S3 E20. Hamas, Hostages, Houthis, and Hellfire in Gaza

I’m delighted to be back in action with my regular guest on the podcast, Ya’akov Katz. He is a State of Tel Aviv favorite because he brings such deep knowledge and passion to his analysis. There is no sugar coating or equivocating with Ya’akov – but he is always grounded and well-reasoned. And today that is a tall order. We discuss Israel’s threats to renew the war on Gaza with a major ground offensive, likely after President Trump’s visit to the region in mid-May. In the meantime, tens of thousands of Israelis are receiving call-up notices for reserve duty. But 18 months after October 7, this nation is weary and many are no longer accepting the government’s direction without serious challenge. The domestic discontent is deeply concerning. Of course, any discussion of war in Gaza invokes and involves the fate of the hostages; of 59 still in that hellhole, it is believed that 24 are alive. Barely. (As I write this note I just learned that President Trump commented earlier today that three of the 24 hostages have been executed. Israel has been silent on this point.) They cling to life in the most barbaric conditions. And the government is very unclear - almost ambivalent - about where it stands on the matter of hostages. Unbelievable, I know. We finish up with the Houthis and America’s very sudden announcement last night that they would cease attacking the terrorists who have made a mess of commercial shipping lanes in the mid-east. The fact that the Houthis have sworn to continue attacking Israel seems not to have been a huge issue for the U.S. All of which shocked Israeli leadership and broke just after Ya’akov and I finished recording last night. It’s wonderful to have him back and I expect you will find his thoughts as insightful as I did.