Setback for Hamas as First Friday Prayers of Ramadan Pass Peacefully, but Israel Not Ready To Relax

As in “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” the dog didn’t bark in Jerusalem. Yet, as Friday prayers in the holy mosques went off smoothly, is it premature to let out a sigh of relief?Fears of violence on the first Friday of Ramadan dissipated as tens of thousands Israeli and West Bank Muslims prayed peacefully at the al-Aqsa compound, according to Israel police officials. The Jordanian-nominated Waqf, which runs the Muslim compound, estimated that up to 80,000 made the prayers at the holy mosques. Tens of thousands also attended the night prayers at the end of the daily fast. Some 3,000 Israeli police officers, as well as undercover units of the Israel Defense Force, made sure that Hamas’s calls for violence did not materialize. Freedom of worship was maintained, as was peace in Jerusalem. In another setback for the terrorist group, Israeli security officials who updated the security cabinet say all indications point to the no. 3 in Hamas’s military hierarchy, Marwan Issa, being killed during an air attack a week ago. Behind Hamas’s military chief, Mohammad Deif, Issa was seen as the operational brain behind the October 7 attack. After the IDF bombed a tunnel in Gaza’s Nuseirat camp last week, Hamas officials claimed Issa was targeted. Until Friday, neither Israel nor Hamas had confirmed his death. While the Friday cabinet briefing fell just short of a final confirmation, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that eliminating the arch-terrorist was an “important and significant achievement.”Perhaps in defiance of President Biden and Senator Schumer, Mr. Netanyahu on Friday also approved military plans to enter Rafah, the last Gaza city that Hamas fully controls. The White House has consistently opposed an IDF invasion, and Mr. Biden indicated he might limit arms deliveries to Israel if it crossed a “red line” by entering Rafah. Mr. Schumer “made a good speech, and I think he expressed serious concern shared not only by him, but by many Americans,” Mr. Biden said Friday, a day after the Senate majority leader called for an early Israeli election to unseat the prime minister. Regime change to oust Mr. Netanyahu and opposition to the Rafah operation have emerged as top talking points for Democrats seeking to distance America from Israel. In contrast, “almost every Israeli understands that we have to take Rafah if we want Hamas to go away,” a former prime minister and a frequent critic of Mr. Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett, told CNN. “If we don’t destroy them fully they’ll reconstitute themselves.”Hamas surviving, or even the mere perception that it had won the Gaza war, could ignite a Mideast-wide conflict, many in Israel believe. Uniting “all fronts” against Israel was a top goal of the October 7 attack. Hamas named the operation “al-Aqsa flood” in the hope that religious awakening would create a flood of attacks to erase Israel off the map. Despite today’s calm, violence might still erupt around the holy places during Ramadan. Israeli security forces are on a high alert and are expected to remain so for the entire month. Yet, Israel notched an important, albeit temporary victory on Friday. Each year, Ramadan is a time for clashes on the site Jews call the Temple Mount and Muslims revere as Haram al Sharif. In the past, Friday prayers there have ended with rock-pelting of the Western Wall below. Clashes and rioting inside the compound have often forced police to enter the mosques, where youths armed with rocks, knives, or even firearms locked themselves. Ramadan, and specifically prayers on Friday, is an opportunity for Hamas to resurrect its “al-Aqsa flood” strategy. The terror group was convinced that as it attacked Israel in the south, other Iran-backed jihadist armies — Hezbollah, Iraqi and Syrian militias, West Bankers, and Arab Israelis — would heed the religious symbolism of the holy mosque and launch multi-arena attacks to end the Jewish state. There may have been trickles, but a “flood” never materialized. The Houthi attacks on what it considers to be Israeli shipping interests are hurting other players, from India to Europe, more than they do Israel. Hezbollah’s attacks are painful for residents of northern Israel, but to date the Shiite organization is careful to avoid an all-out, end-of-days war that would leave Lebanon in ruins, resembling Gaza.West Bank terrorists have attempted to launch attacks, and some have succeeded. Yet, IDF special units of the type depicted in the TV series “Fauda” have beefed up their presence in the northern West Bank, which has become a stronghold for Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and affiliated groups. Hamas has publicly aired disappointment that its attempt to turn its October 7 atrocities to an all-out religious war on Israel did not fully materialize. That the terror hound did not bark on Ramadan’s first Friday may add to its frustration. Yet, Israelis know their one-day victory could still be reversed, which in their minds make conquering Rafah that much more essential.

Setback for Hamas as First Friday Prayers of Ramadan Pass Peacefully, but Israel Not Ready To Relax

Setback for Hamas as First Friday Prayers of Ramadan Pass Peacefully, but Israel Not Ready To Relax

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