JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
2ND 5.2 QUAKE IN AFGHANISTAN WERE THE 6.0 OCCURED YESTERDAY. ISLAM IS PAYING THE PRICE FOR HATING ON ISRAEL.
EARTHQUAKES
EZEKIEL 37:7,11-14
7
So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a
noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his
bone.(POSSIBLE QUAKE BRINGS ISRAEL BACK TO LIFE-SO NOISE AND
SHAKING-QUAKES WILL ALSO DESTROY ISRAELS ENEMIES)
11 Then he said
unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold,
they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for
our parts.
12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the
Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to
come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
13 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
14
And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place
you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it,
and performed it, saith the LORD.
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation
shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall
be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be
earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles:
these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great
earthquakes shall be in divers places,(DIFFERNT PLACES AT THE SAME TIME)
and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall
there be from heaven.
SO
FAR 1,400 HAVE DIED IN THE FIRST QUAKE OF 6.0 YESTERDAY. AND 3,000
INJURED.THERE HAS JUST BEEN ANOTHER 5.2 QUAKE IN THE SAME AREA IN
AFGHANISTAN AS YESTERDAYS.RUSSIA BEEN HAVING A LOT OF SMALL QUAKES.THERE
READY FOR A BIG ONE ALSO.AND CHINA HAD ONE TODAY ALSO.ITS STILL 1,000
DEAD IN THE SUDAN LANSLIDE THAT DEMOLISHED A WHOLE VILLAGE AND ONLY 1
PERSON SURVIVED.
5.2-34 km NE of Jalālābād, Afghanistan-2025-09-02 12:29:38 (UTC)-10.0 km
4.6-268 km SSE of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia-2025-09-02 12:18:46 (UTC)-10.0 km
4.7-170 km SE of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia-2025-09-02 11:56:34 (UTC)-10.0 km
5.0-128 km ESE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia-2025-09-02 11:25:03 (UTC)-36.5 km
4.9-90 km NNW of Tumxuk, China-2025-09-02 07:58:50 (UTC)-10.0 km
4.4-67 km SSW of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia-2025-09-02 01:03:28 (UTC)-85.1 km
I
HAVE BEEN IN MY ROOM FOR THE LAST 4 DAYS.ITS BACK.ONE OF OUR RESEDENTS
HAS COVID.WE EAT IN OUR ROOMS.AND STAY IN OUR ROOMS.EXCEPT A FEW BIDEN
TYPE WANDER THE HALL.THE FACE DIAPERS LOOK EVEN WORSE TO BREATH IN FOR
THE LADIES. WE WILL PROBABLY BE IN ISOLATION FOR ANOTHER 1 TO A WEEK AND
A HALF, I FIGURE.I HAVENT SEEN ANY BIG MUSLIMS OWNERS AROUND HERE
LATELY WITH THE SUBMISSIVE BLANKET BODY AND TOWEL HEAD COVERIING.THERES
BEEN A FEW CHANGES.THE ISLAMIST OWNER IS GETTING CHEAPER.CHEAPER TOILET
PAPER. PAPER TOWELS AND OUR PREVAIL GREEN PACKAGE WIPES ARE NOW LITTLE
BLUE CHEAP CRAP SINGLE WIPES.THAT ALL FOR NOW.
