Israel Briefs: January 9, 2025

Israeli deputy FM in Ghana as ties grow stronger

(JNS) — Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel met on Wednesday with Ghana’s newly elected President John Mahama after attending his inauguration a day earlier, underscoring the growing partnership between the Jewish state and the West African nation.

The visit comes amid a diplomatic tug-of-war in Africa between supporters and opponents of Israel, with South Africa emerging as one of the fiercest critics of the Jewish state worldwide, having taken Israel to the U.N.’s International Court of Justice on charges of genocide.

“This visit, my first as deputy foreign minister, reflects the high value Israel places on its relationship with Ghana and the African continent,” Haskel said.

She expressed gratitude for Ghana’s support for Israel during a challenging time, when Jerusalem faces international opprobrium over the 15-month-old war against Hamas in Gaza. She discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties with Israeli know-how in agriculture, technology and food security.

Israeli Arab nabbed for allegedly planning bombings

(JNS) — A resident of the Israeli Arab village of Kabul in the Western Galilee has been arrested on suspicion of planning large-scale terrorist attacks, the Israel Police revealed on Thursday.

Mahmoud Hussein Muhammad Bushkar, 37, was detained during a raid by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), the Central Unit of the Israel Police and the Border Police’s undercover unit, the agencies stated.

According to the statement, the suspect researched how to build bombs and bought equipment and materials with which he conducted tests, including for the production of TATP high explosives and a pipe bomb. A firearm and ammunition were also discovered during the arrest raid.

Bushkar had also planned to prepare explosive belts for the purpose of carrying out suicide bombings, it added.

He allegedly tried to recruit two more people to assist him in carrying out the attacks, but without success.

El Al subsidiary launching direct flights to Albania

(JNS) — Sun d’Or will begin flying to Albania this spring, the El Al subsidiary announced on Wednesday.

The Israeli carrier will offer three weekly flights to the southeastern European country starting on March 31.

The majority-Muslim Balkan state is ranked among the safest for Israelis to visit.

“This is wonderful news for strengthening the ties between Israel and Albania!” The European country’s Prime Minister Edi Rama wrote on social media. “The historical bond between the two nations, including Albania’s historic role in sheltering Jews during World War II, is a foundation for a deeper connection.”

Sun d’Or is offering introductory rates starting at $279 round trip for the two-and-a-half-hour flight. Israeli low-cost carrier Arkia will resume its own flights to Albania in July.

Hamas claims responsibility for deadly Samaria shooting

(JNS) — The Hamas terrorist organization claimed responsibility on Wednesday evening for the shooting on Monday that killed two Israeli women and a police officer, according to Israel’s Kan News.

The Samaria “operation” in which the three Israelis were killed was carried out jointly with Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a “military” arm of Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction, according to a Hamas statement.

According to the Palestinian terror group, the attack in al-Funduq in western Samaria was masterminded by Ja’far Dababaseh, whom it said was a former Israeli security detainee.

Dababaseh, who was wanted by Israel due to his continued involvement in terrorism, was reportedly killed during armed clashes with security forces in the village of Taluza near Nablus on Tuesday morning.

According to Arab reports, Israeli soldiers searched Dababaseh’s home in the nearby village of al-Badhan in an overnight raid.

Three soldiers killed in Gaza, bringing IDF wartime toll to 831

(JNS) — Three Israeli soldiers were killed fighting the Hamas terror group in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces said on Wednesday night.

The slain troops were identified by the IDF as 1st Sgt. Matityahu Ya’akov Perel, 22, from Beit El, 1st Sgt. Kenew Kasa, 22, from Beit Shemesh, and 1st Sgt. Nevo Fisher, 20, from Brukhin.

The three soldiers served in the 46th Armored Battalion of the 401st “Iron Tracks” Brigade, according to the IDF announcement.

IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that in the same incident, an officer in the 46th Armored Battalion of the 401st “Iron Tracks” Brigade sustained serious wounds. The wounded officer was taken to a hospital for medical treatment.

The official death toll among Israeli troops since the start of the ground incursion in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 27, 2023, now stands at 399, and at 831 on all fronts since the Hamas-led terror attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.