 Hello everyone, this is I-24 News. First, the headlines. The largest anti-government demonstrations since October 7th flood Israeli streets. The hostage stocks keep dragging on with no breakthrough. And how Turkey's local elections could dictate the country's future. Demonstrations against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu have reached a peak since October 7th with tens of thousands of Israelis on the streets of Tel Aviv last night. And many more are expected right now around the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem. Here's I-24 News, Bianca Zanidi. Gert took over the streets of Tel Aviv Saturday evening in the biggest protests since the start of the war in Gaza in October. Tens of thousands of people joined in massive anti-government demonstrations across the country. This is a government that brought us into war without a clear idea how to conduct this war and most importantly what's going to look like the day after. This government is doing horrendous things in Gaza, not in our name. And we want the government to take responsibility and resign today, right now. For the first time since the war started, families of the hostages kept in Gaza decided to join forces with the weekly anti-government protests until now they were deliberately abstaining from directly criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government. But that has changed. Today we declared that Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister Netanyahu, is the obstacle between us and getting our hostages back and we will relentlessly fight legally of course to have him removed from power and get someone else that can do the job and worthy of the situation that can bring our beloved ones back. It didn't go quietly. Scuffles erupted between protesters and police and 16 people were arrested. Demonstrators blocked main roads and police responded. And the protests are set to continue throughout at least the month of April. Sunday night demonstrations in Jerusalem with some setting up camp in tents near the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, demanding early elections. And thousands are gathering in Jerusalem tonight for the largest demonstration to date demanding elections. At 24 News, Robert Swift is live there in Jerusalem near the Knesset with the latest, Robert. That's right, more and more protesters are continuing to gather here. They've been arriving for about the last two hours and we're expecting them to continue arriving as some of the organizers have been telling us that buses have been bringing protesters from various parts of the country. Now there's expected to be speeches taking place a little bit later and some of the opposition figures are also expected to be here although it's not clear if they will be speaking or just taking part. Now it's worth it in the previous to this. As mentioned in the last report, the hostages families made a strong effort to remain apolitical and to avoid being seen as on one side of Israel's very stark political divide. That seems to have changed in the last 24 hours with the protests yesterday and them continuing into today. We've seen some of the hostage families clearly taking aside them arguing that they see the current government specifically the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as standing in the way of any form of hostage steal and therefore they're joining in these protests and ramping up the level of heat that the government is feeling. It's worth noting that they don't represent all the hostage families. Some have remained either apolitical or even in some cases supportive of the government and its approach to Hamas but for the time being more and more protesters are arriving here. It keeps getting busier and busier and the atmosphere actually is beginning to feel reminiscent of that which the six months prior to the October attack by Hamas when the country was driven with political protests we're seeing much of that happening again here. Okay, Robert Swift, thank you very much. We'll get back to you later for more. Here in the studio is veteran journalist Amir Orin. Thank you very much for coming. Amir, it looks like this is a new phase in Israeli public opinion since the wars, since the beginning of what happened on October 7th. What could be the influence of such a wave? It could be very influential, especially if Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkott, the two ministers who joined the emergency war cabinet on October 11th if they already lost the chance to lead these demonstrations. If they now join them, of course the demonstrations will be that much more powerful. Now, what is happening is that Israel has never officially published its position regarding the hostage deal. There are rumors, there's partial information, media reports from both Israel and abroad, but there is never any official substantiated report of what Israel is trying to get, what Israel is suggesting as its concessions, and therefore the hostage families have given Netanyahu up to now about the benefit of the doubt, that perhaps it is all because of Hamas' intransigence. But now they have reached the different conclusion that Netanyahu, as they say themselves, is the obstacle to a deal because a deal would also include a ceasefire. A ceasefire would bring about calls for early elections and the changing government, and Netanyahu would rather have a prolonged war and therefore they blame him for what is happening in the hostage deal and the Israeli public now feels free to join them in the protests. Right, so all kinds of protests converged on a big one, though there's a big number of hostage families who are not participating in this, who think that this call went too far against Prime Minister Netanyahu. Another piece of news tonight, the Prime Minister is going to undergo a surgery for anesthesia tonight, right? That's right, Hernia or something similar to that procedure. Now Netanyahu in the past has been known for the relationship between his physical and mental burdens. As we all remember, a few weeks before the war started he had a pacer inserted into his heart. At that time he said that he was dehydrated. He forgot to wear a hat in the heat when he visited the Sea of Galilee. And here too, not all Israelis believe that this is the true and full story. And they are awaiting a medical bulletin, not from his own personal doctor, but from his surgeons. We are actually expecting some live comments from Netanyahu during the next hour on our show here. Do you expect him to give more details about that? Well, this is personal, but perhaps he would prefer to shed more light on his condition rather than have rumors swirl around the country. Now he, of course, has full knowledge about his situation. If he makes light of it, again, one should await a more professional bulletin. Okay. Now the hostage deal, negotiations are still dragging on when over 130 Israelis are still being held in Gaza. I-24 New Israel has the latest. Still negotiating. Israeli security officials have returned to Cairo after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the Israeli delegation approval to resume the stalled negotiations for a ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas. Some of the remaining issues that need to be resolved are some of the most difficult ones in areas where there is the most disagreement between Israel and Hamas. We do think it's possible to bridge those differences and we're going to continue to try to bridge those differences. But patience in Israel is running out. After nearly six months of war, families of the 134 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza joined forces with longtime anti-government protest in Tel Aviv in the biggest rally since October 7th. While in neighboring Jordan, thousands have been demonstrating against Israel for a seventh day in a row near the Israeli embassy in Amman. And the pro-Iranian axis is looking for ways to take advantage of the situation. This is in support of Gaza, in support of the heroic Gazans with condemnation of the crimes committed by the Zionist enemy, with condemnation of all those who support this offensive or turn a blind eye to it. Ending the Israel-Jordan peace treaty is the most prominent and urgent method of expressing this support. An Egyptian source told the Qatariyon de l'Arabi al-Jadid newspaper that an expected Israeli operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafa won't lead to severing ties with Israel as the Jordanian and Egyptian foreign ministers met with their French counterpart in Cairo on Saturday. The danger of Israel launching a military operation on the Palestinian city of Rafa and the dire consequences that would result from it were also discussed. We joined with the Jordanian and French sides in warning against the consequences of undertaking such an operation in light of the city's overcrowding with more than a million and a half displaced persons. As the IDF's ground operation in Gaza appears to be stagnant, a ceasefire deal doesn't seem to be any closer than it was a month ago. And with the amount of Israeli forces inside the strip at its lowest rate since mid-October, Israel is far from exerting all its efforts in an attempt to return the hostages. Back to Amir Oran here in the studio. Let's talk timetables a little bit. At the end of Ramadan, things in Israeli politics, everything converges. Yes, the Knesset, the Israeli parliament is scheduled to go on its summer or spring recess later this week. And therefore, the demonstrations that we saw in Robert Swift's report ahead of the Knesset are supposed to be there four days in a row. They