ToI’s weekly deep dive: What lies under UNRWA * Challenge of Rafah * Pregnant war widows * Why sleep is a nightmare * Podcast: Haviv Rettig Gur on visions of victory

[Times of Israel]( [Weekly Deep Dive]( Sunday, February 11, 2024 ToI in Gaza City [Directly beneath UNRWA’s Gaza headquarters, IDF uncovers top secret Hamas data center]( By Emanuel Fabian Subterranean facility for terror group’s intelligence needs, beneath UN complex in upscale Rimal neighborhood, discovered after interrogations of Palestinian prisoners [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing Feb. 11: Day 128 – Who knew? Deep under UNRWA’s Gaza HQ, a Hamas data hub]( By ToI Staff Op-ed David Horovitz [With IDF hamstrung and Hamas scenting a way out, Netanyahu dodges strategic decisions]( PM’s talk of ‘absolute victory’ is meaningless without him taking the political steps and providing the army with the ‘endgame’ vision to attain it ToI Original Video [Rally against UNRWA in Jerusalem]( Protesters converge outside the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) building in Jerusalem to demand the expulsion of the organization from Israel [ToI Original Video / The voices screaming ‘Now!’]( Analysis Lazar Berman [Key to toppling Hamas, Rafah now a far bigger challenge for Israel than it needed to be]( Lack of operational plans to take over Gaza Strip meant the ground invasion was delayed, while civilians moved into the strategic border area and international opposition grew [Analysis / While US won’t say it wants ceasefire, it seeks humanitarian pause it can turn permanent]( By Jacob Magid [Exclusive / Footage shows medication packages in Gaza tunnel where hostages were held]( By Renee Ghert-Zand ToI podcast [What Matters Now to Haviv Rettig Gur: Clashing visions of victory]( By Amanda Borschel-Dan What does winning the Israel-Hamas war look like, not only for those fighting in Gaza, but also for the Palestinian Authority, the United States and Arab states in the region? West Bank [For Israeli extremists sanctioned by US, many allegations of violence, little time served]( By Jeremy Sharon All four radicals targeted by White House are accused of attacks on Palestinians, including leading the Huwara riot, harassing villagers, beating activists and throwing rocks Explainer Sam Sokol [Inside the government-funded group arranging IDF exemptions for yeshiva students]( Israel’s wartime budget includes millions of shekels for the Vaad HaYeshivot, despite a manpower shortage forcing the army to extend reservists’ mandatory service period [Pre-army academies roiled by IDF early draft notices, bemoan ‘lack of transparency’]( By Gavriel Fiske [Amid Gaza war, IDF plans to lengthen mandatory and reserve service]( By Emanuel Fabian Interview [After the October 7 cataclysm, has the Haredi attitude to serving in the IDF changed?]( By Sue Surkes Top Ops Dan Illouz [A Saudi condition for peace that Israel can’t live with]( Agreeing to the establishment of a Palestinian state would be a setback that rewards decades of terrorism and violence Yedidya Naveh [A painful answer to the wrenching question of hostages]( A deal that leaves Hamas able to take more hostages is not acceptable, but there is one scenario Israel could agree to Samantha Kahn [To Taylor Swift on supporting Israel]( As a Swiftie, I know you have the ability to go visit, to learn, to see for yourself. Please don’t close your eyes to the truth Alon Goshen-Gottstein [Sex, rabbis and the downfall of Judaism]( As Jewish leaders pick and choose practices that align with their social norms, venerable traditionalists are shunted aside. To wit: Rabbi Art Green Economy [After Moody’s downgrade, government urged to rethink wartime budget priorities]( By Sharon Wrobel Business leaders say coalition must go back to drawing board on revised 2024 spending plan, cutting away discretionary funds and ministry chaff to lower deficit, restore confidence Diaspora [In NY, Jewish Columbia student alleges harassment by violent anti-Israel protesters]( By Cathryn J. Prince Noah Lederman says a toxic atmosphere on campus led to his being pinned against a wall as he fled a demonstration co-organized and endorsed by student organizations [Bound and ‘bloodied’ girl shocks Brazilians into comprehending Hamas horrors]( By Gabriel Toueg [Those We Have Lost]( [Those We Have Lost]( [Stories of civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel]( [Read Here]( Family Day [Pregnant war widows carry new life while processing death of their fallen husbands]( By Renee Ghert-Zand IDF Widows and Orphans organization launches multifaceted program supporting dozens of women who face giving birth without their partners Returnees [4 miles from war: In biggest homecoming yet, hundreds of evacuees return to Shokeda]( By Canaan Lidor As 80% of southern moshav’s 132 families come home, mayor says it’s ‘immensely joyous’ to return but ‘we know this fateful war isn’t over’ [Released IDF reservists head back to school, but not everything is a matter of course]( By Gavriel Fiske [Displaced women, children endure sexual violence inside evacuee hotels]( By Shira Silkoff [Bedouin filmmaker mourns soldier brother killed in Gaza combat as movie premieres]( By Jessica Steinberg Visiting artists [In Israel, Iranian artist unveils Oct. 7-themed mural honoring Persian-Jewish ties]( By Gianluca Pacchiani Hooman Khalili is halfway through his mission of painting 18 public spaces to raise awareness of Iranian women’s oppression; new work highlights slain IDF soldier Shirel Haim Pour [In Tel Aviv, a maestro revels in the ‘holy work’ of preserving Yiddish culture]( By Gavriel Fiske Health [Trying to get a good night’s sleep has been a nightmare for many Israelis since Oct. 7]( By Renee Ghert-Zand Environment [Winter showers boost wheat crop, but water worries continue to stalk farmers]( By Sue Surkes Downpours over last two weeks are welcomed in Israel’s northern Negev breadbasket, but drops will need to keep falling for next two months to avoid poor harvest, say cultivators [Report finds Mediterranean getting hotter, more acidic, and sea levels are rising]( By Sue Surkes [Israel sees 14 straight days of rainfall for first time in over 30 years]( By Sue Surkes and ToI Staff [Chess tournament makes mates of Arabs, Jews and Druze amid Gaza war]( By Diana Bletter In late January, the Israeli Open Championship in Acre brought all of Israel’s diverse sectors together to battle it out on the board, fostering community through love of the game [Those We Are Missing]( [The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown]( [Read Here]( Interview [Meet the Christian entrepreneur becoming a voice for war-hit Israeli farmers]( By Sharon Wrobel Kari Warberg Block is raising funds to replace destroyed agricultural equipment after volunteering in kibbutzim and collecting footage to share stories of farmers and innovations [Israel Travels / These Taglit-Birthright alumni rushed to Israel to volunteer after Oct. 7 atrocities]( By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am Archaeology [Galilee hiker stumbles upon 2,800-year-old Assyrian scarab seal]( By Gavriel Fiske Antiquities Authority says recent winter rains helped expose buried antiquities, urges public to be aware and to turn over finds From the Blogs [The end of conversation]( By Loolwa Khazzoom I don’t need someone to be like me to want to connect with them. In fact, I love difference, even on the Arab-Israeli conflict [Weekly Deep Dive]( [facebook]( [twitter]( [instagram]( [View in browser]( [Contact support](mailto:support@timesofisrael.com) [Advertise with us](mailto:advertise@timesofisrael.com) Were you forwarded this email? [Subscribe here]( [Unsubscribe]( from this List © 2024 The Times Of Israel, All Rights Reserved