What''s Going On In Samaria?

 Nadene Goldfoot                                            

The IDF and security establishment are entering this holiday season at high alert in Judea and Samaria, with thousands of Israelis expected to be traveling and hiking in the areas.

     Judea in the south, Samaria above it in the north both in red.  Katushas are rockets.  You can see that now populated Jewish sites are under the guns of rocket fire.  

  Qabatiya is a city in Jenin Governorate, of northern Samaria , Palestine. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics census, the town had a population of 19,197 in 2007 and 24,439 by 2017. Its entire land area is 50,547 dunams, and its elevation is roughly 256 meters.   

          showing Judea and Samaria governates and the Galilee
                  

During Yom Kippur, the IDF said forces acting on Shin Bet intelligence thwarted a significant attack planned by two Hamas-affiliated terrorists in Qabatiya.

Family and friends attend the funeral of Netanel Shukrun, who was killed in a terror shooting attack at a spring near Neve Tzuf in Samaria at the cemetery in his community of Alei Zahav, September 21, 2026. (Hilel Ben Or/Flash90)  Yoav, 16, says his father shouted a warning to him in his last moments during Sunday’s shooting at West Bank spring; widow Meirav says ‘everything was perfect’ for 18 years.

Hours before Yom Kippur, a Hamas affiliated 35 yr. old terrorist opened fire on the vehicle of Netanel Shukrun, a father of six from the community of Ali Zahav, at a nearby spring.  Ali Zahav (also spelled Alei Zahav) is an Israeli community settlement located in the western part of the northern Samaria.  

 Shukrun was killed. His 16 year old son with him was not hurt. An IDF tracker in the area shot the terrorist, who managed to escape to a clinic, where he was then identified and captured. 

 An hour later, a terrorist tried to ram soldiers at a checkpoint. 

An hour after that, an Israeli who took a wrong turn into a village in the Hebron Hills was attacked and wounded.

   todah rabah Al Jazeera for the picture

 Forty minutes later, another attempted ramming targeted Israeli troops.                                    

‘Israeli’ police said the attacker drove his vehicle toward a car carrying a police officer and a soldier near the settlement of Beit Horon, west of Ramallah. Ramallah is located in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate of Palestine in the central West Bank. The city also serves as the administrative seat and capital of this governorate, or northern Samaria.  

Ten minutes after that, a vehicle with no license plates tried to run down two Israelis. 

All of these attacks occurred in Judea and Samaria. This may have only amounted to one Israeli being killed by a terrorist, but one can see that any Israeli walking in Judea or Samaria is being targeted and wounded by the favorite method;  ramming and running down Jews with their cars.               

                       Abductions into Gaza

Defense Minister Israel Katz warned today that any new abduction of an Israeli soldier or civilian would trigger the evacuation of Gaza City, which is in Gaza,  saying the threat was issued in light of what he described as “various intentions and intelligence.”

During the October 7, 2023, attacks, Hamas and allied groups abducted approximately 251 people from Israel and took them into the Gaza Strip.  Demographics: The hostages ranged in age from infants, such as 9-month-old Kfir Bibas, to the elderly.

    Number Taken: About 251 individuals—including Israeli civilians, soldiers, and foreign nationals from countries like Thailand, Argentina, Germany, and the United States—were captured.  Over the course of the conflict and subsequent ceasefire agreements, more than 160 living hostages were returned or rescued, and various remains of deceased captives were recovered or returned. Prior to the October 7 outbreak, Hamas was already holding four Israeli citizens (two living civilians who entered Gaza in 2014 and 2015, and the bodies of two slain IDF soldiers, Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul).

 Katz did not elaborate on the intelligence behind the warning, but again said the IDF would not withdraw from the Yellow Line in Gaza “as long as Hamas is not removed and Gaza is not demilitarized of weapons and tunnels.”  I personally think this is common sense.  

Samaria was a an unusual state in the Empire of Israel. 

King Omri of Israel : Founded the city around 880/879-876 BCE after purchasing the hilltop from a man named Shemer for two talents of silver.

Strategic Hill: Built on virgin bedrock on an oblong hill northwest of Shechem, offering strong military defense and control over regional trade routes.

Name Origin: Named Shomron (Samaria) after the hill's original owner, Shemer.

 

Our Ten Days of Reflection and Improvement Before Yom Kippur With The IDF

 Nadene Goldfoot                                          

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, took place in the States for 2 days, on our special Shabbat of Friday, 9/11 at sundown and ended on 9/12 Saturday evening.  We say to each other, ShaNA  ToVA, (year good) or Have a good year.  

 According to Jewish tradition, the world, as well as every individual, is judged. It is meant to be a time of repentance and reflection, and of recognizing that God is the ultimate sovereign of the world. May this Rosh Hashanah result in a judgement of peace and prosperity for each of us and for the entire world.                              

This is a 10 day period of reflection and improvement on ourselves so that the next year will be an improvement. It ends with the holiday of Yom Kippur, a day of repentance for any sins.                                     

Being we are in the midst of war in the Middle East with Hamas terrorists, our sons and daughters continue defending and protecting.                           