5.2 Magnitude
Earthquake Hits Afghanistan Day After 1,400 Killed In Quake-Curated By
:Shobhit Gupta-News18.com-September 03, 2025, 04:16 IST
An
earthquake oof magnitude 5.2 struck eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, a
day after a major earthquake in northern Afghanistan killed over 1,400
people and caused widespread damage.The epicentre of the earthquake was
34 kilometres (21 miles) northeast of Jalalabad city in Nangarhar
province, news agency AFP reported citing the USGS.A 6.0-magnitude quake
struck late Sunday in several provinces, flattening villages and
leaving people trapped under the rubble of homes constructed mostly of
mud bricks and wood, unable to withstand the shock.According to figures
released by the Taliban government on Tuesday, the powerful tremor
killed more than 1,400 people and left over 3,000 injured. According to
the USGS, the epicentre of the Sunday night’s earthquake was about 27
kilometres (17 miles) from Jalalabad and struck just eight kilometres
below the Earth’s surface.The worst-affected region is Kunar province,
where 1,411 people were reported dead and more than 3,100 injured. In
neighbouring Nangarhar province, at least a dozen more people died and
hundreds were injured, Chief Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah
Mujahid said.Rescue operations are continuing as emergency workers and
local villagers search for survivors trapped beneath the rubble. Many
homes in the region, made of mud and stone, collapsed instantly during
the shallow quake.United Nations humanitarian coordinator for
Afghanistan Indrika Ratwatte had said that earthquake could affect
“hundreds of thousands".Rescuers searched through the night and all day
for survivors in the rubble of homes flattened in Kunar, where more than
5,400 houses were destroyed, government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said
on X.Many of the worst-affected areas were still unreachable by road,
but emergency facilities were being set up and multiple countries had
announced they would provide aid, Fitrat said.UN Secretary-General
António Guterres announced $5 million in initial emergency aid and said
the UN was working closely with Afghan authorities to assess needs and
deliver assistanceAfghanistan, already facing a deep humanitarian
crisis, has seen foreign aid drastically reduced since the Taliban
takeover in 2021. The situation has worsened following global funding
cuts and the return of millions of Afghan refugees from neighbouring
countries.The country is no stranger to earthquakes, especially in the
Hindu Kush region. In recent years, major quakes in Herat (2023) and
Paktika (2022) claimed thousands of lives and destroyed tens of
thousands of homes.(With inputs from agencies)
https://www.news18.com/world/5-2-magnitude-hits-afghanistan-day-after-1400-killed-in-quake-9544518.html?utm_source=copy_share&utm_medium=clipboard&utm_campaign=clipnshare
Rescuers focus on remote Afghan regions after earthquake kills over 1,400-SEP 2,25
A
provincial head of disaster management says authorities cannot predict
the number of bodies trapped under the rubble.Locals walk by a house
destroyed by an earthquake that killed hundreds and destroyed villages
in eastern Afghanistan, in Mazar Dara, Kunar province.Rescuers are
trying to reach remote areas in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar region after
a devastating earthquake killed at least 1,411 people and wounded 3,124
others, according to Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.On
Tuesday, Mujahid wrote in a post on X that 5,412 houses were destroyed
due to the earthquake’s intensity.Kunar’s head of disaster management,
Ehsanullah Ehsan, said earlier on Tuesday that efforts would be extended
to more of the region’s mountainous areas.“We cannot accurately predict
how many bodies might still be trapped under the rubble,” Ehsan
said.“Our effort is to complete these operations as soon as possible and
to begin distributing aid to the affected families,” he said, adding
that some of those who were injured have been transferred to hospitals
in neighbouring Nangarhar province and the capital, Kabul.Amid ongoing
recovery efforts, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that
northeastern Afghanistan was hit by a magnitude 5.2 earthquake, which
struck at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).One of the deadliest earthquakes
the tremor-prone country has experienced struck just before midnight on
Sunday. It was a shallow, magnitude 6 quake with its epicentre at a
depth of about 8km (5 miles).The mountainous terrain in the area is
making rescue work difficult. Volunteers have been unable to reach
isolated areas along the Pakistani border, where mostly mud-brick homes
have been destroyed.According to Ehsan, gaining vehicle access to the
narrow mountainous roads in the area has been the main obstacle for
relief work. The roads have been damaged by the quake or covered in
landslides.‘Nobody to help them and pull them out’Obaidullah Stoman, 26,
who travelled to the village of Wadir in Kunar’s Nugral district to
search for a friend, told the AFP news agency that there was “only
rubble left”.“I’m searching here, but I didn’t see him. It was very
difficult for me to see the conditions here,” he said.Akhlaq, 14, who
was injured and evacuated to the hospital, lost five members of his
family to the earthquake in the remote village.“Our whole house
collapsed. My brothers and father were all buried. Only I survived and
