everything. You beg for food sometimes. You beg to shower her. Even if we can't shower, you find the strength for her. What a test of parenthood. This is the test of my life. It was a test of my life. And I marked everything with a tick, everything. And I'm not sure where I'm going to go. To the cold. Just one of the many stories that hostages who have returned have told. That's all for this edition of I-24 News. We have rolling coverage providing you with the latest from Israel. We'll be back at the top of the hour for more news and updates. Be sure to follow us on our website, i-24news.tv, and across our social media platforms. I'm Sivan Raveeth. Thank you for watching. A state of war, families completely done down in their beds. We have no idea where she is. Our soldiers are fighting on the front lines. But the general perception is something that certainly needs to be fought as well. I'm Sivan Raveeth, and these are the latest developments coming to you live from Tel Aviv. Today is day 94 of Israel's war with Hamas as fighting continues in southern Gaza. Earlier in the day, a Hezbollah anti-tank missile hit the northern city of Kiryat Shmona. The municipality said there were no reports of casualties or damage. The IDF struck a series of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon this morning. IDF Air Force jets hit a Hezbollah military compound in Mawahin and targeted rocket launchers and tear infrastructure in Ait al-Shaab. The IDF also reported that a drone attacked a rocket-firing position while a combat helicopter struck a site from where an anti-tank missile was fired at Israel. This morning, Hamas posted photos of women taking the day they were kidnapped into the Gaza Strip. All of these women are 18 to 19 years old, going clockwise. Their names are Karina Ariyev, Agam Berger, Danielle Gilboa, and Liri al-Bagh. Meanwhile, families of hostages held in captivity by Hamas returned from a meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Muhammad Dutani and Doha in an effort to revive talks to return their loved ones from the Gaza Strip. Following the targeted killing of Al-Arruri allegedly attributed to Israel, Hamas reportedly froze negotiations via Qatar and Egypt, though Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed to the relatives of hostages the talks for their return were still ongoing. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is currently on a diplomatic mission across the Middle East, holding talks in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia before heading to Israel later today. The primary focus of the trip is addressing the aftermath of the Gaza conflict and trying to prevent a broader regional escalation. As tensions rise between Israel and Hezbollah and Lebanon, Blinken emphasizes the urgency of averting further conflict. Blinken also stressed that the conflict in Gaza could easily metastasize. Let's take a listen to what he has to say. They cannot. They must not be pressed to leave Gaza. We reject the statements by some Israeli ministers and lawmakers calling for a resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza. These statements are irresponsible, they're inflammatory, and they only make it harder to secure a future of Palestinian-led Gaza, with Hamas no longer in control and with terrorist groups no longer able to threaten Israel's security. Joining us in studio is former Shin Bet agent, Gunnen Ben-Itschak. Thank you for coming in. Thank you for having me. We're seeing horrific photos of these female hostages, only 18 or 19 years old. These images are now published all over. And they're still in there, almost 100 days in, three months to the war, three months to October 7th, and three months to the day that they were abducted and taken into captivity by Hamas. You know, it's terrible to see the pictures. This is the first time I see the pictures here in the studio. But I see something, I can't say positive, but something maybe a little optimistic. The fact that Hamas is releasing those pictures means that the military pressure now is maybe effective, and Hamas is trying to find a solution. And now I think it's the turn of the Israeli government to give them some solution, because as long as Iche Sinouar and the leaders of Hamas are still kept in the tunnels of Gaza Hanyunas or wherever underneath the Gaza Strip. And they don't have any solution. This is a very dangerous situation for the Israeli hostages. I say again and again, I'll say it today again. I think that the first goal of this war is to bring back the 136 hostages that are still held in Gaza. Later on, Israel has the ability to enmasse, destroy Hamas, or at least the ability of Hamas to rule Gaza. And this is, of course, not in debate. But the first thing is to bring back our women and men back home. And I hope that now diplomacy and the fact that Secretary Blinken is in the region and the fact that in other countries, maybe Arab countries, will take part in the diplomacy that has to do with releasing the hostages. Maybe this will bring a solution to their terrible situation. Now, the Israeli Defense Minister, Benny Gantz, sorry, Galant, said to families of hostages that military activity will continue until these hostages are released. But we know a lot of them are hidden in underground tunnels. And so how is that to be executed? Sivan, I think it's obvious that it will be almost impossible to release them by using military force or by military operation. I think military pressure will and I think that the release of the pictures shows that the military pressure is effective. But the only thing that will bring them back home is diplomacy. And I know it because the only time, when or almost the only time when we got our hostages back, it was through diplomacy. And right now Israel doesn't have any other option. I think that the Israeli government is a bit confused about the goals of the war because again, again, they say we keep fighting. The goals are to destroy Hamas and to bring the hostages back. No, the goal is to bring them back home and then everything, all the options are on the table. Families of these hostages are saying, be upfront with us. Tell us, is this really your first priority to release the hostages? Or is it to destroy Hamas and then release the hostages? And unfortunately, I hear all the leadership of Israel talking about it saying always, first to destroy Hamas, then to bring back the hostages and for the future of the state of Israel, for the confidence that we as Israeli citizens need to feel toward our government. Those people were neglected on October 7th. The reason, most of them, were citizens that lived their lives in the area of Fegaza. The real Zionists that lived there and they knew how dangerous it is to live by the fence of Fegaza. They lived for years under the attack of rockets from Fegaza and they kept living there. And this is our obligation, all of us, to say out loud to the government, bring them back home first and then do whatever you need to do. Gonan, please stay with us. We'll be back to you in a moment. Joining us now from Israel's southern border is our I-24 news correspondent, Pierre Colochandler. Pierre, what's the latest on the ground? Well, we are just about six kilometers away from the border with the Gaza Strip, facing the refugee camp of El Borej and Dean Barenboim. Our cameraman is zooming in on that camp. Which is actually the siege of intensive fighting against the 36th division of combined combat teams that are operating in the three refugee camps of the Direl-Balach area, where there are four battalions of Hamas located in the central sector of the Gaza Strip, further south. You have also four battalions of Hamas who are fighting the IDF-98 division of combined combat teams in and outside of Hanyunes. The two battalions on the north and the east of that sector are being gradually eliminated, but two battalions, the one on the west and the south of Hanyunes, are still maybe bruised by an intact operationally. Further south, you have four battalions of Hamas in the border town of Rafar, which is on the border with Egypt. And there, there's a problem. It's a sensitive side, because first of all, something like 1.3 million Palestinians displaced are cramming the area. It's on the border with Egypt with which Israel has a peace treaty. And therefore, if you want to operate in Rafar, you need, first of all, to coordinate that, probably with the Egyptian government and with the U.S. administration. Now, Anthony Blinken is coming tomorrow. The Secretary of State has put pressure on Israel to move to phase three of low-intensity warfare. And the Minister of Defense of Israel, Joav Galant, spoke on the Wall Street Journal and said that Israel is moving gradually to that low-intensity warfare, but not in the sector that we're facing, in the northern sector of the Gaza Strip with Gaza City. There, there were 12 battalions of Hamas, half of the whole military structure of the whole Gaza Strip. Now, they've been decimated. 8,500 of the terrorists have been killed. Others are still operating in the northern sector as isolated guerrilla cells. And the rest probably went down to the northern and to the southern and central sector of the Gaza Strip to support the other battalions of Hamas. Now, what means low-intensity warfare? The IDF now is operating in the northern sector on a brigade level, not on a division level. And many of the places that were invested by the Israeli army are now evacuated toward the Israeli Gaza border. They are still brigade-level activity against terrorist cells. What Israel is trying to achieve right now, with the Division 99, is to cut the northern sector from the central and southern sector in order to prevent the million or so Palestinians who displaced themselves from the battleground in the northern sector to save the zone to return to the northern sector. The IDF at this point, and it's probably a political decision, does not allow the Palestinian displaced population to return back to the northern sector. But there are still 100 to 200,000 Palestinians that remain stranded in the northern sector of the Gaza Strip. Now, the Israeli government announced yesterday the deadline for the residents of the southern communities in Israel to come back to their homes. When will this be exactly, and what's the reaction, the sentiment from the locals? Right now, it's only a consideration. There's been no formal directives by the Israeli government, but the target date would be February 4th. Now, that's to the tantamount of most of the residents of the community villages and of the towns around the security border with the Gaza Strip who suffered so heavily from the October 7th massacre. People are in trauma, although they've been used to sporadic rocket fire for the past 23 years. And today, we're talking about a