The President's Daily Brief - October 11th, 2023: Gaza Ground Offensive, US's Hostage Challenge, & EU's Aid Dilemma

Episode Date: October 11, 2023

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: We delve into day five of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, exploring the unfolding developments on the ground. What will a ground offensive deep into Gaza look like? We take a closer look at the next potential chapter of this ongoing saga. The episode keeps you updated on the alarming hostage crisis. As the situation escalates, the US contemplates a bold move: a possible commando rescue mission for the detained Americans in Gaza. In a surprising twist, the EU seems to be having second thoughts. After announcing a freeze on Palestinian aid, are they now backtracking? And in our Back of the Brief segment, the spotlight shifts to Ukraine. With the world watching Israel and Hamas, Ukraine's battle with Russia takes a familiar, chilling turn. How is the Israel crisis potentially becoming an unexpected aid for Ukraine? We explore the Biden administration's intricate strategy that could benefit both conflict zones. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. Email: [e-mail]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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It's day five of Israel's war with the Palestinian Terror Group, Hamas, we'll dive straight into the unfolding developments on the ground and explore the potential realities of a ground offensive deep into Gaza. That's the anticipated next chapter of this conflict. Next, we continue to monitor the ongoing hostage crisis, as the U.S. refuses to rule out a Special Operations Rescue mission for Americans being held in Gaza. And meanwhile, tensions flare and differences are highlighted within the European Union as the EU appears to reverse its decision made following the Hamas attacks to suspend aid to Palestinians. And lastly, in today's back of the brief, while all eyes are on the Israel-Hamas standoff, Ukraine faces a chilling deja vu. Russia's tactics

threaten a bitter winter for Ukrainians, pushing them into a dire plea for aid. Could the Israel crisis surprisingly become Ukraine's unexpected lifeline, we'll examine the Biden administration's unique strategy to fund both hotspots. But first, the latest news from the ground. The death toll, it just keeps climbing, with a number of dead on both sides now ranging somewhere between 1,800 and perhaps even beyond 2,000. At least 14 Americans are included among those casualties. Israel has not let up on its airstrikes against Hamas targets, while Hamas relentlessly launches rocket barrages from Gaza, constantly testing the resilience of Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system. Meanwhile, we're learning grim new details about the terror blitz that precipitated this conflict.

During their brutal rampage through southern Israel, Hamas militants targeted Kfar Azaa, a kibbutz located around three miles from the Gaza border. and the accounts coming in now are horrific, drawing parallels with the past brutal actions of ISIS. IDF soldiers recount discovering infants, gruesomely beheaded, and entire families murdered in their sleep. To give you an idea of the gravity of this, the bodies of about 40 babies and young children have reportedly been taken out on gurneys. So what's the next chapter? Well, now that the military has regained control of the communities in southern Israel, targeted by Hamas in their offensive, Israel appears to be setting the stage for an imminent ground

operation inside Gaza. Countless airstrikes over the past few days are intended to not only destroy specific targets, but also pave the way for IDF troops. The objective? Well, the objective is to annihilate militants, obliterate their command centers, and eradicate weapons stockpiles. As Israeli government and military officials have repeatedly stated since the weekend, the objective is the destruction of Hamas. In preparation for what's shaping up to be an enormously difficult operation, Israel is calling up massive numbers of reservists. We're talking about 300,000-plus soldiers readying themselves,

marking Israel's largest ever short-notice mobilization. To put some context around the upcoming ground offensive into the heart of Hamas-controlled territory. Let's have a quick geography review of the Gaza Strip. Now, the strip in total is only about 140 square miles. In comparison, the city of London is about 600 square miles. The strip is a sliver of land on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, bordered by Egypt to the south and Israel to the north and the east. It shares a border of approximately 36 miles with Israel. Now, while Gaza is obviously and clearly small, there are some two million people calling it home and making it one of the globe's most densely populated spots.

The point being, any ground operation into Gaza will mean navigating a very packed urban landscape and a landscape controlled by Hamas and its armed elements. It's their home turf. And it has an extensive system of underground tunnels built by Hamas and used to move weapons and fighters, stockpile missiles and other hardware, and now, likely, to hide hostages taken during the weekend's attacks. The recent intelligence failure concerning Hamas's operation suggests that the IDF might not yet still fully grasp Hamas's modus operandi within Gaza. With the focus on militant targets, The tragic truth is, civilians are bound to get caught in the crossfire, and Hamas, over the years, has shown a casual disregard when it comes to putting their own people in harm's way.

Even as the IDF urges Gaza's residents to evacuate their homes for safety, many can't, due to logistical reasons or because Hamas obstructs their escape. Given Hamas's track record of embedding their operations, their personnel and stockpiles within civilian infrastructure, structure. It's a nightmare scenario that's sure to challenge every IDF move. All right, after the break, we'll update you on the escalating hostage situation as the U.S. government considers a direct rescue mission in Gaza. Plus, we'll take a closer look at the EU's response and it's waffling over suspending aid to the Palestinians. I'll be right back. Ryan Reynolds here for MintMobil. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get

