JERUSALEM, Israel – Massive crowds of religious Jews blocked the entrance to Jerusalem for hours on Thursday, protesting a draft law, as eleven deceased Israeli hostages now remain in Gaza after Hamas returned another two bodies.
In the north, Israel is launching repeated military strikes to counter the potential rearming of the Hezbollah terror group.
Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, known as Haredim, demonstrated against a proposed law to draft religious students into the army, as well as the government’s arrest of Haredi draft dodgers. Hundreds clashed with police, and one teenager plunged to his death after climbing to the top of a crane.
One protester declared, “I’m here, and we are all here, to say one message, that we are one people, and we are all Jews. We love each other, and we love you, and you have to love us, and we are all one people. It is not worth to fight with each other, we are all for the Torah, we are the children of the creator of the world in this country. And we all need to be one people. We are all a family.”
Military service in Israel is mandatory except for the ultra-Orthodox, who are exempt. This causes great political and societal friction, especially after two years of war.
David Sherez, a supporter of a mandatory military draft for all, stated, “I’m here today on behalf of all the reservists, all the soldiers, all of the people who were injured in this war, all the families who lost their beloveds. To tell my brothers, the Haredim (the Ultra-Orthodox): join us. There is no contradiction between serving in the Army and serving the Torah and studying Torah.”
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Later on Thursday, Hamas returned two more bodies of murdered hostages. Amiram Cooper, 84, one of the founders of Kibbutz Nir Oz, was kidnapped and then murdered in captivity. Sahar Baruch, 25, from Kibbutz Be’eri, was taken from his mother’s home when terrorists raided it. They murdered him during an earlier Israeli military rescue attempt.
The bodies of two Americans are among the 11 remaining in Gaza. Those bodies should have been returned in the first part of the recent deal 18 days ago.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced, “The combination of the determination of the political leadership and the resolute actions of our wonderful soldiers and commanders has led to the crushing of the Iranian axis, to bring back all our living captives. No one believed we would do it, but thanks to the combined effort, we did it together. And we are determined to also bring back all our fallen captives.”
Meanwhile, tensions are rising between Israel and Lebanon, with reports that the ceasefire is in danger of collapsing.
Israel has been carrying out frequent strikes against Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon as they try to rearm and rebuild their infrastructure in violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.
According to the agreement, Lebanon is required to disarm the Iranian proxy Hezbollah, which hasn’t yet happened.
One sign of a shift: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reportedly instructed the army to confront any incursion into southern Lebanon after a municipal worker was killed there.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar met with the U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Harris. Sa’ar posted on X, “Hezbollah, with Iran’s support, continues to intensify its efforts to rebuild and rearm. This is dangerous for Israel’s security just as it is for Lebanon’s future. Israel cannot bury its head in the sand in the face of this trend. I reiterated our will to expand the circle of normalization and peace in the Middle East.”
Israeli Ambassador to Israel Danny Danon accused the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, of breaching its mission when it shot down an Israeli drone last weekend.
UNIFIL was created in 1978 to oversee the disarmament of Hezbollah and prevent attacks against Israel.
However, Danon told JNS News it has not done that. He said, “The U.N. has violated its mandate, and UNIFIL’s time is up.”