level which is lower than in the northern front with Lebanon. Still, people are not ready to return. They're not ready to return unless there is full protection by the IDF. That would mean installing battalions in Zderot, for instance, a city of 30,000 inhabitants which has been hard hit by rocket fire and by the October 7th massacre. Over 44 people died there. But also in the other community villages, they want real security. And they believe that security can only be achieved if the IDF will have a plan of action regarding the northern sector of the Gaza Strip where most of the communities are located, which means allowing division-level army structure on the border with the Gaza Strip. And that's something that the IDF is not doing at this moment. So February 4th could be a dream that won't come to fruition in the next three weeks unless there is a dramatic change of situation in the Gaza Strip. Pierkel Schindler, thank you very much. And back with us in studio is Gonen Ben-Itschak. So we're hearing about what's happening in Gaza, but I'd like to speak about another front, the West Bank. We heard about, we're seeing a stabbing attack, we're seeing a car ramming attack. There is the sentiment that this is another front to be dealt with continuously while dealing with Gaza and the north. And there's a lot going on here. Yes, no doubt that West Bank is another front. The IDF since October 7th and before, of course, but since October 7th is having every night operations in the different cities and villages of the West Bank. Hamas is trying hard to inflame violence in the West Bank. And sometimes, as we saw yesterday in the area of Givadzeev and in the area of Benjamin, there were some terror attacks. A shooting attack. A shooting attack. Israeli, Arab-Israeli that was killed, another that was wounded. So they are trying hard to actually inflame this front. Until now, I think that IDF was successfully lowering the fire in the West Bank. But of course, it's a concern all the time because this is something that once it inflames, it will affect our cities, the cities in Israel. And this is a big concern. And the IDF arrested suspects. We're hearing now for the shooting attack yesterday. We heard that they also arrested two doctors and a nurse who were allegedly the terrorists. And what does this signify? I think it shows that Hamas is trying to bring more and more people into the circle of violence. And as the war in Gaza is going on, of course, the feelings and I'll say the motivation of Hamas members in the West Bank is going. And this is something that Israel is trying all the time to stop. Now, how volatile is this front, would you say? Say that we don't want to get to the point where we're fighting Gaza, the northern border, and the West Bank. Of course, the IDF can handle it, but I don't think this is the ideal way of having a war in Gaza and in the north. Basically, Israel has the ability, both military and intelligence, to lower the flames. And until now, I see that in most cases Israel is doing it successfully. Now, moving on to Gaza, we are hearing about this third phase, third stage of fighting with a more strategic and pinpointed kind of fighting. What does that mean exactly? Okay, I think that what basically the IDF did was to map the Gaza Strip and start working in a very precise way against the different battalions and the areas in the beginning in the northern part of the Gaza Strip and then in the south. Right now, I'll say that the main fighting that we saw is not needed anymore. Right now, we understand that many of the militians are hiding underneath the ground. And it will be a very diligent work to go from tunnel to tunnel, from the entrance of tunnels to destroy the tunnels to get them to push them to a certain point in order to either get them out of the ground, underneath the ground, or to kill them in the tunnels. And again, all the time, we have the big issue of the hostages that are still held there and Israel needs to find also a solution how to bring them back. And this also means that I would guess that maybe Israel knows where the leaders of Hamas are. But you understand that there is, I'll say, a safety belt of hostages around the leaders of Hamas. So of course Israel can't now, even if Israel knows where they're hiding, we can't just drop their bombs on the tunnels where they're hiding because we have inside the hostages.  There's an entire underground tunnel system all over Gaza underground. And we know that some, if not all of the hostages are located in these tunnels, how is this tunnel threat to be dealt with? If you know that if there are several solutions to how to deal with tunnels, but they will likely hurt the hostages. Diplomacy. And this is why Israel now is on an intersection of deciding what to do. You can't have now a high-scale war because this situation. And you need somehow to speed up diplomacy. I guess that this government doesn't want to release Palestinian prisoners, but eventually I guess that part of the solution will be releasing prisoners. And the decision now is in the hands of the Israeli government to decide where and how to go. And then the cycle begins all over again. You release these prisoners who are essentially terrorists and the terrorist cycles begins. There are terrorist murderers and we need to fight them. And I'll say again, we need to bring back our people. And then these people, from my point of view, the terrorists shouldn't stay alive in the future. So you're saying it's about prioritizing, bring back the hostages and then take care of the terrorists slash prisoners? Yes. Okay, definitely. I mean, the hostage families are saying this. They're saying it to the government. They're saying it to everyone who can listen. Just be upfront with us. Are you trying to eliminate Hamas first or are you trying to bring home the hostages first? And that remains a question to be answered. Yeah, and, you know, for the last 10 years, maybe more always involved in demonstrations and protests in Israel. And I think when I look at what they do, it's amazing. They're going all over the world, meeting international leaders. But I think that inside in Israel, they should somehow speed up or be more, I'll say, aggressive towards the government. Gonan Ben-Itschak, thank you very much. Thank you very much. Many hostages still in Gaza were taken from the Nova Music Festival near Ra'im. The hostages and missing family form arranged an event at the site of the massacre. And our correspondent Ariel Ossaran was there and spoke with family members, some still hoping for their loved ones to return, others grieving their death, but fighting on for the return of those still alive. Take a look. I tried to imagine the feeling that I'll have when I'll be here. I thought it would be different, but I thought it would be easier because I feel like I know everything here. I saw so many videos and so many pictures and had so many stories that it almost felt like I know everything. But the second I just stepped into this area felt different. For Mikhael Levi, visiting this beautiful wood outside Kibbutz Ra'im near the Gaza border is an emotional roller coaster. It's the site of the deadly Nova Music Festival. And on October 7th, his brother Ol and sister in La'Anav arrived just minutes before it was stormed by dozens of Hamas terrorists. Part of his need to know everything as he describes it led him to find a video that depicts Ol and Inav's last moments together. They stood close to the wall inside a bomb shelter. I didn't see what happened inside when those monsters threw the grenades and sprayed bullets into the shelter. But I can imagine, I can understand from the stories. He was, she was in front of him. He saw it. He saw his wife being murdered in front of him. And then taken to Gaza. And then taken to Gaza. Mikhael has not heard a word regarding his brother's condition since that day, exactly three months ago. All he knows is that Ol was taken alive and uninjured. The reason Ol and Inav arrived in the morning of the party, and not the night before when it began, was because they wanted to spend the night with their two-year-old son, Al Mugh, who they left at his grandparents before heading out to Ra'im at dawn. Now, Al Mugh is essentially an orphan, not knowing if and when his father will return. He misses them. He calls them all the time. He wants to go home. He starts crying when someone mentioned the words, the words, dad or mom. It's as simple as that. He can understand that they are not here. I'm not sure how much of this he can understand, but he understands that they are not here with him. Mikhael is just one sibling of a kidnapped hostage who came to this now hollowed ground for an event arranged by the Hostage Family Forum. This was the dance floor at the Nova Music Festival, where 364 partygoers were murdered, raped and mutilated by Hamas terrorists and Gaza locals on that dreadful October 7th. The area here is thicker. It's genuinely harder to breathe walking through here now. These are their faces. Most of them are gone for good, but for some, there's still hope to return home. But time is running out. Besides a mock bar, bullet shells on the ground and the playlist from that day blaring in the background, the event also included a speech by 18-year-old Itaire Gev, who was taken hostage with his sister Maya from the festival. Both were freed after more than 50 days in the tunnels of Gaza. Some of his friends who were taken from the party remain in captivity. I was in captivity for 45 days, and every day there is like forever. The conditions there are very, very hard to survive. The hostages cannot stay there for one more second. They all have to return home now. Asaf Pozniak lost two of his relatives at the Nova Festival. His sister-in-law's two sisters, Hodaya and Itaire, were initially believed missing following October 7th. Their burnt bodies were found six days later in the nearby woods. Since then, Asaf has been very active in the family's forum. From the first week, I've been working like crazy to try and bring Hodaya and Itaire. They were at my wedding in June, and I remember thinking how amazing it would be to attend their weddings. Unfortunately, that dream has died. With negotiations over a second phase of hostage release faltering, both Asaf and Michael remain optimistic that the hostages will return and soon. I'm hopeful I wake up every morning with that hope, even when there are more difficult days in which we hear the terrible news of another hostage killed in captivity. Close to 20 hostages murdered by Hamas and the brave soldiers who risked their lives to bring back the hostages. We expect from the government to present an Israeli initiative to bring back all of the hostages, and not to play by Hamas' dune. It's not hope. I know he will be back. It's just a matter