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While our attention is understandably centered on the relatively small area where active fighting is taking place, the impact of this conflict is truly global. Over 25 countries from Europe, Asia, and the Americas report their citizens either killed, held captive, or missing after Hamas' attack into Israel. The estimates vary, but reports from the Israeli Ministry of Defense suggest that Palestinian terrorists have taken at least 150 people hostage, most of whom are Israeli citizens. But senior Israeli military officials also believe that many of these individuals could hold dual citizenship or could have been working in Israel at the time of the attack. International outlets are echoing these concerns. The BBC states

that at least two UK citizens have vanished. France's foreign ministry is scrambling to locate 14 of its nationals, and even Thailand is affected, with reports suggesting 11 Thai nationals are now hostages. As a quick aside, you might be surprised to learn that Thailand is emerging as one of the nations most affected by this conflict outside of, of course, Israel itself. An estimated 30,000 ties work in Israel, many at Kabuts farms near the border with Gaza. Reports indicate that 18 Thai nationals have been killed, which further shows that Hamas terrorists were. indiscriminate in who they targeted. Now, closer to home, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in the U.S. admits that, while the exact number remains uncertain, over 20 Americans are unaccounted for.

It's a sobering reminder of the U.S. government's duty to its citizens worldwide. And in line with that responsibility, the U.S. reportedly has not dismissed the idea of a high-stakes special operations rescue mission, especially if American citizens are proven to be among those abducted. Hamas, for their part, claims to have secured the hostages away in safe places and tunnels inside Gaza. They've issued a stark warning, threatening to kill hostages if Israel strikes civilian homes without advance notice. As we've said, this is an international crisis. And one of the first international bodies to act following Saturday's attack was the European Union. The EU's commissioner for neighborhood and enlargement made a bold move,

announcing that the European Commission is revisiting its sizable development aid for Palestinians, totaling some $692 million or roughly $730 million. He was adamant stating that all payments to the Palestinians have been, quote, immediately suspended. His message was perfectly clear, adding that there was, quote, no basis for business as usual. But, apparently, not all member states were united on this. The abrupt decision from the EU commissioner startled several EU members, including Ireland, the Netherlands, and Spain. The Dutch prime minister emphasized that the EU does not finance Hamas to begin with.

Okay, now, that's arguable, considering that money is obviously fungible, and Hamas essentially governs Gaza. He urged the EU to discern between Hamas, the terror organization, and the innocent Palestinians, who he believes are just as much the victims right now. And he's not wrong. They're the victims. They're victimized by Hamas. It seems that the EU is now recalibrating its stance.

A recent statement revealed its launch of an urgent review of the EU's assistance for Palestine to ensure that no EU funds indirectly bolster any terrorist activity of it. against Israel, but it does look like the money will continue to flow. While some of the EU funds designated for the Palestinians inevitably end up bankrolling Hamas's actions against Israel, given that Hamas controls Gaza, the reality is that upwards of 90% of Hamas's budget needs are met by Iran. Switching gears to the United Nations, they've shown reluctance in backing sanctions against Israel's actions in Gaza, the UN's human rights chief, Volker Turk, labeled Israel's total siege of Gaza as, quote, prohibited under international law

and urged Israel to safeguard civilians and their properties during assaults. All right. Coming up in today's back of the brief segment, you wouldn't know it from the lack of media coverage, but there is still a war going on in Ukraine. We'll have an update on that front when we come back. Thanks, yours too. What does Ravs stand for anyway? To me, it's the remarkably advanced vehicle.

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While our eyes are glued to the Israel-Hamas conflict, it's easy to, to forget that the almost two-year war between Russia and Ukraine continues to rage on. Over the past several weeks, a familiar-looking pattern is beginning to emerge to those who have been following the conflict closely. With winter looming, Russia is once again launching broad-scale attacks on Ukraine's energy grid. Russia appears to be dusting off its playbook from last year. The logic they have is essentially if they cripple the infrastructure and plunge Ukraine, into a devastating winter, it could tilt the war's balance. This grim scenario is making Ukraine more desperate than ever for foreign aid as it looks to shore up its infrastructure and also get

its hands on more air defense capabilities. Now, as dark as it might sound, the ongoing Israel crisis could indirectly become a lifeline for Ukraine. As we've already discussed here on the PDB in previous episodes, there's been a growing hesitation, especially from amongst some Republicans, about continued aid to Ukraine. Yet, they're much more receptive to sending aid to Israel in the aftermath of the weekend's attacks. Enter the Biden administration and some influential members of Congress. They're now mulling a strategy tie aid for Israel to new funding for Ukraine in the hopes of pushing through funding for both. This strategy has the backing of the administration and a couple of pro-Ukraine Republican legislatures. Look, now is not the time for the U.S. administration

and Congress to waver in their support for allies, those battling Putin's invasion and those battling terrorism and hate from Hamas, Asbullah, and their sponsor, Iran. Now, President Biden has taken some heat for waiting a few days before getting out front of the American people and the globe to respond to the Hamas attacks. But his comments yesterday were strong and clear in support of America's Democratic ally in the Middle East. The only thing missing from Biden's statement was Iran. One could argue that the president missed an opportunity to clearly explain the culpability of Iran as the overlord of Amos.

As Intel has gathered and assessed over the course of the next days and weeks, there will likely be a growing body of evidence pointing to Iran's direct support and assistance in the plotting and preparation for this weekend's brutal attacks. And at that point, the U.S. and its allies will need to make some very difficult decisions in how to deal with the Iranian regime. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Wednesday, 11 October. If you have any questions or comments, reach out to us at PDB at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.