are going to be conducted until the moment the Knesset disperses. This is going to be the peak. And of course, this also coincides with the mandatory induction draft notices that Haredi youth are supposed to get as of tomorrow. Yes, it's breaking news every minute in this country. And now, according to the Attorney General, they are needed to get drafted immediately. And no, let's say, all sorts of exercises on the economic side of this also cannot be endorsed by the Attorney General. So let's distinguish between the law and the practices. Ever since the early 1950s, there has been in the books the universal military service law which calls for every Israeli youngster. At first, it was only boys, then also girls. At 18, they should be inducted and served for two to three years. But in practice, two segments of the Israeli society were exempt, the Arabs, because it would pit them against the brethren and for security reasons, and the Orthodox. Even though the first Prime Minister and Defense Minister only exempted 400 of them, over the years, the practice was to let all of them go if they wanted to. Now, there are financial as well as military implications to these exemptions because the Yeshivas, the schools in which they are supposed to study, get per capita subsidies from the state, and the military is short of soldiers. Now, because of the equality clause in the law which some people have appealed to the Supreme Court to enforce, now they are supposed to be drafted. Whether, in effect, this will happen remains to be seen. So many things, one government during the war. The kids of Kibbutz Bayeri suffered an unbelievable trauma on October 7th. Those who actually survived. Recently, some of them went back to their homes. Here's the report about that. Hi, Niri. How are you? Are you excited or a bit tense, or both? Me too. Do you remember that conversation we had six months ago? We met at the Dead Sea Hotel, and I asked you what you missed most. I've heard so much about your house, and all the stories you've told me. But I wanted to ask you, aren't you afraid of seeing things that are too difficult for you? Well, let's go. It's been five months since we last saw each other, and I'd love to know how you've been since. It can't be. Do you still feel comfortable there, or have you had enough? How does it feel to see what's going on here in the Kibbutz? I feel comfortable. What's going on here in the Kibbutz? What kind of emotions do you feel? I'd like to ask you, what has changed since the last time we saw each other? It's our last day together. Did you feel a bit of pain? No, I didn't feel any pain. I didn't feel any pain at all. Apart from that, I think I'm feeling better. The last time we saw each other, you told me that every Friday night, you would have trouble falling asleep. Is it because you don't want to wake up on Saturday morning and experience what happened all over again? I don't feel any pain at all. I'd like to remind you that if you want to experience pain, it's not good. But if you remember the pain you had in your life, and if you remember the pain you had in your life, you won't feel any pain. I don't feel any pain. All of this, thank you. All of this, I also feel pain. I'm already starting to feel pain. Okay, that's it. I'm already feeling pain. Miri, did you see the windows? How come? Yes, they opened all the doors of the house. Those were the windows that Miri tried to open. So all the time you were locked up in the shelter. This was the only light you had? It was a speaker. Here, in front of the wall, I said that I wanted to go back, but now it's a bit... No, it's fine. It's okay. My friend came to see me, he wanted to come here with me. He's still not sure? Yes. Do you still think a lot about what happened? A lot. How do you do it? I don't know. Does it bother you that I talk about it with you? No, it always comes and goes, but there's a feeling that they're really tired Do you try to erase that? Yes, I always try to go through a story or something like that, but I don't know if it works. I don't know if it will work. Miri. It's like what I hear. Is everyone okay? Miri, how are you? Are you okay? No, I didn't hear it. It's a huge boom. Here was the canyon. Where are we going? What was your grandmother's name? This is my grandmother's name. My grandmother was left behind. But she was left behind. And this is my grandmother's name. This is my grandmother's name. Is it hard for you to be here? I love it. Can you tell me a bit about your grandmother, Pessie? I don't know what to say. For example, what did she like to do? She liked me. I'm told you look a lot like her. What resembles her most? By a knife. Do you miss her a lot? This is the corner of the mosque. What's Amos's corner? This is the center of the mosque. We were here before. There's a lot of trees here. I'm going to open a little window. A little bit. A lot of trees. How does it feel to be here now? This was your kindergarten? My parents used to live here. But I can take it. Yes, we can. Great. Thank you for taking care of your parents. What do you miss most? My parents. My parents. The school is regular. We have the most important thing here, is to bring back all the good things about us. That it's like... It's impossible to live without all the good things. Do you think they'll all come back? Yes. Do you think about them a lot? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. But there's a lot of good things about us. I remember when we first met, you told me, we're not moving back home. I don't go back home. As long as the good things don't come back. Are the hostages the most important thing? What are we eating? Tell me, does eating what you like here make you feel a bit at home? Who wants to come back to Barry? Is it clear for you, or are you hesitating? We love them in a dilemma. We're the best. What is a dilemma? A dilemma. We love them in a dilemma. We'll take a short break, and we'll be right back here with more special coverage of Night 24 News. Don't go anywhere. Israel is in a state of war. Our families are completely gunned down in their beds. We have no idea where is she. As our soldiers are fighting on the front lines, the general perception is something that certainly needs to be fought as well. Welcome back. We're expecting some awards from Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu shortly live. Among others under pressure from growing demonstrations in Israel. Thousands are gathering in Jerusalem tonight for probably the largest demonstration to date demanding elections. Robert Swift is right there, Robert. What's happening? That's right. So the heat and the protests here does seem to be picking up. There was just a rendition of the Tikvah being sung just a few seconds ago and prior to that, there was several speeches and the tone of the speeches was clearly extremely critical of the Prime Minister. Interestingly, not only was the speaker's anger directed at Benjamin Netanyahu, but there was also some hostile comments made towards Benny Gantz. His decision to enter the government was described as understandable, but the decision to remain there now six months afterwards seemed to be not something that the speakers were happy with. But it is Benjamin Netanyahu who the vast majority of the anger is being directed at. When his name is mentioned, the crowds are extremely hostile towards him. As you said, this is the first time today and yesterday being the first time since the hostages' families have moved towards a more political stance with some of those families clearly deciding that a Rubicon had been crossed and that they could no longer sit neutrally and wait for the government to possibly conduct a negotiation that would lead to the release of their family members. Some of them have clearly decided which way they believe the political wind is growing and several of them are here tonight making their voices heard. Thank you very much, Robert Swift, live in Jerusalem. Now, turning to northern Israel and Lebanon, Lebanese security officials accused Israel of targeting a car with UN peacekeepers in Lebanon. Israel denied any connection to this, but we want to talk with the host formerly from the Royal Netherlands Army who was also stationed with UNIFIL in Lebanon. Thank you very much for joining us. First of all, it is a bit strange this incident over there in Lebanon. What do you make of it? Well, it's highly unlikely that Israel Defense Forces have attacked these UN observers. It doesn't make any sense from a public policy point of view because Israel has difficulty enough in its international reputation and from a military point of view also not and they were clearly recognizable as part of the UN. So it doesn't make any sense. My assumption is that it might well have been Hezbollah with a drone attack putting the blame on Israel as a part of their psychological warfare. All right, let's talk about the future. Is UNIFIL or the UN for that matter are in any realistic position to provide security in South Lebanon? No, and as a matter of fact there have never been. It's a buffer zone. Yes, we have observers everywhere. I think they have about 10,000 military there. But they can't enforce anything. They just observe us. Yes, they are armed but they're not allowed to do anything as I have myself experienced. You're shooting, you're laying down. And actually what they should have done according to the UN Security Council Resolution 1701 of 2006 after the war between Israel and Hezbollah there shouldn't have been any Hezbollah in that area. But the UN has never enforced it. They just let them be and they have them and they've armed themselves more