S2 E21. Sundays with Ya’akov: Six Months On. Still at War. 133 Hostages Still in Captivity

It was great to have Ya’akov Katz back for our regular Sunday riff and we had a lot on our plates today. We spoke about how Israel seemed stuck in Gaza, not really doing anything dramatic and finding itself in quicksand. But last week the main action was elsewhere: Damascus, DC, Doha. Israel bombed a residence in Damascus that served as a base for IRGC officials when in town and a top General was killed as well as numerous other high ranking military officials. This was followed by the tragic attack on a World Central Kitchen convoy in which seven humanitarian aid workers were killed. Israel took responsibility for the incident but President Biden was furious. He has felt for some time that Israel is taking too long and that the civilian toll in Gaza is unconscionable. Tensions and tempers were high. And then today, a few hours after Ya’akov and I had finished recording, the news came out that Israel was partially withdrawing from the Gaza Strip. Fair to say that pretty much everyone was surprised. PM Netanyahu, it seems, was forced to relent and bow to American pressure. We get into the various events that led to this dramatic development and discuss where it may all lead. Hopefully, we will see the release of all the hostages very soon. Amen.