Col. Jonathan Steinberg, the commander of the Nahal 

Brigade who was killed on October 7, 2023, in an undated 

photo (Israel Defense Forces)

Col. Jonathan “Yoni” Aaron Steinberg, 42, the commander of the Nahal Brigade, from Kibbutz Shomria, was killed on October 7 while battling Hamas terrorists near Kerem Shalom.

The IDF announced that it had eliminated a Hamas Nukhba terrorist who infiltrated Israel during the October 7 massacre and took part in the killing of Nahal Brigade commander Col. Yonatan Steinberg.

PM Netanyahu and DM Katz said in a joint statement that the IDF had completed the destruction of Hezbollah’s underground infrastructure on the Ali Taher Ridge in  (Lebanon) -- "The terror infrastructure and the command center on the ridge were designed to serve as the staging base for the conquest of the Galilee, and had observation and fire dominance over Metula and Kiryat Shmona. Their destruction completes the achievement of operational control over the Ali Taher ridge – above and below ground." 

The siege of Ali al-Taher was an Israeli military operation to encircle, besiege and ultimately seize and destroy a major underground Hezbollah complex beneath the Ali al-Taher ridge near Nabatieh in southern Lebanon, part of the wider 2026 Lebanon war.                       

 Israeli forces surrounded the ridge in a rapid advance around ten weeks before the operation concluded, trapping an estimated several dozen Hezbollah fighters and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) "advisers" inside a network of tunnels the group had spent about two decades constructing beneath the hills.

 On 3 September 2026, Israel declared "operational control" of the complex after weeks of fighting, a development Hezbollah neither confirmed nor denied

Iran has repeatedly threatened to strike Israel if Israel destroys the complex. The IDF is prepared both defensively and offensively and continues to closely monitor the Houthi arena, particularly in light of the latest developments. 

Resource:

israelAM

https://www.timesofisrael.com/col-jonathan-steinberg-42-let-us-carry-on-his-legacy/

Shin Bet And October 7th in Israel

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                    

According to the latest Central Bureau of Statistics figures ahead of Rosh Hashanah, Israel's population is at an estimated 10.305 million, with 7.828 million Jews and 2.173 million are Arabs. 

Breakdown of the Population

Male Population: ~49.8% of the total population.
Female Population: ~50.17% to 50.2% of the total population.
Sex Ratio: About 99.2 males for every 100 females.
Approximately 120,000 citizens turn 18 in Israel each year and reach the age to register for the Israel Defense Forces, (IDF) split roughly evenly between males and females.
Obligation: Compulsory service applies to Jewish men and women, as well as Druze and Circassian men. 
Exemptions: Non-Druze Arab citizens, certain religious women, married individuals, and those medically or mentally unfit are exempt.
Annual Intake: Recent draft data shows that active annual conscript intakes skew toward men (around 58% to 62%) versus women (38% to 42%). 
Active Service Age: The active draft age is typically 18, though new recruits can range from 17 up to their late 20s or early 30s depending on specialized programs or immigration status. 



In this day and age, the IDF is constantly on the front lines of a war. The IDF and Shin Bet report that they had destroyed three weapons depots and a rocket launch pit in Gaza, belonging to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, that had been used to fire rockets at Israel during the war.
 A statement said, “The terrorist organizations stored dozens of different kinds of weapons inside the storage facilities, including rockets, Kalachnikov rifles, and additional combat equipment. 
Furthermore, the IDF identified that recently, Hamas terrorists have been arriving at the storage facilities and using the weapons stored inside them to establish control in the Gaza Strip and carry out operations."s

Ronen Bar, Shin Bet Chief, now clashing in court showroom
We know what the IDF is, and that we have been fighting in a defensive position, but Shin Bet?  What is that?  The Shin Bet (also known as the Israel Security Agency or Shabak) is Israel's internal security and counterintelligence service. 
Core Responsibilities of Shin Bet
Counterterrorism: Detecting and preventing terrorist networks, plots, and attacks within Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.(and of course the big questions is what happened to allow Oct 7th to happen?  Our guard was down.)According to AI, The [Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar knew an invasion was likely by 4:30 AM on October 7, 2023, but did not immediately wake Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or sound a wide alarm. 
Intelligence and Early Morning Failures
Late Warnings: The Shin Bet only updated the prime minister's military secretary minutes before the assault began. 
Ignored Plans: Internal agency investigations later admitted that the Shin Bet dismissed prior blueprints of Hamas attacks (such as "The Walls of Jericho" plan) and falsely assumed Hamas did not want an all-out war. 
Missed Signals: The agency suffered from gaps in human intelligence and failed to piece together tactical indicators happening hours and days before the invasion. (That's not like them).  
Counterintelligence: Protecting state secrets, uncovering foreign espionage, and preventing subversion.
Protective Security: Securing high-ranking government officials (including the prime minister), national infrastructure, embassies, and the national airline, El Al. 
Organization and Structure
Leadership: The head of the Shin Bet reports directly to the Prime Minister of Israel.
Community: It is one of the three main branches of the Israeli intelligence community, alongside Mossad (foreign intelligence) and Aman (military intelligence).
Motto: "Magen veLo Yera'e" ("Defender that shall not be seen" or "The unseen shield").