and more since 2006. And this is where we stand today. So from a military point of view it's totally useless. So those who might think about the UN help in providing some sort of a long term solution there in Southern Lebanon this is proven to be not effective at all. No, I think there have been attempts, diplomatic attempts by the United States but what can the UN do? If one of the parties in this case Lebanon or rather Hezbollah that rules the effect in Lebanon can do whatever they want in Southern Lebanon then we can see that the UN has no chance of creating a peaceful situation in that area. Do you entertain any other idea who might take control of this area there? I think each day we're coming nearer as I also read in the Israeli press that since there's daily attacks by Hezbollah on Qiyashmona and other areas of Israel I'm pretty sure that Israeli defense forces will attack and they will do what the UN hasn't done they will throw back Hezbollah over the Litany river that is north of Syria which is about 30 kilometers to the north and of course they will destroy all their weaponry there what is it? 150,000 missiles and since the international world the UN etc. cannot do anything Israel has to solve this it's not going to be solved by itself and it's impossible that all these from the north can stay elsewhere for another it's nearly half a year now so it's unacceptable for Israel so the only solution is a war a limited war to throw Hezbollah out of control Dr. De Haas we'll leave it to that thank you very much now we'll turn to Prime Minister Netanyahu speaking alive I want to congratulate the IDF and the internal security forces for the actually the Shifa Hospital it was an incredible work by these buddies the action done by our forces in Shifa was done in a Karujik and very exact and complete way many many terrorists among them senior commanders have been killed or surrendered no hospital in the world looks like this this is no hospital the important intelligence that our forces found there will help them locate our hostages and be prepared for the rest of the fighting and we will continue fighting in the Gaza Strip in Lebanon and also far away from there at the same time we approved for the IDF the plans for Rafa the IDF is preparing plans to move away the civilian population and provide a militant and provide assistance this is true militarily and this is true internationally it will take time but it will happen we will enter Rafa and we will destroy the Hamas Battalions there for one simple reason there is no victory without entering Rafa there's no victory without destroying the Hamas Battalions there this is a very important part of the war another part is bringing back our hostages I want to tell you that the pain of the hostage families the pain that they feel hurts my heart, hurts all of our hearts it is impossible to even try to imagine the agony that those families are going through so worried about their loved ones that their fate is unknown their loved ones are our loved ones Amitsosana and other hostages gave very difficult testimonies about the sexual violence that they went through these testimonies are angering and so is the silence of the women's organizations around the world which say nothing last Thursday and today again I met hostage families together with my wife Sarah my wife also sent a letter to the mother of the Qatari Amir and I still wait for her response we listen to the families we hug them I understand their agony and their will to do everything to bring back the hostages and I am part of this of this will as a prime minister of Israel I will do everything possible to bring our loved ones home our efforts to bring our hostages continue all the time every time that there is some intelligence about them and the operational and the operational the operation needs allow it I I authorize I authorize our missions to bring them out but the main thing happening in Gaza is the determination of fighting on the ground and a very very stubborn negotiation I work around the clock to bring all of our hostages back I do this with a balance between the pressure on Hamas and whatever we can do in the negotiation whoever does that I am not doing everything to bring back our hostages is making a mistake and whoever knows the truth and continues to tell the sly brings more pain and agony to the hostages families as Israel showed more openness in the negotiations Hamas is hardening its stance Hamas is asking to bring back all of the residents in northern Gaza including Hamas terrorists these demands by Hamas have the ramifications that I cannot speak about with all the difficulties the negotiation has to be done with a cold head because this is what is needed to bring back our hostages if we make more and more concessions that will bring a deal its opposite to the truth such a stance does not bring the release closer and puts it further away we need not just to show that we are ready for a deal but we want to bring everyone back the cause for an election now in the middle of the war and just ahead of the victory will paralyze Israel for months six months or eight months they will paralyze the negotiations deal they will paralyze they will paralyze any negotiations and the first ones to be happy with that will be Hamas I say again I am committed to bring everyone back all of our men and women soldiers and citizens I will not leave anyone behind God willing we will continue to work we will continue to fight and we will continue to win for one soldier you released many hostage murders isn't this a price that is worth paying now? and also today you are going through a health procedure so what isn't a time that the entire medical protocol will be released my medical protocol is open well known everyone is crazy about it when my wife had an appendicitis operation everyone said that she was for a week in Vienna in some kind of sanitarium when I had the flu a few days everyone said that I was in a hospital in Nebrak there's no border to the lies I did go through a test I think everyone who called me to worry for my health including journalists and I promise you that I will go through whatever I have to do successfully and very fast I will be back as for your first question please repeat it there are very big operational ramifications very important ones it is not only a question that I ask it is a question that the chief of staff is asking the minister of defense I will not say everything because I don't want to give Hamas all of the information because I want to succeed in the negotiations not just to look at someone who's making his best but actually succeed this is how we acted when we brought back half of the hostages and this is how we'll act to bring the rest we need to have a code-headed negotiation and not give in to any concession Hamas brings up because some of them are crazy conditions this is a negotiation a negotiation need to be both very code-headed and make sure that you don't give up to all of the demands by the other side Prime minister for many weeks you're saying that we will go into Rafa but so far it is not happening can you tell us what is preventing the entry is it the American pressure the end of Ramadan so what's your next question it seems as if in the last few weeks the whole world is against us is it preventing us to continue every one of the points that you brought up the reasons that you brought up as possibilities for the delay in the entry to Rafa are not true not Ramadan and we are acting in Ramadan in Shifa and Chanyunas in other places and not the American pressure I can tell you that and not any other hesitation we need certain preparations I will not go into them the plans are ready we approved the plans brought in by the IDF that is behind us now we are acting how to move away the humanitarian need and to move away the civilian population this is something that is needed to be done and we have to do it it will not take a lot of time but it will happen nothing will stop us I'm telling you this not the American pressure and not any other pressure for one simple reason if we do not destroy all of the Hamas battalions there this is a something needed for victory and there is an existential threat to us if we don't destroy those battalions I told President Biden I appreciate your support but I do not appreciate the decision taken at the Security Council I think it was a bad decision because for the first one it disconnected between the ceasefire and the hostage release that is why I thought a clear message is important in this case but I think we will overcome all of the pressures but we will do whatever needed as I told President Biden we will fight with our fingernails we will destroy the Hamas battalions in Rafa this is Prime Minister Netanyahu Amir Oran here in the studio Netanyahu sticks to his narrative we have to go into Rafa this is the only way and we have to destroy Hamas and so on well his main aim obviously is to show that he is in good physical shape in a few hours perhaps even minutes he is undergoing a procedure with full anesthesia he will not be in charge of his faculties there will be an acting Prime Minister in his stead so he wanted to show the public regardless of the content of the press conference that he is fine and he is going to the Israeli hospital but he talked about a certain Palestinian hospital in Gaza Shifa according to his logic the IDF has to go into Rafa to take care of the remaining battalions of Hamas and destroy them but a couple of months ago he and others were saying that at the Shifa hospital Israel destroyed Hamas so what happened when a thousand terrorists belonging to Hamas