of time. That's it. I know he will be back, and like I said on stage, I will do everything to bring him back, even if it means to turn the world upside down. That's all for this edition of I-24 News. We have rolling coverage providing you with the latest from Israel. I'm Savannah Raveave. Thank you for watching. Did you know that Martin Luther King's famous 1968 mountaintop speech was based on his trip to the Promised Land? Well now, 55 years later, his prophetic words are coming true. Hundreds of African American women took a journey of a lifetime to the Holy Land. We'll introduce you to the amazing female spiritual and religious leaders who are infusing new energy into the next generation of African Americans. This is MC Savannah Raveave, and these are the latest developments coming to you live from Tel Aviv. Today is Day 94 of Israel's war with Hamas, as fighting continues in southern Gaza. Earlier in the day, a Hezbollah anti-tank missile hit the northern city of Kiryat Shmona. The municipality said there were no reports of casualties or damage. The IDF struck a series of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon this morning. IDF Air Force jets hit a Hezbollah military compound in Marwahine and targeted rocket launchers and tear infrastructure in Ait al-Sha'ab. The IDF also reported that a drone attacked a rocket-firing position while a combat helicopter struck a site from where an anti-tank missile was fired at Israel. This morning, Hamas posted photos of women taking the day they were kidnapped into the Gaza Strip. All of these women are 18 to 19 years old, going clockwise. Their names are Karina Ariyev, Agam Berger, Danielle Gilboa, and Liri al-Bagh. Meanwhile, families of hostages held in captivity by Hamas return from a meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammad Atani and Doha in an effort to revive talks to return their loved ones from the Gaza Strip. Following the targeted killing of al-Arouri allegedly attributed to Israel, Hamas reportedly froze negotiations via Qatar and Egypt, though Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed to the relatives of hostages that talks for their return were still ongoing. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is currently on a diplomatic mission across the Middle East, holding talks in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia before heading to Israel later today. The primary focus of the trip is addressing the aftermath of the Gaza conflict and trying to prevent a broader regional escalation. As tensions rise between Israel and Hezbollah and Lebanon, Blinken emphasizes the urgency of averting further conflict. Blinken also stressed that the conflict in Gaza could easily metastasize. Let's take a listen to what he has to say. They cannot. They must not be pressed to leave Gaza. We reject the statements by some Israeli ministers and lawmakers calling for a resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza. These statements are irresponsible, they're inflammatory, and they only make it harder to secure a future of Palestinian-led Gaza. With Hamas no longer in control and with terrorist groups no longer able to threaten Israel's security. Joining us in studio is former Shin Bet agent Gonen Ben-Itschak. Thank you for coming in. Thank you for having me. We're seeing horrific photos of these female hostages, only 18 or 19 years old. These images are now published all over. And they're still in there, almost 100 days in, three months to the war, three months to October 7th, and three months to the day that they were abducted and taken into captivity by Hamas. You know, it's terrible to see the pictures. This is the first time I see the pictures here in the studio. But I see something, I can't say positive, but something maybe a little optimistic. The fact that Hamas is releasing those pictures means that the military pressure now is maybe effective, and Hamas is trying to find a solution. And now I think it's the turn of the Israeli government to give them some solution, because as long as Iche Sinuah and the leaders of Hamas are still kept in the tunnels of Gaza, Chaneunas, or wherever underneath the Gaza Strip, and they don't have any solution, this is a very dangerous situation for the Israeli hostages. I say again and again, I'll say it today again. I think that the first goal of this war is to bring back the 136 hostages that are still held in Gaza. Later on, Israel has the ability to enmasse, destroy Hamas, or at least the ability of Hamas to rule Gaza, and this is, of course, not in debate. But the first thing is to bring back our women and men back home. And I hope that now diplomacy, and the fact that Secretary Blinken is in the region, and the fact that in other countries, maybe Arab countries, will take part in the diplomacy that has to do with releasing the hostages. Maybe this will bring a solution to their terrible situation. Now, the Israeli Defense Minister, Benny Gantz, sorry, Galant, said to families of hostages that military activity will continue until these hostages are released, but we know a lot of them are hidden in underground tunnels. And so how is that to be executed? Sivan, I think it's obvious that it will be almost impossible to release them by using military force, or by military operation. I think the military pressure will, and I think that the release of the pictures shows that the military pressure is effective, but the only thing that will bring them back home is diplomacy, and I know it, because the only time, or almost the only time, when we got our hostages back, it was through diplomacy. And right now, Israel doesn't have any other option. I think that the Israeli government is a bit confused about the goals of the war, because again, again, they say we keep fighting. The goals are to destroy Hamas and to bring the hostages back. No, the goal is to bring them back home, and then everything, all the options are on the table. Families of these hostages are saying, be upfront with us. Tell us, is this really your first priority to release the hostages, or is it to destroy Hamas and then release the hostages? And unfortunately, I hear all the leadership of Israel talking about it, saying always, first to destroy Hamas, then to bring back the hostages and for the future of the state of Israel, for the confidence that we as Israeli citizens need to feel toward our government. Those people were neglected on October 7th. The reason, most of them were citizens that lived their lives in the area of Fegaza. The real Zionists that lived there, and they knew how dangerous it is to live by the fence of Fegaza. They lived for years under the attack of rockets from Fegaza, and they kept living there. And this is our obligation, all of us, to say out loud to the government, bring them back home first, and then do whatever you need to do. Gonan, please stay with us. We'll be back to you in a moment. Joining us now from Israel's southern border is our I-24 news correspondent, Pierre Kloshendler. Pierre, what's the latest on the ground? Well, we are just about six kilometers away from the border with the Gaza Strip, facing the refugee camp of El Borej and Dean Barenboim. Our cameraman is zooming in on that camp. Which is actually the siege of intensive fighting against the 36th division of combined combat teams that are operating in the three refugee camps of the Direl-Balach area, where there are four battalions of Hamas located in the central sector of the Gaza Strip, further south. You have also four battalions of Hamas who are fighting the IDF-98 division of combined combat teams in and outside of Hanyunes. The two battalions on the north and the east of that sector are being gradually eliminated, but two battalions, the one on the west and the south of Hanyunes, are still maybe bruised by an intact operationally. Further south, you have four battalions of Hamas in the border town of Rafar, which is on the border with Egypt. And there, there's a problem. It's a sensitive side, because first of all, something like 1.3 million Palestinians displaced are cramming the area. It's on the border with Egypt, with which Israel has a peace treaty. And therefore, if you want to operate in Rafar, you need first of all to coordinate that, probably with the Egyptian government and with the U.S. administration. Now, Anthony Blinken is coming tomorrow. The Secretary of State has put pressure on Israel to move to phase three of low-intensity warfare. And the Minister of Defense of Israel, Joav Galant, spoke on the Wall Street Journal and said that Israel is moving gradually to that low-intensity warfare, but not in the sector that we're facing, in the northern sector of the Gaza Strip, with Gaza City. There, there were 12 battalions of Hamas, half of the whole military structure of the whole Gaza Strip. Now, they've been decimated. 8,500 of the terrorists have been killed. Others are still operating in the northern sector as isolated guerrilla cells. And the rest probably went down to the northern and to the southern and central sector of the Gaza Strip to support the other battalions of Hamas. Now, what means low-intensity warfare? The IDF now is operating in the northern sector on a brigade level, not on a division level. And many of the places that were invested by the Israeli army are now evacuated toward the Israeli Gaza border. They are still brigade-level activity against terrorist cells. What Israel is trying to achieve right now with the Division 99 is to cut the northern sector from the central and southern sector in order to prevent the million or so Palestinians who displaced themselves from the battleground in the northern sector to save a zone to return to the northern sector. The IDF at this point, and it's probably a political decision, does not allow the Palestinian displaced population to return back to the northern sector. But there are still 100 to 200,000 Palestinians that remain stranded in the northern sector of the Gaza Strip. Now, the Israeli government announced yesterday the deadline for the residents of the southern communities in Israel to come back to their homes. When will this be exactly? And what's the reaction, the sentiment from the locals? Right now, it's only a consideration. There's been no formal directives by the Israeli government, but the target date would be February 4th. Now, that's to the tantamount of most of the residents of the community villages and of the towns around the security border with the Gaza Strip who suffered so heavily from the October 7th massacre. People are in trauma. Although they've been used to sporadic rocket fire for the past 23 years, and today we're talking about a level which is lower than in the northern front with Lebanon. Still, people are not ready to return. They're not ready to return unless there is full protection by the