made it out,” he told AFP.“Then I heard my father’s voice, and I managed
to rescue him,” he said, adding, “There are victims who are still under
the rubble, but there is nobody to help them and pull them
out.”‘Extremely challenging’The lack of road access has forced emergency
response teams to rely on helicopters, Indrika Ratwatte, the United
Nations humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan, said at a news briefing
in Kabul.“There’s been lots of landslides and rock falls, and access
has been very limited to everybody in the first 24 hours,” he said.In a
situational update, the World Health Organization (WHO) said the
destruction of roads and the remote locations of many of the affected
villages “severely impede the delivery of aid”.“The pre-earthquake
fragility of the health system means local capacity is overwhelmed,
creating total dependence on external actors,” the WHO said, adding that
more than 12,000 people have been affected.Homa Nader, the acting
deputy head of delegation in Afghanistan for the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told Al Jazeera it
has become “nearly impossible” to continue with the rescue efforts due
to the destruction of the roads.“The challenges still remain. We had …
the disaster management directive that came in yesterday with heavy
machinery to clear out some of the road and the rubble to be able to
support with access so that humanitarian actors like the Afghan Red
Crescent Society can go and operate search and rescue operations, but
unfortunately, it’s extremely challenging,” Nader said on Tuesday.She
warned that it is “absolutely likely that those [death toll] numbers
would dramatically increase because we are not getting to the most
remote villages as of yet”.
Over 1,000 killed in landslide on
village in Sudan’s Darfur: ‘Only one person survived’Sudan Liberation
Movement-Army, the rebel group controlling the area, says village
‘completely leveled to the ground’; region is hub for displaced families
fleeing fighting-By Samy Magdy Today, 12:15 pm-SEPT 2,25
CAIRO
(AP) — A landslide wiped out a village in Sudan’s western region of
Darfur, killing an estimated 1,000 people in one of the deadliest
natural disasters in the African country’s recent history, a rebel group
controlling the area said late Monday.The tragedy happened Sunday in
the village of Tarasin in Central Darfur’s Marrah Mountains after days
of heavy rainfall, the Sudan Liberation Movement-Army said in a
statement.“Initial information indicates the death of all village
residents, estimated to be more than one thousand people. Only one
person survived,” the statement read.The village was “completely leveled
to the ground,” the group said, appealing to the UN and international
aid groups for help to recover the bodies.The ruling Sovereign Council
in Khartoum mourned “the death of hundreds of innocent residents” in the
Marrah Mountains’ landslide. In a statement, it said “all possible
capabilities” have been mobilized to support the area.Footage shared by
the Marrah Mountains news outlet showed a flattened area between
mountain ranges with a group of people searching the area.The tragedy
came as a devastating civil war has engulfed Sudan after tensions
between the country’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces
exploded into open fighting in April 2023 in the capital, Khartoum, and
elsewhere in the country.Most of the conflict-stricken Darfur region
has become mostly inaccessible for the UN and aid groups, given
crippling restrictions and fighting between Sudan’s military and the
RSF.Aid group Doctors Without Borders has warned that multiple
communities in Darfur, including in the Marrah Mountains, have been cut
off after more than two years of war and isolation, describing these
areas as “a black hole” in Sudan’s humanitarian response.It said in a
July report that people in these communities have been “deprived of
adequate assistance and snubbed by aid actors… despite enduring horrid
conditions.”The Sudan Liberation Movement-Army, centered in the Marrah
Mountains area, is one of multiple rebel groups active in the Darfur and
Kordofan regions. It hasn’t taken sides in the war.The Marrah Mountains
are a rugged volcanic chain extending for 160 kilometers (100 miles)
southwest of el-Fasher, an epicenter of fighting between the military
and the RSF. The area has turned into a hub for displaced families
fleeing fighting in and around el-Fasher.The conflict in Sudan has
killed more than 40,000 people, forced more than 14 million to flee
their homes and left some families eating grass in a desperate attempt
to survive as famine swept parts of the country.It has been marked by
gross atrocities including ethnically motivated killing and rape,
according to the United Nations and rights groups. The International
Criminal Court said it was investigating alleged war crimes and crimes
against humanity.The village of Tarasin is located in the central Marrah
Mountains, a volcanic area with a height of more than 3,000 meters
(9,840 feet) at its summit. A world heritage site, the mountain chain is
known for its lower temperature and higher rainfall than surrounding
areas, according to UNICEF. It’s located more than 900 kilometers (560
miles) west of the capital city, Khartoum.Sunday’s landslide was one of
the deadliest natural disasters in Sudan’s recent history. Hundreds of
people die every year in seasonal rains that run from July to October.