and to Palestinian Islamic jihad happened to be there they have hidden their equipment in MRI machinery in the walls in laboratories how did that happen can the IDF really control what is happening in the very ground it has occupied and supposedly conquered many doubts remain after his remarks also he said that it will take 6 to 8 months for Israel to hold elections now now the time that the election commission talks about is only 3 months 100 days but still you have the Knesset and all of that but you know Israeli politics it's about 5 to 6 months it depends on whether you are for it or against it the negotiations for the hostages release will stall we didn't have a community to ask now the other thing that bothers Netanyahu if we can see a live feed of that is what's happening in Jerusalem right now which is a beginning of a new wave of demonstrations and big ones it started yesterday it's going to continue for the rest of the week and that puts pressure new pressure on this government he answered directly those families of the hostages not all of them but probably most of them who have now turned against him and accuse him of blocking a deal at first in his remarks he tried to be polite he did not accuse them outright of lying about it or being political but later on he used stronger language obviously it is hurting him in public opinion and he wants to put his case against his accusers now another word about Israeli politics the names that were mentioned frequently Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkott they joined this emergency government couple days after September 4 days to be exact and apparently they are waiting for a deal for a hostage deal maybe this will end their tenure now under this pressure from people on the streets do you think they might leave the government before a deal is this a possibility and even if they do that doesn't mean the government topples yes there is this calculus many fingers in the Knesset the coalition still has 64 up to now and how many the opposition the rest 56 however what Gantz and Eisenkott have waited for was both what you mentioned the hostage deal and the ceasefire and the Kharedi draft law because they wanted to see whether the supreme court will come down on the side of the government legislation or will force the Kharedis to be drafted now they have to make a decision Gantz and Eisenkott it's really Gantz because Eisenkott would have left the government long ago but he is waiting for his party leader and friend Gantz and therefore the demonstrators are getting restless, impatient and they are also accusing Gantz of dragging his feet and the other parts of the Likud party are they on board with Netanyahu 100% no none of them is 100% with Netanyahu but all of them are afraid of what the Likud stalwarts in the street will do to them and their families there have been social media attacks on whoever as much as creepy side Netanyahu so they are lying low they are all waiting for someone else to throw the first stone yeah and we are talking now basically 6 months right after October 7th Netanyahu said again there is pressure he knows there is pressure from the United States but still he keeps pushing his rough narrative this is going to get even more serious between him and Biden very inexplicable it seems as if there is a plan capital P plan which is in a vault somewhere and Hamas is waiting for the plan to be taken out of the vault and used against it hasn't Sinwar the leader of Hamas prepared a plan of his own are you you Netanyahu certain that the four battalions are still there up north perhaps to the Shifa hospital and this is like the horizon once you get close to it it gets further away meanwhile let's go to a different story another case of a journalist being attacked in London with an Iranian connection we are talking about Zerati an Iranian international presenter at the Iran International channel he was stabbed on the street and we have Wahid Beheshti now human rights activist to talk about that Wahid what do you think was happening there that by all means is not the sign of the strength of Iranian regime which they committed this kind of crime in middle of Europe in the heart of Europe in London this is the sign of our weakness here in London in Europe this is the big policies of European politicians because we are not taking the threat the existential threat of Iranian regime about our societies I am in DC for past weeks since last Monday I am here I'm having 10 to 12 meetings every day with policymakers with influential people in DC I have a lot of meetings in UK I was 2 months ago in Israel I gave a speech in Israel raising awareness about the existential threat of Iranian regime and now as I was speaking last Thursday I gave a speech in Congress exactly focus on the existential threat of Iranian regime and now we have this incident in middle of London and not entirely for the first time and I want to ask you where is the police there this is the problem last 9 months ago the Metropolitan Police here asked in an international TV station with over 120 journalists they said to them we are not capable to guarantee your safety and security anymore because of the threat of IRGC's agent and they left London they shut down their office for 9 months they moved to DC of course they come back now for 3 months and now you are witnessing another incident here this is the existential threat not anymore to Iranian people there to Israeli Iranian people they know the level of threat Israeli government they know the level of threat they know they are not involved with Hamas they know they are involved with Iran but this is about our societies here in Europe and in America that's why I am here in contact constantly with politicians with decision makers I am outside of the foreign office in order to prescribe IRGC because of this level of threat just let me communicate unfortunately we are running out of time so many unexpected things in the show we'll talk about this in the future I want to thank you and this is it for now stay tuned for more news with Kalef Bandovid and have a good night from Tel Aviv Israel is in a state of war families completely done down in their beds we have no idea where is she as our soldiers are fighting on the front line but the general perception is something that certainly needs to be fought as well this week on news 24 Israel under attack news 24 in Spanish brings the analysis and the information of the events of the war iron swords exclusive interviews and reports from the war zone the reaction of the Spanish-speaking countries news 24 the only medium in Spanish that keeps you informed and connected with the Latin community in Israel news 24 only in i24 news welcome to this special broadcast on i24 news I'm Kalef Bandovid it is day 177 of Israel's war against Hamas and the IDF continues its battle in the Gaza Strip including the hospitals that the terror group has turned there into military outposts the IDF struck a command center of the Palestinian Islamic jihad in the courtyard of the el-Aqsa Martyrs brigade in the dear al-Bala quarter taking out the operative station there and at the Shifa hospital in Gaza city the IDF uncovered a huge weapons depot during its ongoing operations a terror attack today in Bershiba as a knife-wielding assailant is shot dead by a soldier in the city's central bus station after stabbing two Israelis who suffered moderate to light injuries and then Cairo Israeli officials are preparing for the renewal of talks with Egyptian, American and Qatari mediators for a hostage deal this afternoon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with the parents of female soldiers who were killed captive in Gaza while outside demonstrators began a four-day protest demanding the government show more flexibility toward gaining their release now this follows last night's protest against Israel the biggest since October 7th with hostage families joining forces with anti-government demonstrators leading to roadblocks, scuffles with police and over a dozen arrests our senior correspondent Bianca Zenini has more on that took over the streets of Tel Aviv Saturday evening in the biggest protest since the start of the war in Gaza in October tens of thousands of people joined in massive anti-government demonstrations across the country this is a government that brought us into war without a clear idea of how to conduct this war and most importantly what's going to look like the day after this government is doing horrendous things in Gaza, not in our name and we want the government to take responsibility and resign today, right now for the first time since the war started families of the hostages kept in Gaza decided to join forces with the weekly anti-government protests until now they were deliberately abstaining from directly criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government has changed today we declared that Benjamin Netanyahu Prime Minister Netanyahu is the obstacle between us and getting our hostages back and we will relentlessly fight legally of course to have him removed from power and get someone else that can do the job and worthy of the situation that can bring beloved ones back it didn't go quietly scuffles erupted between protesters and police and 16 people were arrested demonstrators blocked main roads and police responded and the protests are set to continue throughout at least the month of April Sunday night demonstrations in Jerusalem with some setting up camp in tents near the Israeli parliament the Knesset demanding early elections and Prime Minister Netanyahu announced today that later this evening he would enter