IDF. That would mean installing battalions in Sderot, for instance, a city of 30,000 inhabitants which has been hard hit by rocket fire, and by the October 7th massacre, over 44 people died there. But also in the other community villages, they want real security, and they believe that security can only be achieved if the IDF will have a plan of action regarding the northern sector of the Gaza Strip where most of the communities are located, which means allowing division-level army structure on the border with the Gaza Strip. And that's something that the IDF is not doing at this moment. So February 4th could be a dream that won't come to fruition in the next three weeks unless there is a dramatic change of situation in the Gaza Strip. Pierkel Schindler, thank you very much. And back with us in studio is Gonen Ben-Itschak. So we're hearing about what's happening in Gaza, but I'd like to speak about another front, the West Bank. We heard about, we're seeing a stabbing attack, we're seeing a car ramming attack. There is the sentiment that this is another front to be dealt with continuously while dealing with Gaza and the north. And there's a lot going on here. Yes, no doubt that West Bank is another front. The IDF since October 7th and before, of course, but since October 7th is having every night operations in the different cities and villages of the West Bank. Hamas is trying hard to inflame violence in the West Bank. And sometimes, as we saw yesterday in the area of Givadzeev and in the area of Benjamin, there were some terror attacks. A shooting attack. A shooting attack, Israeli, Arab-Israeli that was killed, another that was wounded. So they are trying hard to actually inflame this front. Until now, I think that the IDF was successfully lowering the fire in the West Bank. But of course, it's a concern all the time because this is something that once it inflames, it will affect our cities, the cities in Israel. And this is a big concern. And the IDF arrested suspects. We're hearing now for the shooting attack yesterday. We heard that they also arrested two doctors and a nurse who were allegedly the terrorists. And what does this signify? I think it shows that Hamas is trying to bring more and more people into the circle of violence. And as the war in Gaza is going on, of course, the feelings and I'll say the motivation of Hamas members in the West Bank is growing. And this is something that Israel is trying all the time to stop. Now, how volatile is this front, would you say? Say that we don't want to get to the point where we're fighting Gaza, the northern border and the West Bank. Of course, the IDF can handle it. But I don't think this is the ideal way of having a war in Gaza and in the north. Basically, Israel has the ability, both military and intelligence, to lower the flames. And until now, I see that in most cases Israel is doing it successfully. Now, moving on to Gaza, we are hearing about this third phase, third stage of fighting with a more strategic and pinpointed kind of fighting. What does that mean exactly? Okay, I think that what basically the IDF did was to map the Gaza Strip and start working in a very precise way against the different battalions and the areas in the beginning in the northern part of the Gaza Strip and then in the south. Right now, I'll say that the main fighting that we saw is not needed anymore. Right now, we understand that many of the militians are hiding underneath the ground. And it will be a very diligent work to go from tunnel to tunnel, from the entrance of tunnels to destroy the tunnels to get them, to push them to a certain point in order to either get them out of the ground, underneath the ground or to kill them in the tunnels. And again, all the time, we have the big issue of the hostages that are still held there. And Israel needs to find also a solution how to bring them back. And this also means that I would guess that maybe Israel knows where the leaders of Hamas are. But you understand that there is, I'll say, a safety belt of hostages around the leaders of Hamas. Of course, Israel can't now, even if Israel knows where they're hiding, we can't just drop their bombs on the tunnels where they're hiding because we have inside the hostages.  There's an entire underground tunnel system all over Gaza underground. And we know that some, if not all of the hostages, are located in these tunnels. How is this tunnel threat to be dealt with? If you know that if there are several solutions to how to deal with tunnels, but they will likely hurt the hostages. Diplomacy. And this is why Israel now is on an intersection of deciding what to do. You can't have now a high-scale war because this situation. And you need somehow to speed up diplomacy. I guess that this government doesn't want to release Palestinian prisoners. But eventually, I guess that part of the solution will be releasing prisoners. And the decision now is in the hands of the Israeli government to decide where and how to go. And then the cycle begins all over again. You release these prisoners who are essentially terrorists and the terrorist cycles begins. There are terrorist murderers and we need to fight them. And I'll say again, we need to bring back our people. And then these people, from my point of view, the terrorists shouldn't stay alive in the future. So you're saying it's about prioritizing bring back the hostages and then take care of the terrorists slash prisoners. Yes. Okay, definitely. I mean, the hostage families are saying this. They're saying it to the government. They're saying it to everyone who can listen. Just be upfront with us. Are you trying to eliminate Hamas first or are you trying to bring home the hostages first? And that remains a question to be answered. Yeah, and you know, for the last 10 years, maybe more always involved in demonstrations and protests in Israel. And I think when I look at what they do, it's amazing, you know, they're going all over the world, meeting international leaders. But I think that inside in Israel, they should somehow speed up or be more, I'll say, aggressive towards the government. Gonen Ben-Itschak, thank you very much. Thank you very much. Many hostages still in Gaza were taken from the Nova Music Festival near Ra'im. The hostages and missing family form arranged an event at the site of the massacre. And our correspondent Ariel Osaran was there and spoke with family members, some still hoping for their loved ones to return, others grieving their death, but fighting on for the return of those still alive. Take a look. I tried to imagine the feeling that I'll have when I'll be here. I thought it would be different, but I thought it would be easier because I feel like I know everything here. I saw so many videos and so many pictures and had so many stories that it almost felt like I know everything. But the second I just stepped into this area felt different. For Mikhael Levi, visiting this beautiful wood outside Kibbutz Ra'im near the Gaza border is an emotional roller coaster. It's the site of the deadly Nova Music Festival. And on October 7th, his brother Ol and sister-in-law Enav arrived just minutes before it was stormed by dozens of Hamas terrorists. Part of his need to know everything as he describes it, led him to find a video that depicts Ol and Enav's last moments together. They stood close to the wall inside a bomb shelter. I didn't see what happened inside when those monsters threw the grenades and sprayed bullets into the shelter, but I can imagine, I can understand from the stories. He was, she was in front of him. They saw it. He saw his wife being murdered in front of him. And then taken to Gaza. And then taken to Gaza. Mikhael has not heard a word regarding his brother's condition since that day, exactly three months ago. All he knows is that Ol was taken alive and uninjured. The reason Ol and Enav arrived in the morning of the party and not the night before when it began was because they wanted to spend the night with their two-year-old son, Almog, who they left at his grandparents before heading out to Ra'im at dawn. Now, Almog is essentially an orphan, not knowing if and when his father will return. He misses them. He calls them all the time. He wants to go home. He starts crying when someone mentioned the word, the word's dad or mom. It's as simple as that. He can understand that they are not here. I'm not sure how much of this he can understand, but he understands that they are not here with him. Mikhael is just one sibling of a kidnapped hostage who came to this now hollowed ground for an event arranged by the Hostage Family Forum. This was the dance floor at the Nova Music Festival where 364 partygoers were murdered, raped, and mutilated by Hamas terrorists and Gaza locals on that dreadful October 7th. The area here is thicker. It's genuinely harder to breathe walking through here now. These are their faces. Most of them are gone for good, but for some there's still hope to return home, but time is running out. Besides a mock bar, bullet shells on the ground, and the playlist from that day blaring in the background, the event also included a speech by 18-year-old Itaire Gev, who was taken hostage with his sister Maya from the festival. Both were freed after more than 50 days in the tunnels of Gaza. Some of his friends who were taken from the party remain in captivity. I was in captivity for 45 days, and every day there is like forever. The conditions there are very, very hard to survive, very hard. The hostages cannot stay there for one more second. They all have to return home now. Asaf Pozniak lost two of his relatives at the Nova Festival. His sister-in-law's two sisters, Hodaia and Itaire, were initially believed missing following October 7th. Their burnt bodies were found six days later in the nearby woods. Since then, Asaf has been very active in the family's forum. From the first week, I've been working like crazy to try and bring Hodaia and Itaire. They were at my wedding in June, and I remember thinking how amazing it would be to attend their weddings. Unfortunately, that dream has died. With negotiations over a second phase of hostage release faltering, both Asaf and Mikhail remain optimistic that the hostages will return and soon. I'm hopeful I wake up every morning with that hope, even when there are more difficult days in which we hear the terrible news of another hostage killed in captivity. Close to 20 hostages murdered by Hamas and the brave soldiers who risked their lives to bring back the hostages. We expect from the government to present an Israeli initiative to bring back all of the hostages and not to play by Hamas' dune. I know he will be back. It's just a matter of time. That's it. I know he will be back, and like I said on stage, I will do everything to bring him back, even if it means to turn the world upside