Israel At War, Day 11

President Biden will make a historic visit as the United States reaffirms its support for Israel

Today is October 17, 2023, and here is the latest about what is happening in Israel. If you enjoy these daily updates, and want access to more, exclusive content, or to support my work, then please consider becoming a monthly subscriber by clicking the button below.

We have now entered the tenth day of the war in Israel, and here is everything you need to know. One note before I dive into the news: With war, there is a lot of information that is often difficult to compartmentalize into easily digestible reads. And, with the news moving at a fast pace, news is often missed and information is often interpreted incorrectly at first.

1) Biden to visit Israel

The White House has announced that President Joe Biden will visit Israel tomorrow in what will be a historic visit as this will mark one of the few times in history that a United States President visits a country at war. This comes months after President Biden visited Ukraine in a surprise visit. Thanks to the President's leadership, the international community remains steadfast in its support behind Israel. This visit is not just symbolic, it comes at at a time when several American hostages remain trapped in Gaza and Israel is preparing to launch a massive ground operation in Gaza to eliminate Hamas and its military outposts. Because of the President's visit it is likely that any such ground operation will be delayed until after the visit is complete to ensure that no security issues arise. Meanwhile, several thousand American troops have received "ready to deploy" orders

2) Russia Fails at the UN

The United Nations Security Council explicitly rejected the Russian Government's attempt to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The resolution also condemned all attacks on civilians and terrorism (ironic, right?) across the world and demanded the release of hostages. Despite this, the resolution did not include the term "Hamas." The vote was defeated soundly with only five countries voting in favor of the resolution: (1) China; (2) Russia; (3) UAE; (4) Gabon; and (5) Mozambique. Four countries voted against the resolution: (1) United States; (2) Japan; (3) United Kingdom; and (4) France. Six countries abstained from the vote: (1) Albania; (2) Brazil; (3) Ghana; (4) Malta; (5) Switzerland; and (6) Ecuador. The United States did not have to use its veto power on the resolution. This resolution comes at a time where Russia has praised Hamas and is conducting its own acts of terrorism in Ukraine with the indiscriminate killing of civilians.  

3) Authoritarian Regimes Rally Behind Hamas

The Iranian Government is ramping up its rhetoric against Israel as China and Russia have amplified calls for a ceasefire by the Israeli Government. Earlier today, Iran's leader proclaimed that "If the crimes of the Zionist regime continue, no one can stop the Muslims and the resistance forces." This comes as Iran has claimed that "time is running out" in Israel and that "preemptive action" may be taken by Iran against Israel. These threats come as Russia and China are actively promoting a ceasefire in Israel, rallying behind Hamas and those in Gaza. Meanwhile, Hezbollah, a terrorist group funded by Iran in Lebanon, has increased attacks on Israeli positions and has vowed to get involved in the war if Israel crosses the "red line" that is an invasion of Gaza. 

4) First Hostage Video Released

Hamas has released its first hostage video this morning. For these purposes I will not be sharing the video and implore you not to interact or share the video as well. The video depicts Mia Schem, a 21 year old French-Israeli woman who was captured in Southern Israel by Hamas. Her current condition is not known, and the Israeli Government informed her family of her kidnapping last week when it first happened. To learn more about this video, please click the link here. 

Disclaimer: With any war, news and information is often scattered and hard to come by, as we learn more you will be the first to know.