hospital to undergo a hernia operation and when he undergoes general anesthesia Deputy Prime Minister Yareev Levine would temporarily take his place now speaking of short time ago Netanyahu also addressed the hostages showing those protests here's a bit of what he had to say I work around the clock to bring all of our hostages back I do this with a balance between the pressure on Hamas and whatever we can do in the negotiation whoever does that I'm not doing everything to bring back our hostages is making a mistake and whoever knows the truth and continues to tell the sly brings more pain and agony to the hostage families as Israel showed more openness Hamas is hardening its stance well from what let's go to our correspondent Robert Swift who's in Jerusalem at one of those protests being held this evening by families of the hostages and also those who would like to see Prime Minister Netanyahu step down what are you hearing there Robert it does seem like several different key areas are coming together behind these protests first of all there is of course as you say the families of those hostages as a strip they are a central part of this protest here the fact that some of them have switched from an apolitical stance to an outright political one here is key to the message here but it's not the only one there are also people here who are protesting in a separate part of Jerusalem who are against the ultra-orthodox draft legislation that the government has been maneuvering in recent days and recent weeks and they are protesting in a separate square in the centre of Jerusalem and there's also those here who are protesting about the fact that the Knesset is moving into recession in a few days people have said that they don't think that the Israeli Knesset should be taking any breaks no matter what season it is when there are hostages remaining inside Gaza and these different factors have come together to cause the hostility here that we're seeing along this crowd now the leader of the opposition was talking a short while ago and while he was making a lot of points which many people in the crowd agree with it was notable that the response he received from the crowd was much more lukewarm than all of the other speakers residents from around the Gaza strip and hostage families the welcome he received from the crowd it was probably lukewarm at best all right Robert Swift there at that protest there outside the Knesset and by the Prime Minister's office Robert thank you for that with us in studio we have Ambassador Avi Pazner the former Israeli Ambassador to France in Italy and former world chairman of Karen Hayes-Saud and reserves IDF Colonel Daron Avi Tal former commander of Special Forces in the IDF Avi you also were adviser to a Prime Minister let's talk about the decision by Prime Minister Netanyahu to speak this evening perhaps first of all just to show that he's healthy before going into hospital but also clearly on filling some pressure from these kind of protests and wanting to make an answer to them yeah I think it was wise from his part politically to speak today because I have to say he looked good he looked healthy although he didn't know he's going into hospital he looked strong he wanted to show that there is no change in its policy because now there is a lot of political pressure on him not only from the demonstrations I understand that in the cabinet most of the ministers of the Likud expressed their views which were different from his own view so I think he wanted to in what way, in what specification regarding the mandate of the negotiators in Cairo of the hostages and it is the first time that we hear that he is in a minority in his own cabinet and that he, that most of his ministers wanted him to give more power to the negotiators this having been said I think that it was a mistake on the part of the families of the hostages I do want to clarify, not all the families of the hostages are calling, join with the more political side of the protest and calling for the prime minister so let's begin, some of the families but you know better than me how it is television, on the television you see families of hostages you are absolutely right, part of them it's a mistake because the hostages is our problem all our problem we are left, center, right it doesn't matter and I think to politicize the fate of the hostages is a mistake on their part I think they should not have joined the political protest they should stick to liberate the hostages their struggle is legitimate and okay everything is okay they should not now enter into the political scene it's a mistake on their part I do not want you to comment but also the prime minister this evening even raised a security argument saying that it is giving encouragement to Hamas this kind of talk and again reaffirming that Israel ultimately or the idea will have to enter into the Rafah to finish its mission of finishing off Hamas and perhaps liberating all of the remaining hostages I was repeating some of this point the Rafah is a necessary step in his view and it will come sooner or later into play the fact of the hostages of course it was mentioned here the question of how much mandate you delegate to the negotiators I think I feel that he was in some sense limiting their negotiation capabilities and maybe the right wing ministers were trying to force him but on the other hand Eisencourt and Ben Higgins was trying to pull him and give the negotiating teams head of Mossad, head of Shabak to make decision in the field it's necessary it's bad that of course the hostage thing was politicized but we have to be honest it was politicized on both ends of the rope not only the protesters also the other side was trying to politicize in a certain point the hostage campaign and of course we want this issue to be outside of politics we have to do whatever we can to bring them home and I would say delegate like in the battlefield delegate the negotiation team that's the only way to come with results alright well as we've been mentioned Prime Minister Netanyahu but I am sure that Netanyahu wants to see the hostage liberated it's a great achievement for him right of course well as you said now the Prime Minister has apparently given the green light to resume the talks with perhaps expanded authority with those the leaders of the negotiating team in Cairo our Middle East correspondent Ariel Osaran will try to report with more of the details still negotiating Israeli security officials have returned to Cairo after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the Israeli delegation approval to resume the stall negotiations for a ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas some of the remaining issues that need to be resolved are some of the most difficult ones in areas where there is the most disagreement between Israel and Hamas we do think it's possible to bridge those differences and we're going to continue to try to bridge those differences but patience in Israel is running out after nearly six months of war families of the 134 hostages held by Hamas and Gaza joined forces with long-time anti-government protest in Tel Aviv in the biggest rally since October 7 while in neighboring Jordan thousands have been demonstrating against Israel for a seventh day in a row near the Israeli embassy in Amman and the pro-Iranian axis is looking for ways to take advantage of the situation this is in support of Gaza in support of the heroic Gazans with condemnation of the crimes committed by the Zionist enemy with condemnation of all those who support this offensive or turn a blind eye to it ending the Israel-Jordan peace treaty is the most prominent and urgent method of expressing this support an Egyptian source told the Qatariy under the Arabic Al-Jadid newspaper that an expected Israeli operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafa won't lead to severing ties with Israel as the Jordanian and Egyptian foreign ministers met with their French counterpart in Cairo on Saturday the danger of Israel launching a military operation on the Palestinian city of Rafa and the dire consequences that would result from it were also discussed we joined with the Jordanian and French sides in warning against the consequences of undertaking such an operation in light of the city's overcrowding with more than a million and a half displaced persons as the IDF's ground operation in Gaza appears to be stagnant a ceasefire deal doesn't seem to be any closer than it was a month ago and with the amount of Israeli forces inside the strip at its lowest rate since mid-October Israel is far from exerting all its efforts in an attempt to return the hostages and gentlemen if this current round of hostage negotiations fails and as we move perhaps towards finishing up the Ramadan holiday that would be the time it is likely for a Rafa operation let me ask you diplomatically and in terms of militarily is everything in place needed for a Rafa operation and are you ready for whatever the consequences may be from that you ask me diplomatically no the answer is as simple as that we still have not yet have the okay not the okay but you know that the delegation in Israel they should have depart for Washington last week to discuss with our American friends how to how to go about the Rafa situation first of all Israel has to try to evacuate the civilian population there's 1.4 million refugees in Rafa how do you do that and then you have just seen now the Egyptian Foreign Minister the French he didn't speak we've seen the images of what's going on in Jordan the key is the Americans and the Prime Minister just in his remarks just in the past hour seemed