down. That's all for this edition of I-24 News. We have rolling coverage providing you with the latest from Israel. I'm Savannah Raviv. Thank you for watching. Is in a state of war. Families completely gunned down in their beds. We have no idea where she is. Our soldiers are fighting on the front line, but the general perception is something that certainly needs to be fought as well. Senior diplomatic correspondent Owen Ultiman explains the administration's envoy is on his way to the region. Let's take a look. America's Point Man on Lebanon. Trying to do on land what he did at sea. With Amos Hoxstein reportedly set to fly back into Beirut this week to try to broker a deal that would bring quiet to the land border between Lebanon and Israel. The way he did last year with the border between zones at sea. The most important piece of this agreement is that it is entirely in the interest of each country to not violate it and to move forward. The background now of course is the war and the element of it on the Israel-Lebanon border where the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah has been firing for months at communities on the Israeli side and the Israeli military has responded by firing at Hezbollah targets. The Biden administration wants the situation contained below the threshold of a wider war as does the French government. Israel has killed more than 130 Hezbollah fighters. Israeli attacks have intensified and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a warning. We have approved operational plans for the continuation of the fighting. If Hezbollah expands the war it will absorb blows that it has not dreamed of and Iran as well. Hoxstein's apparent plan to incentivize Hezbollah to move its troops away from the Israeli border in exchange for apparent Israeli concessions on marking that border in at least some of the 13 points of dispute. The Biden administration does not want a full-scale war. Israel's plan A is not to have a full-scale war and the Lebanese public does not want a full-scale war which all point to the sides getting to a deal that forestalls a full-scale war at least for now. Until October 7th there were high hopes for big changes in the Middle East. Talk of U.S. mediated peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia which in turn would spread to other Arab countries created much anticipation. But then after thousands of Hamas terrorists rampaged through southern Israeli communities and IDF bases slaughtering, burning and kidnapping everything in their path the delicate house of cards collapsed. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia affirms its categorical rejection of the continuation of aggression, occupation and the forced displacement of Gaza's population. The Kingdom holds the occupation authorities responsible for the crimes committed against the Palestinian people and their properties. We are certain that the only way to guarantee security, peace and stability in the region is to end the occupation siege and settlements. But sidelining Israel's Saudi normalization for the unforeseeable future was only one of the effects of that dark October 7th on the region. It also saw the solidification of the Iranian axis of proxies from Iraq to Lebanon all the way to Yemen. Tehran's branches all began to attack Israel. We're in a multi-Arena war. We are being attacked from seven different sectors Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Judea and Samaria, Iraq, Yemen and Iran. We have already responded and taken action. And I say here in the most explicit way anyone who acts against us is a potential target. There is no immunity for anyone. In an attempt to get a better understanding of how the region as a whole was affected by the October 7th attacks, I-24 News reached out to journalists in the region to give their perspective. One of them is a journalist from Yemen. We blurred his face and distorted his voice for his safety, speaking with an Israeli-based news outlet. Perhaps the most surprising front to many has been the continuous drone and missile attacks by the Houthis in Yemen towards Israeli territory and then at international commercial ships navigating through the Red Sea. The Yemeni armed forces affirmed their continued support for the Palestinian people as part of the religious, moral and humanitarian duty and confirmed the continuation of operations in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea against Israeli ships or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine until the food and medicine needed by the Gaza Strip are brought in. But according to the journalist in Yemen, the Houthis are simply the ones pulling the trigger in service of their patrons. The Iranian people are taking advantage of Iran's interests in the region. Therefore, we are aware that Iran is not the weapon of peace. Iran is fighting for freedom. It is fighting for peace. You can see what is happening. And what is still happening in our country, Yemen, is fighting for freedom with the Israelis. Beyond emboldening the Iranian access, the October 7th attacks also seem to have affected the streets in many of the region's capitals in support of the Palestinians. I see a lot of change among the awareness of ordinary people who never really paid attention to political issues of the Palestinian situation. I've seen, especially in Arab countries, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, many of the countries are really much more involved now. And I think we've seen also progressives and young people around the world taking up the Palestinian cause in a much more powerful way than we've ever seen before. Like the journalist in Yemen, Qutb 2 believes that the war in Gaza has put a strain on Israel's existing peace agreements with Jordan and Egypt. The both peace treaties have held on so far. But on a very thin ice, I think that there is strong opposition in both countries to their countries continuing the peace agreements. But more importantly, I think people want civilian lives to be saved. Besides threats, there are some silver linings that have emerged from the horrific attacks on Israel and ensuing war in Gaza. Not only the American-led Maritime Coalition aimed at ensuring the safe navigation in the Red Sea, but that Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan all intercepted Houthi drones and missiles over their territories on their way to Israel. An indication that Jerusalem does have shared strategic interests in the balance of power in the Middle East. Well, I think Arab countries are trying to be peacemakers as much as they can. They're trying to provide material support to people who are in terrible need. And I don't think we've seen a major shift, especially in countries that have had normalization relations with Israel. Their leaders are still insisting on keeping some form of relationship, even though public opinion has changed. And so, with the war in Gaza in full steam and further escalation with his balloon to horizon, the October 7th attacks seem to have changed not only Israel, but the region as a whole. Now, Israel finds itself at a critical juncture, a regional war or increased regional cooperation. Whether or not it's up to Israel to decide what the outcome will be, that still remains to be seen. There was no official statement to mark the beginning of the ground operation in Gaza. Neither should we expect one regarding the completion of one stage and the move to the next one, but even without a statement, that move is probably coming. Some of the reserve soldiers will return to their families and to their jobs this week. This will allow a significant relief to the economy and will allow them to gather strength ahead of the coming activities the next year as the fighting will continue and we will need them. The reservists are the backbone of the IDF, more than 300,000 of them were recruited during the current war, giving a major boost to the army as in size and strength. No one will say it openly, but if reservists are being released, the meaning is less massive incursions such as the ones seen until now and more surgical operations that demand more precision, but probably less firepower. We will need to show plenty of resilience and determination. We will try to release the reservists and bring them back during the coming year for specific periods to carry the burden of what is expected here. A more focused activity on terror enclaves carried out by units operating from Israeli territory and not from Gaza. More airstrikes and artillery and fewer large units inside Gaza who many times are sitting ducks for Hamas terrorists. This is probably where we're heading as 2024 dawns. Hello, my name is Mia Shem. I'm 21 years old from Shoham. At the moment, I'm in Gaza. They have operated on my hand here at the hospital. They've taken care of me. They're giving me medicine. Everything is okay. The only thing I'm asking is that you bring me home as soon as possible to my family. Mia Shem became the hostage every Israeli knew. She was in the thoughts of every Israeli soldier before going into war. She was held in Hamas captivity for weeks, injured in a small room with no daylight, sitting on a mattress while a guard was across from her, watching her 24 seven. I can see his face in my mind. His eyes are burned into my memory.  She will survive this. And for the first time, she's speaking candidly on the isolation and the brutality. I was not allowed to cry. Why? Because if you will cry, we'll send you to the tunnels. I was in a tiny room, eight feet by eight feet. Two people were in it, me and a terrorist, looking at me 24 seven, examining me. I was afraid he would rape me. There's a fear of him taking his weapon and putting a bullet in my head with no warning. The room was closed. They would throw food once a day. Some days there was no food. The kids would open the door, look inside, talk about me, laugh about me. They looked at me as if I was an animal. I was afraid anything could happen at any moment. He could touch me. Shh. Did he ever do something like that? No, only because his wife was outside the door. If we were there alone, something was bound to happen. In this small room, there were rules. Mia wasn't allowed to talk or move or even cry. Once I was choked up with tears, he looked at me and said in Arabic, enough, stop crying or I'll send you to the tunnel. I'm telling myself, say strong, don't fall apart here. You'll be back home soon. That's what I was telling myself all the time. Mia understood that in order to survive, she needed to pretend to play the cruel game of the terrorists that were sitting across from her. Once he lost it, he started crying and took his Kalashnikov. I was sure he was about to put a bullet in my head. I got close to him and sat down and asked, what's wrong? What's wrong? Why are you crying? He told me that two of his friends died in an Israeli attack. Secretly, I was elated. But I was like that, playing the game, you know? I didn't see daylight for 54 days. I also didn't move. So I was barely walking. My legs were shaking. Were you able to sleep there? Maybe for an hour? You can't really sleep when a Hamas terrorist is sitting and staring at you. I can hear the strikes, heavy strikes, massive strikes. The windows shattered on me. There were a few days when I lost my hearing. I wasn't scared from the strikes for a moment. It cheered me up. And then one day, it was completely silent. And I told myself something is happening. The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel came into effect. When the exchange of prisoners and hostages started, Mia was moved to another location. There, after almost 50 days alone, she met other hostages. We were all in the same boat. And then what? They tell people daily who was getting released? It was a Russian roulette. It was the most difficult thing. That some are released and some others are not? She was released in the final exchange. At the moment, she said goodbye to the hostages and Gaza does not leave her. On her way home, Hamas shot this video. People are very good, very kind to me. All the kindness and everything.  