Mossad: Hamas wants to ignite region on Ramadan
Blinken blames terrorists for impasse • Doha threatens to expel group’s leaders if hostage deal not reached
Hamas is more interested in igniting the Middle East during Ramadan than in pausing the Gaza war, the Mossad warned on Saturday night as it seemed that a hostage deal was not in the offing before the start of the Muslim holy month that begins on Sunday night.
“At this stage, Hamas is holding to its position as if it was uninterested in a deal and is striving to ignite the region during Ramadan at the expense of the Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip,” the Mossad said.
The intelligence agency spoke after its Director David Barnea met Friday with CIA Director William Burns in the framework of the relentless effort to advance a deal for the release of the remaining 134 hostages.
The mediators – Egypt and Qatar with the help of the United States – had hoped for a deal, in time for Ramadan, that would see the release of some 40 hostages in exchange for a six-week pause in the war. Israel, Qatar, Egypt, and the US have all feared that without a deal, Hamas would seek to use the religious fervor of Ramadan to ignite violence, particularly in Jerusalem, that would set back efforts to achieve one.
IDF spokesperson R.-Adm. Daniel Hagari said Hamas was preventing a deal and that its leaders were only interested in “their survival and the conditions they will receive,” and in continuing the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza.
US President Joe Biden told reporters in Pennsylvania on
Friday that the situation was “looking tough.”
A reporter asked him: “Are you concerned about violence in east Jerusalem without” a deal? Biden shot back, “I sure am.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday also blamed Hamas for the absence of a deal, telling reporters that the US was “intensely focused on seeing if we can get a ceasefire with the release of hostages, the expansion of humanitarian assistance, and an environment for working on an enduring resolution.”
He noted, however, that “the ball” was in Hamas’s court.
Blinken on Friday spoke about a hostage deal with his Qatari, Egyptian, and Saudi counterparts.
The Mossad said on Saturday that talks were ongoing. “It should be emphasized that the contacts and cooperation with the mediators are ongoing, in an effort to narrow the gaps and advance
agreements.”
A Hamas delegation, which had been in Cairo last week and which left for the weekend, had been expected to return for further negotiations.
A Hamas source told Reuters that the group’s delegation was “unlikely” to make another visit to the Egyptian capital over the weekend for talks.
Hamas blames Israel for the impasse in negotiations for a longer ceasefire and the release of 134 hostages believed to be still held in Gaza – saying it refuses to give guarantees to end the war or pull its forces from the enclave.
In a statement on Saturday in advance of Ramadan, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh vowed that the Palestinians will continue to fight Israel “until they regain freedom and independence.”
Among the dividing issues has been Israel’s insistence that it must be allowed to finish its military campaign to destroy Hamas, as well as the terror group’s demand for a permanent ceasefire and a full IDF withdrawal from Gaza.
Israel has also asked for a list of the hostages that will be released and a list of the Palestinian security prisoners
and terrorists that will be freed in exchange. Hamas has so far not provided those lists.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Qatar had threatened to expel senior Hamas officials living in their country unless a deal is reached. It also reported that the Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, believes that his organization has the upper hand in the negotiations due to political disunity in Israel and international pressure on the Jewish state over humanitarian assistance.
Five months into Israel’s air and ground military operation in Gaza, Hamas has asserted that nearly 31,000 Palestinians have been killed and thousands more bodies are feared buried under rubble. Israel has said that over 11,000 of the fatalities are combatants.
The war was triggered by an October 7 attack by Hamas on southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and 253 taken hostage.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.
The pain is immense. An indescribable loss.”
Additionally, the IDF announced that another officer from the same brigade was seriously injured and was brought to a hospital for treatment.
The military announced that troops fighting in the Khan Yunis area killed more than 20 terrorists in faceto-face combat and air force strikes during fighting over the weekend.
IDF troops also engaged terrorists in the Hamad residential towns north of Khan Yunis and arrested a number of terrorists in the area.
Terrorists in the area of Beit Hanon were eliminated after attacks were launched on
and disobeying orders from a police officer.
“We take the violations of the order, which cause the police to divert forces engaged in security tasks and maintain public safety, very seriously,” the police said. “We will act with zero tolerance towards those who disrupt the order and who will not listen to the police’s instructions.
“The Israel Police considers the right to protest a cornerstone [of freedom] in a democratic country and allows protests as long as they are held within the framework of the law,” it said. “At the same time, the police will not allow disturbances of any kind, damage to freedom of movement, or any behavior that may endanger the safety of
Washington has harshly criticized Jerusalem for not doing enough to ensure that humanitarian assistance has reached the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza.