to then come out and say it we appreciate the support of America but Israel has to do what it has to do the same thing that is saying Israel's going to go ahead even without the green light from Washington he said so but I think it's easier said than done and it is a fact that already for two months we hear that the military operation is ready that the army has all the instruction but the operation is not going ahead and I do think that an effort with the American is needed in order to see whether it should go ahead or whether there is an alternative well that will be an alternative because we do hear the Americans and even on the military side saying well there are other ways to deal with Hamas pinpoint operations in Rafa is that realistic or is it full-scale operation in Israel ready for it I think it's true in the battlefield it's not always the what military campaign and we've shown it in Gaza the military campaign in the northern in Gaza city was different than the military campaign in Chanyunis so we have carefully calibrate what kind of military campaign we can do and I'm not sure it was even wise to create a holy grail out of Rafa we can operate we operated in Rafa there was a surgical attack there was a rescue operation so let's be smart about it not go ahead against head with the Americans and do something we've seen we need this coalition let's do smart I'm sure military can come with new ways and methods to have a smart campaign that doesn't target civilians and let's hope this can be done well let's see as this develops we know let's stay focused on the Gaza battlefield because the IDF is continuing its operations in and around Gaza's al-Shifa hospital killing and capturing hundreds of terrorists at that medical facility the army today also revealed this discovery of a huge cache of weapons that were found inside the hospital's maternity ward the IDF released this video on that let's take a look the drone I want to relate this to something the prime minister said and it relates to these negotiations Akira one of the parent sticking points is Hamas's insistence that those who left or fled the north of Gaza Gaza city down to the Rafah area be allowed to return the prime minister saying that this would include these include Hamas terrorism here we see in Shifa hospital by the way still ongoing apparently the that Gaza city has remained the battlefield weeks after the IDF supposedly it conquered it yeah but we didn't go in to conquer Gaza this is not wasn't the aim the aim was to eradicate Hamas and this Shifa campaign or Shifa operation a very successful campaign that shows how we are going to operate in this first stage of the war we are going to gather intelligence wait for them and they regroup attack and and I think this was a great example for how the IDF should operate not only militarily also the way they wrap it in terms of the explaining to the public worldwide what's going on in Shifa also the medical help that we provided to the people that really needs help in Shifa with our doctors I mean this was a well orchestrated campaign and I hope to see more campaigns like this and we have to think in this fashion about how do we go in Gaza in the next few months we are not conquering Gaza we didn't decide to conquer Gaza otherwise we have to have multitude of troops and brigades and command the whole area and we are not doing it yeah in terms of the northern Gaza even did the Hamas terrorists will come back this would require us to do a very clever selection facial recognition to try to see that if we allow some to go back it's not Hamas terrorists but still again we can try and catch them even if they do this as we did in Shifa right I mean what campaigns like this but if you look at international media or public arena false reports reports that have been demonstratedly been proven false such as Israel taking out and killing doctors or killing executing patients in and around Shifa get more publicity even after they are refuted then for example this kind of report coming out of today you know for example you have Al Jazeera who is reporting from Gaza a series of lies and I watch foreign television I watch American television French British television they buy they buy this they show this stuff of Al Jazeera with the permission of Al Jazeera there is a whole campaign going on and you know there is a sensitivity with the word hospital the moment you deal with the hospital or you clean a hospital from terrorists you have a problem because you know people do not understand that the Hamas has retaken the Shifa hospital rebuild its capacities within the hospital and that Israel for three four months ago claimed that the hospital was clean of terrorists now has to do the job again and by the way Kaleb we would have to think also about the future because this shows that if we do not seek force which will take the place of Sahel in Gaza then the Hamas I am glad you bring this up I am going to talk about the Palestinian Authority even if we would like them to come and not sure we want them to come will not come as a result of us bringing them into Gaza imposing them on Gaza but if you have an Arab force okay not Egypt Saudi Arabia Emirates Morocco which they invite a reformed a reformed Palestinian Authority not what we have today which is an Authority which is not able to do anything but somebody of interest that would be okay alright well of course first Hamas has to be defeated some let's take a listen to what Defense Minister Galan had to say today while visiting the paratroopers division at their HQ let's take a listen to this in the last week or two hundreds of terrorists have been captured and what they say about what happened to them tells the whole story they say that Hamas is collapsing from within the prices they pay are very heavy the terrorists themselves testify that they can no longer carry this burden Daron I'm sure Defense Minister Galan is just repeating what he's hearing from those Hamas operas but yet we had already heard that Shifa Hospital this was the command center the headquarters so really is Hamas collapsing but this brings an important point you never win a war with all your enemy soldiers we have to understand it I don't think there's one military campaign in the world in the history of the world that ended in this way so in the end with some kind of terms surrender some terms some idea of new forces entering so you have to break the spirit you have to break the chain of command for example if we succeed to target Sinwa this would be a breaking a serious breaking point because it's still the symbol of this campaign so it's still working I think there are in this interval of breaking point before and after as Galan described and the fact is then the number of Hamas terrorists surrendering this is a huge in Shifa so I hope we are in this border point of collapse exactly but I think this is what Galan means and hints to all right well certainly as you said hundreds of Hamas terrorists killed or reportedly surrendered there in the Shifa hospital I would like to thank you Colonel Daronavi Tal Ambassador Avi Pesner to stay with us we are going out for a brief break but the more coming up this special broadcast we are in day one hundred and seventy seven of Israel's war against Hamas stay with us millions of people in scores of countries bringing Israel's story to the world I-24 news channels now on hot welcome back to this special broadcast on I-24 news day one hundred and seventy seven of Israel's war against Hamas but let's shift our focus now from the Gaza Strip in the south to northern Israel where the IDF continues to exchange fire with Hezbollah forces in southern Lebanon and Israeli soldier was lightly injured today by a rocket blast landing near the area of Kiryat Shmona in the eastern Galilee for more let's go to our correspondent Zach Anders who is in northern Israel and Zach let's update it more firing on the Israeli side in the last few hours reports of Israeli retaliation there if you zoom out for a moment too this weekend had every player today the Lebanese Armed Forces reporting that they had a casualty and injury does not sound severe at LAF base in southern Lebanon unifil forces the United Nations peacekeepers came under fire that's still surrounded by much mystery we don't know who it was that fired upon them fortunately I was told that all involved are stable and going to be okay we also have today Kiryat Shmona an IDF soldier wounded by earlier fire from this morning Hezbollah taking credit for that attack and we see the IDF responding by firing on several positions throughout southern Lebanon by this count at this point in the night over 10 different places throughout southern Lebanon have been hit by apparent airstrikes including a vehicle that was in transit just a few miles from the border the IAF says that their aircraft struck Ismail Al-Zalzine they're being the IDF is describing him as a key operative inside the Radwan forces of Hezbollah that he was involved in one of the anti-tank missile units these have been pestering the border since the beginning of this conflict very deadly the incident involving this airstrike on the vehicle we've often seen senior Hezbollah and Hamas commanders in the field targeted when they're in their vehicles when they're in transit so this no different does not appear that there was any collateral damage any bystander casualties that this vehicle that was struck the occupants right now we don't know if there was anyone else in the vehicle if it was just this senior commander that was in there at the time but Hezbollah within the last half hour has come out and released his