He told me, say the people of Gaza, are nice, say good things. What can I say? Your crap? Karen, Mia's mom, did everything she could for this moment. They are together again. But her best friend, Elia, that was with her at the party and was kidnapped right next to her, was killed. The IDF extracted his body from Gaza. Mentally, she is still in Gaza. And no one knows how long it will take until she'll return. But physically, she's here. Exactly like she dreamed all those nights in captivity. This was my dream. I can't believe I'm here at home. Two months into the IDF's ground operation in Gaza, questions are rising as to the end strategy of the current high intensity phase and a move on to the next phase. On one hand, there are still constant firefights with Hamas terrorists, especially in the area of Chanyones. We found here plenty of enemy infrastructure. There was a terrorist here with a Kalachnikov that tried to shoot at our soldiers.  Along with that, Hamas officials are also being killed. One of them is Abdel Fattah Mahali, the closest associate of Ichiya Ayash, who was known as the engineer and responsible for various terror attacks in the 1990s. On the other hand, there's a feeling that in the current phase, the IDF is not able to reach the hostages or the Hamas senior leadership, and some other way is now needed. When will Israel head for that other way? The prime minister may have set the goal for that. The Philadelphia corridor, or to put it more correctly, the southern end of Gaza, must be in our hands. No other solution can ensure the demilitarization we seek. The Philadelphia corridor separates Gaza from Egypt, and the assumption is that huge amounts of weapons were, and maybe still are, smuggled to Gaza in tunnels running under it. On paper, Egypt seems to refuse any such move. And Israel needs Egyptian backing for another crucial move, a hostage deal. Families and protesters believe the government is not doing enough in that field. I'm afraid that the government of Israel has prioritized otherwise its political ambitions, and the hostages is not on the top priorities. A possible hostage deal, the control of the Philadelphia corridor, the effectiveness of the IDF's current tactics, many critical issues for the future of this war, but none of them with a concrete solution at hand. Compacting trash, with a smile, this is a dirty job, but someone's got to do it. It's true, we're doing this in service to the country. Absolutely. Well, great weather, great people, and a great cause. Has never been more gratifying. We're preparing pallets of snacks. I think we do about 50 pallets a day, and the snacks go right to the front of the troops in Gaza, and our incredibly important job, really a matter of national security, is compacting these boxes. It's an assembly line of hundreds of volunteers from dozens of countries around the world. It's one thing to give money, it's another thing to go to rallies and support, but it's something entirely different just to be here and lend physical support, doing whatever we can. And whatever they can involves packing boxes and doing the heavy lifting, all with the goal of providing supplies for soldiers fighting the war in Gaza, and fighting the war of public opinion against the Jewish people. My feeling is, world opinion never saved one Israeli life, so a lot of us just don't care. We feel that Israel has to do what Israel has to do to protect its own people, and if the world doesn't like it, well, too bad. The world doesn't like it when Jews fight back. The nonprofit organization SAR-L, Service for Israel, has existed for decades. But since October 7th, the volunteer program has been overflowing with people of all ages, wanting to pitch in no matter what the cost. Since I started coming to the bases, I just feel so relaxed. I feel like my blood pressure is down, my temperature is down. I feel like I'm just walking on a cloud and there's never a sense of anything negative. It's all positive. And I haven't heard a complaint from 80 Jews in a week, which is unbelievable. This one is for the Red Cross, and this one is for the UN, and they deserve it. Even 82-year-old New Yorker, Rochelle Marshall, suited up for her 18th SAR-L mission. They thought I was too old to come here this year, and let me tell you, they made a mistake thinking that. And I'm so honored to be able to help these people that when somebody thanks me, I feel silly because these are the people who are making it possible for me to come here. I'm going home. I'm going to be away from this, and they're going to stay here. With young soldiers in Gaza for months, fighting for their lives and for the existence of Israel, every little bit of love and support helps. Especially now when we're getting bombarded with all kinds of messages outside and our kids are being attacked, I thought for lone soldier parents it would be really important to come together. We are packaging this week. It sounds silly, but different treat bags so that every day the soldiers would get something extra to eat versus their tuna fish or whatever the average food is. And what makes this particular SAR-L mission so fulfilling and comforting is that mothers of lone soldiers fighting the war in Gaza are also volunteering and getting moral and emotional support in the process. I have a son in the army today, right now in Gaza. He was 10 years old. He came in about a year ago to join the army. What we're packing here happens to be Shabbat bags for soldiers, and I know one of them is going to go to Gaza. When you are alone in your country and you hear the news, you listen to the news, and you're far away from your son, your mind cannot understand what's happening, and it's really tough. You really feel lonely. Nobody can feel what you what you go through. So now we are a bunch of strong women and we are all mothers and we are all together and every time somebody is down we come and see her and yeah, it's amazing. It's something I've never lived before. I have two former lone soldiers, ones in reserves, one came back to America and I have a daughter drafting. I'm sorry, next week. And she feels really confident about her decision. So coming back and having a physical way, like just, I know it doesn't seem like a lot. There's some snacks, but it's so important to physically be here in Israel to show support, to show my kids that I'm proud of them. I have three lone soldiers. One has severe PTSD from his service and it doesn't matter if they're my three soldiers or they're somebody's else, they're all my children and I got to hug them and send them in and just, I mean we can be the last people they see, it just kills me, it kills me and I love them all. Everyone's mom. My son is in the Mishmar Ghul, the border police. He's been dreaming of joining Sahal since he was 14, if they would have taken him he is absolutely built for this. He knows he's built for this. He's living his best life, just living his dream, living his destiny. One son, he's actually been here for 18 years. That's when he did his main service and he's been doing Miliouim ever since and he was called up on day one and he's been he has had days off in between but he's basically still at it. He's in the north. He's new, he had just drafted before the war broke out. I am just really, really, really proud.  He is so passionate about Israel. He is very confident in his wanting to be here, which brings me confidence and my husband confidence and I really, as a mother believe it's all going to be okay and I send that from across the ocean every day. Hello everyone. Hello. On this particular day the moms and volunteers also got a morale boost by the president of the World Zionist Organization. We need to remember that what happened on October 7th was not a war against Israel but a war against the Jewish nation. We are one nation, one people. This is our home. We have to stay united and fight against anti-Semitism. You look at it, it's just it's horrific. You know, anybody with any moral integrity or anything should stand up and come here and help. And also on this Sorrel mission the Jewish people have American Christian police officer Nick Jones to thank for taking a stand against the hypocrisy and anti-Semitic vitriol that is sweeping the globe. I have friends that are Jewish of course and I'm part of the IDF every morning I get a briefing with them and I hear and I see the videos of everything that's going on here and if it were happening in America we would do just like we did in Iraq and Afghanistan we would stand up, we would go take care of business and it would be over with. Here it doesn't exist. There's a farmer I live by who says good people remain silent bad things happen to him. So as Americans we need to I don't care what your religious background is everybody needs to stand behind Israel and stand up for it. At the Hotsiri military base in the Negev, Emily Francis I-24 News. Is in a state of war families completely done down in their beds. We have no idea where she is. Our soldiers are fighting on the front lines but the general perception is something that certainly needs to be fought as well. This is a war area. Excusive interviews reports from the war zone the reaction of the Spanish-speaking countries. In the 24th the only Spanish media that keeps you informed and connected with the Latin community in Israel. In the 24th Hosterges are still not home. There are angry anti-Israel protests going on all around the world. It could all feel pretty hopeless. So it is reassuring that Israel's good friends are showing up to lend support. Among them the American actor and comedian Michael Rappaport. He's been here almost two weeks and he does seem very much at home.  