Last year’s heavy rainfall caused the collapse of a dam in the eastern
Red Sea Province, killing at least 30 people, according to the UN.
PM
said weighing sovereignty over parts of West Bank due to countries’
recognition of Palestine-Gazan media reports 11 killed, including
children, in drone strike on water distribution point * Far-right
minister calls to reevaluate IDF chief if he proves to be ‘weak on
Gaza’SEP 2,25-By Lazar Berman
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
will gather top ministers and aides for a discussion on the implications
of international recognition of a Palestinian state on Thursday,
according to Hebrew media reports.The small forum will also examine a
range of possible responses to the expected wave of Western recognition
at the UN later this month, including applying sovereignty over parts of
the West Bank.Netanyahu will be joined by Defense Minister Israel Katz,
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, National
Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and Finance Minister Bezalel
Smotrich, according to the reports.
IAEA finds uranium traces
linked to target of Israel’s 2007 Syrian nuclear strike-UN agency has
long suspected nuclear activity at destroyed Deir Ezzor site, and
renewed its inspections this year under new Syrian regime-By Reuters and
ToI Staff Today, 4:53 pm-SEP 2,25
The UN nuclear watchdog said
Monday that it has found traces of uranium in Syria in its investigation
into a building Israel destroyed in 2007.The Deir Ezzor site, which
included the building, was the target of an Israeli strike in September
2007 on Syria’s nuclear reactor. Israel did not officially take
responsibility for the bombing for more than a decade, in part to avoid
retaliation from Damascus. But Jerusalem was widely presumed to be
behind the strike, and officially acknowledged it in 2018.The government
of now-deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad had claimed the site was a
conventional military base. But in a report to member states on Monday,
the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency said it has long believed
Deir Ezzor was probably an undeclared nuclear reactor.In a prior report
released in 2011, the IAEA had concluded that the building was “very
likely” to have been a reactor built in secret, and that Damascus should
have declared it.Since then, the agency has been trying to come to a
definitive conclusion, and under a renewed push last year, it was able
to take environmental samples at three unnamed locations “that were
allegedly functionally related” to Deir Ezzor, it said in the
confidential report, seen by Reuters.The agency found “a significant
number of natural uranium particles in samples taken at one of the three
locations. The analysis of these particles indicated that the uranium
is of anthropogenic origin, i.e. that it was produced as a result of
chemical processing,” the report said.The term “natural” indicates the
uranium was not enriched. The report did not come to a conclusion as to
what the discovered traces mean.“The current Syrian authorities
indicated that they had no information that might explain the presence
of such uranium particles,” the report said, referring to the
Islamist-led government that deposed Assad at the end of 2024. The
current Syrian government granted the IAEA access to the site again in
June this year to take more environmental samples.At a meeting the same
month between IAEA chief Rafael Grossi and Syrian President Ahmed
al-Sharaa, “Syria agreed to cooperate with the Agency, through full
transparency, to address Syria’s past nuclear activities,” the report
said.At that meeting, Grossi asked for Syria’s help in returning to Deir
Ezzor itself “in the next few months in order to conduct further
analysis, access relevant documentation and to talk to those involved in
Syria’s past nuclear activities.”The report said the IAEA was still
planning to visit Deir Ezzor and would evaluate the results of the
environmental samples taken at the other site.“Once this process has
been completed and the results evaluated, there will be an opportunity
to clarify and resolve the outstanding safeguards issues related to
Syria’s past nuclear activities and to bring the matter to a close,” it
said.Pilots and crews who took part in the 2007 bombing of the Syrian
nuclear reactor in Deir Ezzor take part in a ceremony marking the planes
that participated in the operation, on September 6, 2018, at the
Hatzerim Air Force Base in southern Israel. (IDF Spokesperson’s
Unit)-The 2007 strike was widely regarded as a success. It came decades
after a 1981 Israeli strike on Iraq’s nuclear reactor and was followed
earlier this year by Israel’s attack on Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites
and ballistic missile program. That June strike sparked a 12-day air war
and involved a US military intervention.The IDF has been deployed at
nine posts inside southern Syria since the fall of the Assad regime in
December 2024, mostly within a UN-patrolled buffer zone on the border
between the countries.Israeli forces have been operating in areas up to
15 kilometers (some nine miles) deep into Syria, including Beit Jinn,
aiming to capture weapons that Israel says could pose a threat to the
country if they fall into the hands of hostile forces.