image and said that he is a martyr he's been killed in the strikes confirmed on both sides one of the more apparent things at this hour being the involvement of this senior commander we had been told or at least we had learned through Lebanese sources that the Radwan forces were in recent weeks fearful of these IDF strikes that they had been cutting deep into the leadership and the officials of Hezbollah some of the more experienced men who had fought in Syria with combat experience were the ones that were being picked off so that they had moved north and tried to escape some of the fire in the south of the country so it is interesting to see this movement this Radwan force member in a strike near the border again in southern Syria of course time will tell how that all adds together and where Radwan forces are currently in the country Zach I do want to take note you mentioned that air strike on a vehicle which was carrying unifil personnel the United Nations sort of peacekeeping forces there and the IDF very quickly did deny that that fire was launched from the Israeli side there was no firing activity in the area I presume unifil conducting its own investigation but we should note there was that Israeli denial yes yes it's good to point out too at first it was very confusing because the Lebanese sources were calling this an air strike on a vehicle and that immediately to all of us was well how could that be because these UN vehicles are bright white and they have the large lettering across the hood but after I spoke with the unifil representative he said no this was a foot patrol that they were near the border and on the Lebanese side of the border too so it's we've got the IDF coming out very quickly saying they were not involved and the only other of course players in this arena that I should say if you really want to get technical you've got several militant groups all around in this area the LAF the Lebanese Armed Forces are still in the area they have not to our knowledge been engaged in any sort of combat activities of course Hezbollah has been firing non-stop and been firing on these border positions every day so it will take some time I'm told but they are going to be able to pull the ballistics from the scene and pull some of the shrapnel together be able to send it off to UN investigators and then no doubt they'll be a report out here in the next few weeks and unifil of course I should stress did not come close to identifying any sort of actor or who they think was responsible they're cautioning and asking for more time Zach Kenner is there along the Israel-Lebanon border thank you for that and still with me in studio Ambassador Avi Pesner and Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant Colonel in the reserve is Daron Avi Tal let's look at a bit of the north clearly every day it seems Hezbollah is paying a price it has to be said a serious price as Zach just confirmed but is this going to have any deterrent effect on Hezbollah on decreasing this cross-border fire at all I think had we been now prior to the 7th of October conducting such attacks on Hezbollah we would be now in a full blown war it means that we succeed to use this time the span of time in really hitting Hezbollah in many sensitive places weapon cashez those targeting that are contributed to Israel in northern Syria this attack of the deputy commander of this anti-tech unit because those anti-tech missiles were really causing us casualties and surprising us with the range hitting us on some of our bases for example, harm Iran so those are great tactical achievements of course the strategic picture is wider than that we have our citizens away from the border we keep the equation stretch the equation of this dialogue in fire between the Hezbollah we are hitting Baalbek which is really deep in the back this is the Beirut, the Messick route this is the logistic backup of Hezbollah so we are gaining a lot of achievements and we are gaining knowledge, competency and we are planning and ready to create to have a bigger campaign if needed but still the citizens are not back and this is the big issue for us it still is Avi I do want to go back to a point you raised earlier about the reformed a reformed or a Palestinian authority in the question also Duran saying there are reports coming out of Washington just this weekend the United U.S. this is after a new supposedly technocratic government was formed by the Palestinian Authority which was just sworn in I think last Thursday and now reports coming out of Washington that the new the new PA is working on a reform of its so-called pay to slay system which is the system in which terrorists or their family if they survive the attack in prison or their families outside are given funds significant funds after carrying out terrorist attacks against Israeli supposedly some kind of alternate mechanism is going to be found where there either people are going to be encouraged or jobs will be found for those family members or their welfare payments will be based more on just general welfare payments the question is even if this were the case a sleight of hand with the Israeli government see this as a genuine reform that's just sort of a sleight of hand to create a cover that would allow diplomatically the PA to put its people into Gaza Calais I think much more than that is needed in order really to get the Israeli government accept the Palestinian Authority presence in the Gaza Strip you see what is the problem with the Palestinian Authority look what is going on in Judea in Samaria it's catastrophic from the point of view of security we have to do the job of the Palestinian Authority they are completely powerless not only that lately there have been cases of officials of the Palestinian Authority taking part in terrorist activities so here a much deeper reform is needed if you want it all to speak about the possibility of having some kind of Palestinian Authority presence in Gaza a much more profound changes are needed for example you need to have them to be ready to take on the Hamas militarily are they ready to take on the Hamas look what's going on in Jenin look in Naples in Tulkarem Hamas is operating under the eyes of the Palestinian Authority you have to have here a real change of attitude of the Palestinian Authority a willingness to take part in the fight against terrorism and I do not know if this willingness really exists of course the Palestinian Authority is very weak in terms of its agencies security agencies they have no capacity to command the territory but there were different times in each of the security agencies of PLO of the Palestinian Authority were actually operating against Hamas as they were their opponents in many respects and we saw it and we know how it ended in Gaza in the end there's no other address we have to admit to ourselves and we have to try and help with the U.S to build the new Palestinian Authority stronger and then to let them take hold of Gaza we'll see perhaps that will have to wait for a post an era when Mehmood Abbas is no longer a new leadership young leader you have to have a change of personality he's unable to do the necessary changes thank you for that let's take a note today is Easter Sunday and I wish a happy Easter to all our viewers who celebrate the holiday now the Christian holiday marking of course the death and resurrection of Jesus is being observed in the land where those events reportedly happened but in a subdued atmosphere both of course at the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City which sits on the site of the crucifixion and the tomb of Jesus as well as in the few churches remaining in the Gaza Strip that serve the dwindling Christian population there and at Vatican City in Rome Pope Francis issued this Easter plea for peace in the Holy Land I appeal once again that access to humanitarian aid be insured to Gaza and call once again for the prompt release of hostages seized on October the 7th and for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip let us not allow the current hostilities to continue to have grave repercussions on the civil population by now at the limit of its endurance and above all on the children and we have with us I said ambassador to the Holy See the Vatican this is not a new call from Pope Francis but your reaction to hearing it there are some who say that it's been a little more towards for example calling for a ceasefire I don't think Caleb that it was unbalanced it is a very typical of the Eastern speech of every Pope that I remember calling for peace this time of course you call for a ceasefire because there is now a war going on but I think he was careful to balance let's see that he was even more careful Security Council of the United Nations directly tying the ceasefire with liberation of hostages but there is nothing new Pope Francis is very friendly towards the Jewish community in the world I think he is also friendly towards Israel and I think that his call for peace is a call that you can hear every Easter coming from every Pope in the last 75 years that's the supreme call for a ceasefire spoken like a true ambassador I should say with some experience we do have to note there are some public figures that take a very different tone towards Israel and to the Palestinians well in fact as the Gaza war drags on international backing for Israel's battle to free its hostages can be said to be slowly waning with Paul showing that support is softening even in the United States now as that tight shifts it's also finding expression in a growing number of celebrities who feel emboldened to criticize Israel and support the Palestinians