And I'm delighted to say Michael is with me in the studio now. Welcome. Thank you for being with us. Glad to be here and I appreciate you having me and I told you I watched the channel so That's good to hear. That's great to hear. We just saw footage of you there visiting the carnage in Kibbutz Berry you've been visiting the Kibbutzim you've also been with the families and some of the hostages it seems as though this atrocity has really affected you personally, is that right? It has affected me personally the entire situation the massacre the fact that it's 75 days and there's still so many hostages and there's so many people so many people dealing with the heartbreak of what's already happened the soldiers that are fighting and the soldiers that are going down and just the whole the whole incident and all the aftermath of it is upsetting and and of course to me it's a separate situation but the sort of anti not the sort of the anti-Jewish sentiment the anti-Israel sentiment just saying my country and in my city is very very upsetting well right yeah I want to ask you about that because you grew up Jewish in New York did you ever experience anti-Semitism growing up and how do you feel about the scenes that we're seeing in the city now I mean in Penn Station yesterday we've seen Jewish businesses being targeting people who are visibly Jewish being physically attacked I mean how has the city changed? I experienced anti-Semitism in my life growing up in New York spending a lot of time in Brooklyn and you know went to high you know my whole young adult until I was 19 and I never had face to face to be to be honest with you I really started to hear and see a lot of anti-Semitism on social media in the last I say nine years blatant you know anti-Semitism I don't like the anti-Semitism in New York I don't like Jewish people feeling uncomfortable I don't like Jewish businesses being harassed and attacked and vandalized and I don't like the the poster rippers this whole sort of it was like a it was this adding insult to injury the incident itself was one thing and then you're like this unimaginable anti-Jewish sentiment the moment the same day and certainly the 8th October 8th celebrating and invigorating and all these words and quotes and these rallies it's been I think a surprise to a lot of people it's very been surprising to me and I don't like it I'm not comfortable with it I don't like it I don't support it and it makes me angry makes me upset it makes me scared for all Jewish people I don't like it especially in Manhattan and it's young people isn't it a lot of the time we've just had this poll out that says you know the majority of young people see Jews as an oppressive class and a lot of people also saying the best solution to the conflict here would be to just hand the country over to Hamas I mean what's happening to the young people they're so uneducated and so misinformed and all the participation trophies that we've been talking about the jokes the Gen Z the interviewing their feelings the bathrooms the pronouns all of that the Kanye West all of it has been a stew and now we're eating that stew with the young people it's turned into anti-Jewishness anti-Semitism anti-Israel and it's blatant and it's in the open and only with Jewish people would it be accepted it wouldn't be accepted with black people Chinese people Puerto Rican people Asian people gay lesbian any any other to be openly like that is only with Jewish people kind of a blind spot for progressive politics yeah it is and and and you know I have my thoughts as to why but only would it only be accepted so openly again with Jewish people in Israel well I mean you're a successful comedian let's talk a bit about Hollywood because this issue seems to have kind of divided Hollywood a little bit we early on we had this letter 700 artists signed it condemning Hamas very strongly and then there was a bit of a scuffle with the writer's guild wasn't there and they didn't want to condemn Hamas and someone else pointed out what you you know you've stood with me too and you stood with Black Lives Matter why can't you stand with Jews I mean what do you think is the future for Hollywood and do you think a lot of relationships are going to be broken but how do you think about it I can say I can say I think some relationships will be broken I think Hollywood will eventually figure out what makes money at the end of the day you know like business and it's my business and it's a great business it's a flawed business like any other business but they'll figure out what makes money what sells you know they have been sort of pushing agendas and stereotypes of best friends and you know all these kinds of sort of they being these stereotypical characters for the last four or five years they'll figure out what needs to happen what sells what doesn't sell and you know as far as the support you know people are taking people paying attention I can say Jewish people in Hollywood are paying attention and people that are you know that are understand the situation and have spent a little time to educate themselves are paying attention and again you know you can be not agree with the politics of Israel you cannot agree with this war you could not agree a bunch of things the anti-Jewishness and the blatant anti-Zionist and the blatant anti-Semitism is when it it's not okay that's one of the arguments that people on the progressive side use they say oh we're not anti-Semitic we have nothing against Jews we just don't want Israel to exist it's Zionism that we don't want this is all that fancy slick cute way of you're full of shit we stop saying you're full of shit we stop doing that and this is why we're hearing too many opinions and opinions are great but doesn't mean they're necessarily valid it's bullshit I know you're bleeping this the bleeper button I'm only cursing I'm only cursing because they're bleeping I know they're bleeping I'm in control of what I'm doing or I'm alive I wouldn't curse we appreciate it it's difficult to offend our audience you have Ashkenazi Heritage full your grandparents came from Eastern Europe so obviously they escaped the holocaust no they didn't they wouldn't have been targeted of course just two generations ago they had to deal with anti-Semitism now it is back rearing its ugly head again Do you think America is safe for the Jews going forward? I think America is safe for the Jews in the big picture. Do I like what's going on? Does it make me comfortable? No. Am I conscious of where I'm walking in New York City? Yes. Am I aware of my surroundings more since October 7th? Yes. But we're not going anywhere, Israel is not going anywhere, Jewish people are not going anywhere. So am I saying it's the best time to be Jewish in terms of safety in America, in New York City, in cities? But also, it's a lot of what we see on the media, the clips, they're more frightening The clips of people being harassed. It sucks, it's real, but it's not like every single corner, we're not at that point, we're far from that point. And I urge people to remind themselves, especially in New York, and other people that are seeing that, we see all these horrible things in the clips, and the clips are making all of us crazy in every way, shape and form. I could say for New York, I'm walking comfortably, I'm paying attention, but I'm walking comfortably. You're such a strong advocate for Israel. I'm surprised to hear that this is your first visit. Why did you never come here before? Well I never came here before, because I haven't been to a lot of places. If you went over my travel, my travel of resume, it's not very impressive. Not a big traveler. No. I've never been to London. So I'm not a big traveler. As far as Israel, and there's a lot of places, I just, I don't know why. I don't like flying. Is it what you imagined? It's, well, I'm here in a very unique time. And so many people talk about their trips to Israel, and their first trips to Israel being this magical thing. And although my trip, my first trip to Israel, this trip to Israel is not like the normal first trip to Israel coming during a war. It has been magical beyond belief. And I say that seeing everything, the heartbreak, the devastation, seeing the resilience, seeing the sparkle that people still have in their eyes, seeing the city, seeing the pride that people have in Israel, even though people are critical, seeing the pride that people have in being Jewish, seeing the people together, all sorts of people. And all those things, the emotional journey of this trip has been magical. It hasn't been a, I went to the Dead Sea trip. I'm not going to the Dead Sea this trip because my wife already made a promise to come back. But I'm so glad that I'm here. And we've extended our trip twice, and I couldn't be just, I couldn't be more happy that we came. A lot of Jews who come here say they feel like they came home. They feel like they're with the family. It's like being part of a big family. It is like being part of a big family. And the Israeli people, the people that live here are so warm and so, just have a spirit. It's like this, people, it's like a world, it's like a sort of a stereotypical thing. You hear about these people's spirit of Israel. It's a parent as soon as you hit the ground. Have you been to Jerusalem? I've been to Jerusalem. And I just, I was, I did some tourist stuff. I was at the market during the day. I was at the market last night on a Tuesday night and walking around. And I was, I made a fake reproposal to my wife.  That was one of the more positive sort of things from the trip, because a lot of what I've seen has been horrible. It's been horrible. And it's taken my breath away and not a good way. It's been horrible to see Kibbutz Berry, to be at Kafar Asa and talk to families that are still waiting for their kids, their fathers to come home. And that's, that has been horrible. It's been horrible and heartbreaking and so frustrating. Do you feel like it's important what you're doing, you're bearing witness? You can carry the message, you can tell people what happened because there are a lot of people trying to deny that it ever happened at all. It's 150 percent, 150 percent. The fact that people are trying to deny what happened is, again, it's only with Jewish people in Israel. Only would they even, that would come out of their mouth. We see a lot of terrible things, a destruction in Gaza. No one would say this is fake, this isn't happening. Nobody would say that. Only with Jewish people would you deny what happened 75 days ago and continue to deny it. It's crazy. How's your Hebrew? Horrible. Next, next to nothing. It's not an easy language. I have a couple of words, but I don't want to embarrass myself or offend anybody. So it's, it's, it's next to nothing. It's next to nothing. It's terrible. Any plans to learn? Yes. We want to come back and like, you know, learn, yeah, 100 percent. I would, I would love that. Have you been to the north of Israel yet? I've been to the north, I can't remember the name of the city, but I had a great experience. Hyper? Further than that. And I can't remember, it's, it's, it's, oh, I don't know. You know, I'm not saying. You've got the other fight, of course, in the north. That's concerning. Yeah. Very concerning. Israel has to fight. Israel has to fight and United States has to stand and continue to stand by. Are you proud of how the US government has stood by Israel? I love a lot of what Joe Biden has said. I don't love the sort of good cop, bad cop of Kamala Harris. I don't like it. And we see it come out, Kamala. We see the good cop, bad cop.  