Belgian
FM: 'This is not about punishing the Israeli people'Belgium to recognize
Palestinian state at UN General Assembly, impose sanctions on
Israel-Move to be formalized when hostages freed, Hamas out of power;
far-right ministers, violent settlers, Hamas leaders to be banned;
Brussels will back moves to suspend EU-Israel cooperation-By ToI Staff
and Agencies Today, 11:59 am-SEP 2,25
Belgium will recognize the
State of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly later this
month, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot announced Tuesday, adding
that sanctions will be imposed on the Israeli government.“Palestine will
be recognized by Belgium at the UN session! And firm sanctions are
being imposed against the Israeli government,” Prevot wrote on X.There
was no comment from Israel regarding the announcement.The Belgian
foreign minister said that the move would send a “strong political and
diplomatic signal” to preserve the chances of a two-state solution, and
“mark the condemnation of Israel’s expansionist ambitions, with its
colonization programs and military occupations.”Prevot said that Belgium
noted “the trauma that the Israeli people have suffered from the
terrorist attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023,” and that therefore
“administrative formalization” of the recognition of Palestine will only
be declared by royal decree “when the last hostage has been released
and Hamas no longer exercises any form of governance over Palestine.”The
announcement averted a political crisis in Belgium that had divided the
governing coalition.In July, French President Emmanuel Macron said
France would recognize a Palestinian state at the UN meeting, due to be
held from September 9 to 23 in New York.More than a dozen other Western
countries have since said they would do the same. Israeli ministers have
lambasted the move as a “reward for terror” in the wake of the October 7
onslaught.The United States said last week it will not allow
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to travel to New York for
the UNGA.Prevot said the decision to recognize a Palestinian state came
“in view of the humanitarian tragedy” unfolding in Gaza amid the war,
with pressure needed on both Israel and Hamas.“In the face of the
violence perpetrated by Israel in violation of international law, given
its international obligations, including the duty to prevent any risk of
genocide, Belgium had to take strong decisions to increase pressure on
the Israeli government and Hamas terrorists,” he wrote.“This is not
about punishing the Israeli people, but rather about ensuring that its
government respects international and humanitarian law and taking action
to try to change the situation on the ground,” he added.Prevot said
additionally said that “any antisemitism or glorification of terrorism
by Hamas supporters will also be condemned more vigorously.”Prevot said
that 12 steps would be taken regarding sanctions on Israel and detailed a
number of them: a ban on the import of products originating from
settlements; a review of public procurement policies with Israeli
companies; limitation of consular assistance to Belgians living in
settlements deemed illegal under international law; possible judicial
prosecutions; and bans on overflights and transit.It was unclear how a
ban on overflights and transit would be implemented. According to
Bloomberg, the ban was for the Israeli military.Additionally, Prevot
said “two extremist Israeli ministers, various violent settlers and
Hamas leaders” would be “persona non gratae” in Belgium. While he did
not name the two ministers impacted, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel
Smotrich and National Security Minister have been similarly banned from
other countries.In addition, Belgium will support moves within the EU to
suspend cooperation with Israel, including the suspension of the
association agreement, research programs and technical cooperation.