On Thursday night during his State of the Union address, Biden said that “Israel must allow more aid into Gaza and ensure humanitarian workers aren’t caught in the crossfire.”
He stressed that Israel could not use humanitarian aid as a lever to pressure Hamas to make a deal for the remaining 134 hostages in the enclave.
“To the leadership of Israel, I say this: Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip. Protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority.”
Before the speech, Biden said he told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the two of them were headed for a “come to Jesus” meeting over the issue of getting humanitarian aid into Gaza, according to a video clip posted on Friday.
Biden was recorded commenting on Thursday night while on Capitol Hill for his speech, in what appeared to be a further sign of his frustration
at dealing with Netanyahu over the issue of Gaza.
In the clip, posted on social media by Democratic consultant Sawyer Hackett, the president can be seen talking to Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennett, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
“I told him: ‘Bibi – and don’t repeat this – but you and I are going to have a “come to Jesus” meeting,’” Biden said, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname. “I’m on a hot mic here. Good. That’s good.”
“Come to Jesus” is an American expression for having a blunt conversation.
Reporters asked Biden about the episode as he departed on Air Force One to Philadelphia.
“I didn’t say that,” he said initially, apparently referring to the fact that the comment was not in the Gaza section of his State of the Union speech.
But when pressed about what he said after the speech, he said: “You guys eavesdropped on me.” countries that supported our request to convene an emergency discussion of the Security Council” and expect that others will join them.
The aim is for the UNSC to discuss the report’s “serious findings” and to issue an “explicit condemnation of Hamas for its sexual crimes,” as well as “an unequivocal call for the immediate release of all the hostages in Gaza.”
Such a move would be “a great victory for justice and morality and an important step on the way to returning the abductees home,” he said.
Katz specifically emphasized the importance of the immediate release of the remaining 134 hostages, particularly as the report found substantial credible evidence that some of them had been raped in captivity.
With every passing moment, the hostages are in mortal danger, the foreign minister said.
He charged that the “UN secretary-general continues to close his eyes and cover his ears as if nothing happened. Precisely on International Women’s Day, his continued silence is a disgrace and casts a stain on his head that will not be erased.”
Israel had hoped that Guterres would use a rare mechanism to push the Security Council to focus on the issue, but he did not do so.
The United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council have adopted a number of resolutions on Gaza but have yet to condemn Hamas for the brutality of its October 7 invasion of Israel, in which victims were raped, dismembered, and burned alive.
Guterres’ spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, has responded in the past week to attacks Katz has made against the UN head, stating that the “secretary-general has fully supported the work of Pramila Patten in her visit to Israel to look into conflict-related acts of sexual violence linked to the 7 October terror attacks.
“The work was done thoroughly and expeditiously. His only instruction to her was ‘tell the truth.’ In no way, shape, or form did the secretary-general do anything to ‘bury’ the report,” Dujarric said.
On Friday, in honor of International Women’s Day, Gutteres appeared to equate the plight of October 7 victims with those of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails.
There were “accounts in the recent report by Pramila Patten – my special representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict– of sexual violence and indications of sexualized torture during the terror attacks carried out by Hamas in Israel,” Guterres said, adding that there were also “reports of sexual violence against Pales
Mount of Olives, and other sites.
There were also numerous other reminders and signs of strength and support for soldiers, hostages and their families and those lost in the war or Hamas terror attacks.
Jerusalem resident Gad Sachs, who ran the half-marathon in just over 1:37 hours, said that for him it was more than just a race – the poignancy of the moment was quite powerful.
“I am not a big music person, but no doubt my highlight was before the run even started,” he said. “The DJ from the Nova festival came up on stage and played the track/mix he was playing when the attack started, and a huge Israel flag was spread out over the runners.”
The finish and festival at Sacher Park was jam-packed with more than 100,000 people – including families and friends of the participants, as well as dozens of booths hawking sportswear, food and apparel and also promoting various organizations.
Alongside the many runners, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion also participated this year, running with the chest number 10 in the 5-kilometer race, together with his trainer, Izhak Vexler, who was injured in battles in the Gaza Strip.
“Since its establishment, the Jerusalem Winner Marathon has become one of the most experiential and professional sports events for every athlete in Israel and around the world,” Lion said at Friday’s festivities.