We see, you know, the good, the old good, it's like the same name, YPD blue, okay? We've seen that routine for years.  I haven't liked them to begin with.   Wow, yeah. That was unexpected. Yeah. That was unexpected. I like what Hillary has said. Yeah. And it's funny, say it again, Fetterman's good too. And the funny thing is, is because Bernie and Hillary, when you talk about Gen X, Gen Z, Gen Z, they're like, they have Bernie and Hillary. And Hillary tattooed on their body. And now they're like, Bernie and Hillary. Yeah. Wow. We're out of time, Michael. But you've given a lot of people a lot of comfort coming to see us here in Israel. Thank you so much. I came for, for people. Michael Rappaport. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. The lovely Michael Rappaport there. Now, a new initiative, which is raising awareness of the plight of the 129 hostages who are still being held in Gaza 75 days after the Hamas attacks on Israel. A bouquet of yellow flowers has become a new symbol of hope and resilience. Well, with me in the studio, Noah O'Venie, with her yellow bouquet, and you're part of this new initiative to kind of bring awareness to the horrible situation of the hostages and their families. And of course, this is personal for you. You've got two good friends who are still being held, Ziv and Gali. They're twin brothers. Tell us a bit about them. What happened? So Ziv and Gali are 26-year-old twin brothers who live in Khoraza. They've lived their entire lives. I've known them from school, and Ziv has become the closest friend to me, the closest person to me. And on October 7th, they were both taken hostage, kidnapped from their homes, just innocent civilians. To this day, we don't know their whereabouts. We know they're kidnapped. We don't know their health situation, and we're very worried about them, or worried about the fact that the Red Cross hasn't visited them. Any of the hostages are giving them any medical care or any medicine at all. And this initiative is a huge part of raising awareness of the fact that there are still, to this day, 129 people, innocent civilians, being held hostage in Gaza, some of which are elderly men, women, a baby as well, people who could be my grandparents, my brothers, my sisters. And it's been 75 days. I'll repeat that number, because it is a shocking number, and it should shock everybody. 75 days that we don't know where our loved ones are and how they're doing it and what situation they are in. All we know is that they're held by a terrorist organization. And so this initiative of a bouquet of hope, of yellow flowers by the Qadar Foundation of Culture and Education by Dr. Avram Qadar is, you know, they've so generously donated these beautiful yellow flowers that yellow symbolizes the symbol of the hostages and people kept in captivity to raise this awareness and to keep this on the topic of the day that there are still hostages there, as we're speaking. And every single day, every single second, their time is running out. And it's not just a slogan. Their time is running out. We've heard that from testimonies of people who came back from captivity. We know about somewhat of what their conditions are, and it's not good to say the least. And this initiative is to remind us and to have some hope and to fight for them to come back to us, to bring every single one of those 129 people back home. Are you worried people are forgetting about them? Yeah, I'm 100% worried about it. I am feeling like they're starting to be forgotten now that a ceasefire isn't really on the table and now that most of the children have been released and most of the women in Israel, it's still on the topic, but I'll say outside in the outdoors world, it's not. And we started spreading outdoors last week. We also have this initiative other than in Tel Aviv in the hostage square every single Friday from 10 to around 12. We also had it in New York and in Florida and we're planning to continue and grow as much as we can so that people will remember.  And then another week comes by another Friday and I come back home with another bouquet of flowers. It's like a symbol of hope for you. It is a symbol of hope because I do believe with all my heart, we have hope. That's all we can really hold on to and I do believe that what we're doing and raising awareness, that's what can help to bring them back to us. Right, and as you say, some of the hostages thankfully are back with their families and we've been hearing kind of more and more about the conditions they were held in. And aside from the, you know, the physical horrors, the lack of food, the physical violence, one theme that keeps, you know, you keep hearing is that one of the worst things was to think that you've been forgotten, that no one was trying to get you home. Yeah. That's something really heartbreaking to think about, isn't it? 100% and I always try to put myself in their shoes as much as I can and I would want to know that my country and my family and friends are doing everything in their power to bring me back, which is what Gali and Ziv's family is doing and all of the amazing families of the Forum of the Hostages and Missing, that's what they're doing. That's their, their lives have stopped. That's all they're doing is trying to bring their loved ones back. Other than the amazing symbolization of the yellow flowers, another thing is that all of the income from the flowers goes directly to the Forum of the Hostages and Missing families. So that's another thing. It's a horrible situation to be in, isn't it? Because it's so tragic to see the funerals on the news day after day, isn't it? People burying their sons, their brothers, their loved ones, you know. So many people were murdered by the terrorists, but these people, you know, they're still alive. There's still hope.  As you say, like their families frozen, they can't move on with their lives.  I mean, how can, do you feel like you can ever open a book and get back to your studies again?  It's exactly that. Life is frozen. For me, for 129 people's families, behind every single person of the 129, there's family and friends and relatives. There are so many people whose lives have completely stopped. Each person is an entire world.  Tell us about your friends, about Zivengali. What kind of guys are they? Zivengali are really, really funny. That's what everybody would say about them. And they have the kindest heart. I always told Ziv that he has the biggest heart I've ever seen. He's the nicest person that I know. He always puts himself before others. They both do. They take care of their disabled father. They're very, very loving towards their family and their nephews. And they love playing soccer. They love watching soccer. They love traveling together. They do everything together. They work together as well. They're identical twins? No. No? But there is so much similarity in between them, especially about their hobbies. They like to hang out together. Yeah. Yes. And they have a lot of mutual friends. And they work together. And just in general, for me it's really heartbreaking to think of how such good people, like how does this happen to someone that good? How does it happen to anyone and that they shouldn't be there and that it's so real for me to see them on a poster and not in real life? Did they grow up in the acrobots? Yes, in Kvaraza. Wow. And Kvaraza, of course, was one of the worst hit. Yeah. Specifically, their neighborhood. The neighborhood of the young people was one who was struck really, really hard. And it would mean so much to, of course, the families, but also the communities to have those boys back, wouldn't it? Of course. Wow. A yellow bouquet of flowers, I can't think of a nicer gesture, a nicer symbol. So if you want to show your support for the 129 hostages who are still being held in Gaza. And of course, we are talking about a potential ceasefire, just reports, but it would be up to 40 hostages. And we know that the priority would be elderly people, women. I mean, it's horrible, but they would be quite far down the list, wouldn't they? They would, but at least there would be a list. At least some people will get back to us. And that's a start. So we need to get that number down. All right. We'll know. I hope that you'll be reunited with your friends very much. We're hoping and praying for that as we are for all the hostages. Now, Real Vinnie, thank you very much indeed. Thank you. Thank you. All right. And again, if you want to show your support for the 129 hostages still being held by terrorists in Gaza, you can take part in this initiative. Remind me of the name of the... Zaltikvah. Zaltikvah. It's Hope. Yes. Zaltikvah. All right. So when do you stay with us? We'll have all the very latest for you after this. Don't go away. Israel is in a state of war. Families completely done down in their beds. We have no idea where she is. Our soldiers are fighting on the front lines. But the general perception is something that certainly needs to be fought as well.


And I was thinking a lot about Pred and Overprime. And if you were to watch my channel for like the last, I don't know, three, four months, you would think that I only do Overprime content and that I don't care about Pred, but that is not the truth. I've been following Obeda Studios since they were a four-person team working on that game. I've got a lot of time invested in Pred Assessor and I believe in Pred Assessor. When most of the community and hell, most content creators were riding course cock, I was one of the few that were standing up and saying, hey man, stop sleeping on Pred. They're gonna go places. They're gonna be something. So the reason I don't talk about Pred more is because Pred hasn't given us at nearly as much content as Overprime has. So I made a studios in the words of the great Reba McIntyre. Here's your one chance, Fancy. Don't let me down. Let's give him something to talk about.