European Union foreign ministers remained sharply divided during a
meeting in Copenhagen on Saturday over the war in Gaza, with some urging
the bloc to exert significant economic pressure on Israel, while others
firmly opposed such measures.Prevot also wrote that Belgium will join
the “New York Declaration,” which sets out a phased plan to end the
nearly eight-decade conflict and the ongoing war in Gaza. The plan would
culminate in an independent, demilitarized Palestine living side by
side peacefully with Israel, and their eventual integration into the
wider Middle East region.In July, Arab and Muslim countries, including
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey, signed the declaration in
which they also condemned for the first time Hamas’s onslaught of
October 7, 2023, and called on the terror group to release all the
hostages it is holding, disarm and end its rule of Gaza, in a bid to end
the devastating war in the Strip. Seventeen countries, plus the
22-member Arab League and the entire European Union, threw their weight
behind the text, agreed on at a United Nations conference on reviving
the two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians.Israel has been
under mounting pressure to wrap up its campaign in Gaza, where the war
has created a humanitarian crisis and devastated much of the territory.
WSJ:
Officers posting in WhatsApp groups to recruit soldiers-Tens of
thousands of reservists drafted ahead of Gaza City takeover, but turnout
down-Many say they’ll show up but lament strain on families and
collapsing businesses, call on Haredi men to share burden; over 300 sign
letter vowing they won’t take part in ‘illegal war’By ToI Staff, Stav
Levaton and Charlie Summers-Today, 5:26 pm-SEP 2,25
Tens of
thousands of reservists were set to be drafted to the Israel Defense
Forces Tuesday, in what was said to be the largest single call-up since
right after the start of the war almost two years ago, though turnout
was reportedly low, with fewer reservists showing up for duty.According
to Hebrew-language media, the call-up — the first phase of a wider draft
for the planned conquest of Gaza City — faced challenges with fewer
reservists inclined to report for duty after nearly two years of war,
repeat rounds of service, and a sense that the burden is not fairly
shared among the population.Around 60,000 were set to be drafted in a
number of waves for the operation, with some 40,000-50,000 ordered to
show up for duty on Tuesday, one day after the start of the school
year.Many reservists have reportedly requested exemptions, citing
personal or financial reasons, and units are seeing lower turnout than
in previous emergency call-ups. Hundreds have signed a letter vowing not
to report for duty, with one calling the Gaza City operation “patently
illegal.”Senior officers noted that even within regular battalions,
company and platoon sizes have shrunk, while a significant portion of
the reservists reporting were volunteers who were not organically part
of the units.“There are fewer teams that have confirmed their arrival
compared to previous times. The companies and platoons are less full —
we have to wait and see who will arrive,” an unnamed officer told the
Kan public broadcaster.The reservists — who will be away from home
during the upcoming Jewish High Holidays period — were set to undergo
training and preparation in the coming days, with some slated to replace
regular forces stationed in Israel’s north and the West Bank as the IDF
plans to eventually deploy four divisions into Gaza City.The Wall
Street Journal reported that some senior officers have had to think
outside the box in attempts to recruit enough soldiers.“I’m looking for
combat soldiers, mainly medics and snipers, for an operation of 70 days
starting on September 11. If there are reservists who are interested,
please message me privately,” wrote one on a WhatsApp group for
university students.Omer Ben Hemo of the Israeli Reservists — Generation
of Victory organization called on ultra-Orthodox men to enlist in the
army to help ease the burden.Some 80,000 ultra-Orthodox men aged between
18 and 24 are currently believed to be eligible for military service,
but have not enlisted. The IDF has said it urgently needs 12,000
recruits, due to the strain on standing and reserve forces, throughout
the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza and other military
challenges.“With all the problems [Haredi men] could have in the army,
the situation among the people and in the reserves and among the
soldiers is difficult,” Ben Hemo told Channel 12 news.“If you are our
brothers, you need to save us… It doesn’t make sense to do 300 days [of
reserve service] a year. We are not regular troops, but reserve
soldiers. We have family, businesses and studies — it shouldn’t look
