattack on Gaza.

The investigation could expand to other universities, the statement said.

An MIT spokesperson said the school rejected antisemitism in all its forms and would work with the committee to address its questions.

A Harvard spokesperson said the university had "the highest commitment" to combating antisemitism and "looks forward to sharing information with the Committee as it pursues its inquiry.” A representative for the University of Pennsylvania, or Penn, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Oct. 7 attack and ensuing war between Israel and Hamas have claimed thousands of lives, and turned U.S. college campuses into hotbeds of protest. University leaders have come under fire from both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian communities for their handling of student and faculty speech and conduct.

Roni and Simona, the parents of Doron Steinbrecher who was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from Kfar Azza on October 7, were invited to a meeting with the Red Cross earlier this week.

Doron needs a medication she takes daily and her parents thought that the Red Cross was finally willing to transfer the medication to her, but instead they were sat down and reprimanded by representatives of the Red Cross.

"Think about the Palestinian side," the representatives of the Red Cross told Simona, according to KAN. "It's hard for the Palestinians, they're being bombed."

--snip--

About three weeks after the attack, 1,200 lawyers across the world signed a letter written by the Israeli human rights group Shurat HaDin, condemning the Red Cross for not doing enough to help the hostages. The attorneys accused the organization of repeating the mistakes of indifference and inaction that it admitted to having made during the Holocaust.

Rockets fired at Israel on Wednesday were launched from within humanitarian zones set up in Gaza to allow civilians a safe haven, Israel’s military charged Thursday, as troops pressed into major Hamas strongholds in northern and southern Gaza amid heavy fighting.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, two separate rocket attacks Wednesday afternoon, including a large barrage aimed at Negev metropolis Beersheba, were fired from the vicinity of areas that are supposed to be free of hostilities, putting civilians at risk.

“At 3:59 p.m., Hamas terrorists launched 12 rockets toward Israeli civilians in the city of Beersheba in southern Israel. The rockets were launched from near tents of evacuated Gazan civilians in Rafah in southern Gaza and from next to United Nations facilities,” the IDF said in a statement.

It said a rocket was also fired three hours earlier “from inside a humanitarian zone. The rocket misfired, putting many Gazan civilians at risk.”

The majority of UN peacekeeping missions are in Africa, including in Central African Republic, Sudan and Western Sahara. However, they've faced increasing blowback and scrutiny over their ability to successfully carry out their missions, including protests in Congo from residents claiming peacekeepers did little to protect them from armed groups.

The operations, which require approval from the UN Security Council to be extended, have gradually gone into retreat in Africa. In June, leaders in Mali requested the United Nations withdraw peacekeeping forces. Leaders from Congo made a similar request to the security council in September.

Congolese President Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi said then that the mission had failed to confront fighting, but on Wednesday Lacroix defended the force, telling reporters that the UN had received feedback from residents that they wanted the peacekeepers to do more.

--snip--

The two-day ministerial meeting in Accra is taking place as polarizing divides emerge among United Nations member states about wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Institutions like the United Nations Security Council — which has a mandate to maintain international peace and security — have struggled to reach consensus on Israel's latest war with Hamas militants that began in October when they launched a deadly incursion into southern Israel.