“I am proud that we broke the all-time record for the number of participants in the marathon and successfully held it, especially during this time,” he said. “I am even more proud that it took place as a tribute and solidarity with the IDF and the security and rescue forces, thanks to the thousands of IDF soldiers in the reserves and regular service and to the runners from the security and rescue forces who came to participate in the country’s largest sports event in the capital of
Israel.
“We all hope for the swift return of all the captives to their homes and families, and for the speedy recovery of all our soldiers [who were injured] on the front lines,” the mayor said. “See you at the next marathon in March 2025.”
Friday’s events – which were preceded by a rollicking Expo and traditional pasta dinner at the Cinema City Complex on Thursday – kicked off at 6:30 a.m. and included six races: a full-marathon (42.195 kilometers), a half-marathon (21.1k), a 10k, a 5k, and a family race of 1.7k.
There was also a free 800meter Community Race for special-needs athletes and anyone else who wanted to run, and about 8,000 runners participated in the various races on behalf of different social and charity organizations, such as Team Shalva, Keren Or, Team OneFamilyFund, Tsad Kadima, Camp Kobi, Camp HASC and Bnei Akiva.
The overall winner of the marathon was 33-yearold Melkamu Jember, who clocked in at 2:35:39 hours. The runner-up was Nega Mekete, 36, with a time of 2:41:33, while third place went to Yotam Kaplan, 31, who finished the course in 2:43:38. All three are Israelis.
Among the women, on International Women’s Day, Noah Berkman from Israel won first place with a time of 2:55:42. Second place went to Elena Tolstykh from Russia with a time of 2:58:22.
The first-place winner in the Full Marathon category received a prize of $3,750, the second-place winner received $2,500, and the third-place winner received $1,250.
The International Jerusalem Winner Marathon was organized by the Jerusalem Municipality, in collaboration with the Jerusalem Development Authority, with the support and assistance of the Jerusalem and Heritage Office, the Culture and Sports Ministry, the Tourism Ministry, and its primary sponsor, Toto Winner.
Runners who registered for the competition received a race kit, including an official Saucony race shirt (also a sponsor of the event), a chest number, a one-time electronic measurement chip, and various coupons for promotions and benefits. Produced by Electra Target, the marathon was also sponsored by Eldan, the Pools Center, Cinema City, and Reidman College, among others.
For those paying attention – and it would be hard not to, considering the logistic disruptions that come along with it – the Jerusalem Marathon may very well be the most inspiring event that takes place all year in the capital.
“The race was harder than I anticipated, but I really loved the energy flow throughout the entire group of runners and fans,” noted Eliana Eltes
of Ra’anana.
Yes, there is the financial benefit in hosting a marathon, with thousands of people flooding into the city providing an infusion to the municipal economy in a variety of ways that is estimated to approach $20 million.
There is also an extremely positive socio-cultural aspect of this larger-than-life extravaganza in that it brings together myriad members of society with vastly different backgrounds and lifestyles to participate in one common goal.
American Olympic marathon medalist Meb Keflezighi notes that “like the marathon, life can sometimes be difficult, challenging and present obstacles; however, if you believe in your dreams and never ever give up, things can turn out for the best.”
Whether running or as a spectator, a marathon can be an extremely emotional experience. Witnessing crowds cheering for people they don’t know, feeling the electricity in the air, seeing the range of profound expressions on the faces of participants as they finish the race, and being humbled by the genuine surge of courage and determination, all help define the victory of the human spirit on full display.
“Running the Jerusalem Marathon is an incredible and uplifting experience every year, but this year, the energy and unity was like never before,” exclaimed Yael Meyer from Hashmonaim, who competed in the 5k race. “While I ran in honor of Aryeh Zeiring z”l, every runner around me was in different shirts with different faces – faces of our victims and heroes. It makes you take a minute to internalize the power of Am Yisrael, that ‘only together will we win.’” Zeiring was a 27-year-old captain in the IDF’s Oketz canine unit who was killed on October 7.
The many international participants, who traveled to Israel specifically for the marathon, were among the most thrilled among the thousands of racers.
Daniel Cohen of Canada, who flew to Israel to participate in the half-marathon, was elated with the event.
“If there was one year I had to make it to Jerusalem for the marathon, it was this year,” he said. “I have run all over the world, but there is something extra special about this one.”
All in all, everyone who took part in any aspect of Friday’s events certainly enjoyed the revelry, the drama, the competition and the camaraderie that encompasses the marathon and the shorter races, while paying tribute to the nation’s current heroes and martyrs. But most importantly, it seemed as if everyone was there to soak up the inspiration and dare themselves to dream – and from that angle, the Jerusalem Marathon was once again a