like this,” he said.Over 300 announce they will not report-On Tuesday, a
group of more than 300 reservists opposed to the Gaza City conquest
announced in a letter that they would not longer report for duty if
called up to fight. The effort is affiliated with the left-wing anti-war
group Standing Together.“We are over 365, and counting, soldiers who
served during the war and have declared that we will not report for duty
when called again,” Sgt. First Class (res.) Max Kresch said at a Tel
Aviv press conference. “We refuse to take part in Netanyahu’s illegal
war, and we see it as a patriotic duty to refuse and demand
accountability from our leaders.”Kresch, a combat medic, said that the
group of reservists and soldiers consists of the same people who rushed
to the frontline during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack to protect
Israel.“It is precisely from that same sense of duty that we are driven
to refuse,” he declared.An officer in the Armored Corps named only as
Hillel told Channel 12 that while it was not an easy decision to make,
he ultimately decided to report for duty for the sake of the hostages
and those who live near the Gaza border.“When you’re under the
stretcher, even though your shoulder hurts terribly, and you’re
screaming into the air, you know you can’t drop the stretcher, because
there’s an injured comrade on it,” he said.However, he noted that the
strain is also being felt by the families of those who have been called
back for repeated rounds of service.“The price is getting heavier and
heavier and you see it through the children. They are now starting back
in the education system. I will be there on the first day [of the school
year], but later on I won’t be there,” Hillel said.Dalit Kislev Spektor
told the Wall Street Journal that a large number of men in her
husband’s 150-man unit were now unemployed, divorced or facing financial
ruin after months away from home.“I told him, ‘The war is political,
because none of us believes in our leadership. If it was up to me, I
would ask you not to go,’” Spektor told the Journal.Spektor, who leads a
group called Ima Era (Wide-awake Mother), which brings together mothers
of soldiers, also said that her husband had been deeply impacted when
he had to identify the body of a fellow reservist who had died by
suicide.Although the IDF publishes official suicide data only once a
year, reported numbers point to a troubling continuation of last year’s
rise in such deaths. According to the findings of internal military
investigations published in a report last month, most recent suicides
among Israeli soldiers were driven by psychological trauma from the
ongoing war, including prolonged deployments in combat zones, witnessing
harrowing scenes, and the loss of friends.Reservist Avshalom
Zohar-Saar, who also received a call-up, told Channel 12 that it was a
difficult decision to go as he didn’t believe he could trust the
judgment of the country’s decision-makers.“I am angry at those who sent
me. I am angry at the Israeli government for not clearly saying what we
are doing and where,” he said. “Despite everything, I will go to serve,
because I believe in the State of Israel and the importance of
protecting the people of Israel.”The new military campaign in Gaza was
initially estimated to last four to five months, though officials
reportedly say civilian evacuations and the operational buildup are
already taking longer than anticipated.Many commanders remain skeptical
about the feasibility of achieving the operation’s ultimate objectives
of securing the release of the 48 hostages and dismantling the remaining
Hamas strongholds in the area.The plans to conquer Gaza City have drawn
fierce opposition from hostages’ families who fear the planned
operation will risk the lives of their loved ones, as well as an
international outcry, with governments and humanitarian groups warning
of potentially disastrous consequences for Gaza’s civilians. Some one
million Palestinians are thought to be sheltering in Gaza City.IDF Chief
of Staff Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Sunday warned ministers that the plan
to conquer Gaza City would drag Israel into a full-fledged occupation of
the Strip, according to leaked comments carried by Hebrew
outlets.Zamir, who has previously been widely reported to oppose the
Gaza City takeover plan, argued to ministers that the scheme lacked a
coherent exit strategy and would pull Israel deeper into the Strip.He
instead encouraged a hostage deal, telling cabinet members that “there
is a framework on the table, [and] we must take it,” according to
Channel 12, which said that, had Zamir not raised the issue, it would
not have come up in the meeting.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
reportedly refused to hold a vote on a proposed hostage-ceasefire deal,
saying it was “not on the table.”