in the public arena Joe Brown takes a closer look at that situation Live from the US it's declining support for Israel in a move that would have seemed impossible as recently as last month NBC's comedy joggernaut Saturday Night Live opened with a monologue by actor and comedian Ramah Yusuf a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause recounting a prayer he said please stop the suffering stop the violence please free the people of Palestine please and please free the hostages all of the hostages please but regardless of his all round plea for peace someone on a scripted TV show on a primetime US network calling to quote free Palestine is a shift in how the war has been portrayed throughout the US media and that might also represent a shift in how Americans themselves view Israel's war with Hamas according to polling from Gallup in November 2023 around half of Americans supported Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip now that number has gone down to just over a third meanwhile more than half of Americans supported the IDF's operation in Gaza and Ramah Yusuf is not alone podcaster, comedian and right-wing political commentator Joe Rogan suggested that Israel is committing the Holocaust on a small scale in Gaza this came in the same month that hundreds of Hollywood professionals signed a letter condemning zone of interest director Jonathan Glazer's anti-Israel speech at the Oscars but it's not just an anti-Israel party in the USA an outspoken critic of Israel who is slated to represent the UK at Eurovision this year has responded to a petition by queer artists asking him to boycott the competition in a statement he said that he will not boycott but instead he and other Eurovision artists will use their platform to come together and call for peace as well as releasing a separate statement with eight other Eurovision artists calling for a ceasefire and a release of hostages as well as a halt to rising anti-Semitism and Islamophobia but with more celebrities and TV networks feeling more comfortable to broadcast pro-Palestinian views the shift in public support away from Israel is getting further and further away from Israel's zone of interest well well more celebrities abroad may feel more comfortable speaking out against Israel no such comfort level exists for those speaking out say on behalf of Israel take for example Noah Kochfa she's a former Miss Israel who competed in the Miss Universe contest and is now on a speaking tour in the U.S. last week dozens of protests tried to disrupt the Shabbat dinner at a San Francisco synagogue where Noah was speaking and this weekend she was accosted by pro-Palestinian demonstrators in New York City posting images following that incident on her Instagram account and joining us from New York is former Miss Israel and a model now Noah Kochfa thank you for joining us first of all a little bit about your background we saw pictures of you serving in the IDF before we got what happened this week and what you're doing now in the U.S. and how that's a part of it I was a combat medic in my military service and since October 7th I've been in the Gaza border and we evacuated soldiers that were injured in Gaza to hospitals and we gave them medical care for my part of war and ever since I got to the U.S. I've been talking about my part of war how Israel is doing the best possible the best how Israel is doing everything in his power to save everyone's life Palestinian's life soldiers life and just trying to be the most human the most human military there is not everyone is prepared to hear that message talk about both what happened in San Francisco and just this weekend they're in New York City so when I was in San Francisco the protesters called me Miss Genocide Miss Information they hosted a really big protest against me and against everything I do they if they would have checked their facts they would have known that I would I haven't killed it's not my intention to kill anyone and all I did was saving other people's life as a combat medic that was in San Francisco and yesterday we were just filming content about Israel trying to raise awareness about the hostages that are still in Gaza and we came across just a really big protest against Israel and they were about 5000 protesters we were 10 Israelis and all we did was just hugging each other and singing loudly I'm Israel High which is not something that you can consider even a bit violent because we were just hugging and we spread peace and we spread love and every single one of the protesters against us they just were violent we just saw how much they hate us only when they look at us and they just wanted to attack us every single one of them we felt really unsafe we felt like we felt like if they would have a gun they would probably use it on us but luckily we all are safe now luckily my eyes I have concealer and I have makeup so you can see what specifically, Noah we're seeing the footage of you holding up this packet to you so what actually specifically happened so I was just standing there and I had my friend also an IDF soldier who protected me because he saw that because I'm a woman maybe of David here and I had my bring them home dog tag so they know this me and he was trying to protect me but there was one protester he had a sign with a broomstick connected to him so he just used his broomstick as a weapon and tried to attack me with it and the broomstick just hit me right here in my eye luckily it wasn't inside my eye just the side of it but it was so horrifying really well let me ask you then about what you're encountering the U.S. I guess you've seen news reports but how is it to be there on the streets of New York City my home city my hometown and to see that kind of demonstration and to see that simply somebody even holding for example a star David or holding Israeli flag is now a target of violence there in New York City by the way the city with the largest Jewish population in terms of total numbers in the world I know that that's something that I find very disturbing because it shouldn't be something that you should be afraid of and you shouldn't hide the everything that makes you a Jew I shouldn't be worried if I should wear my necklace or not because I can't have the feeling of safety and it's something that people should should realize that the anti-Semitic uprising is happening and once I saw it on my Instagram and obviously I saw it because of all the videos that I do on my Instagram but being there and seeing the hate through us was something that just got me realize how bad the situation is really is. Right so Leslie are you going to continue to speaking how does this impact you when we are mission there in the U.S. my mission is still here my mission will not be over until all the 134 hostages will be released we have to remember every single day while we are doing this interview while both of us are safe both of us in a warm place probably I hope for you the 134 people who are currently held hostages by monsters 134 people who doesn't know when their next meal will be they don't know if they will live another day and that's something that we should all remember and our mission will not be over until the until every single one of them will be home that's the only thing that matters now to me. All right Noah Kochfa we wish you continued success and most of all continued safety and well being on your tour there in the United States thank you for joining us on I-24 thank you for having me have a good day gentlemen I know what's going on in New York my hometown but again to see something like that is shocking and maybe disturbing of as I said before indication of more serious trends of course you know part of our strengths all the years of the existence of the state of Israel the 75 years was our strength in American public opinion you know early polls indicated that 80% of Americans in October were supporting Israel now it's down to 36% this is very worrying and I think that Israel should do a very big effort to counter that Noah is doing a fantastic job she and some others it's not enough I think we have to mobilize ourselves we have to mobilize the Jewish community of the United States I think they are not doing enough there was a demonstration in Washington a few months ago one demonstration 300,000 people that was impressive but it is not enough we have 6 million Jews and Kaleb you mentioned New York is the biggest Jewish city in the world we have to do more as Jews because this leads also to anti-Semitism it's not only anti-Israel it's anti-Semitism we have to mobilize the Jewish community of the United States to stand up to this criticism I do want to note that there were reports this weekend that the administration did quietly approve a new arms transfer to Israel so we shouldn't pay but maybe the word quietly there is telling the wrong we should connect the two subjects on one hand of course so very disturbing when you talked about New York City I talked about my Alma Mater Columbia University disturbing to be a Jewish student now Israeli student in Columbia but on the other hand when you talk about the Biden fact that they quietly as you said still give us weaponry we have to admit to ourselves and we have to play as a constructive play in this coalition in sync with the U.S. in sync with the European countries in sync with the Sunite moderate countries let's think coalition and I think this would help us also in those fronts with the public opinion alright we'll end on that note I want to thank Lieutenant Colonel Ronavi Tal of the Reserves Ambassador Avi Pesner for joining us that brings to an end this special broadcast