The President's Daily Brief - October 17th, 2023: Awaiting Israel's Move, Hamas's Hostages, & Gaza's Subterranean Secrets

Episode Date: October 17, 2023

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: As Tel Aviv grapples with intense rocket attacks, we delve into the reasons behind the IDF's hesitation, shedding light on multiple facets from concerns over Hezbollah's movements in the north to the daunting labyrinth beneath Gaza. We then shift our focus to the escalating hostage crisis. The heart-wrenching reality for nearly 200 families: notifications of their kin, now in the clutches of Hamas.   Venturing into the subterranean depths, Mike takes listeners on a journey through the enigmatic 'Gaza metro.' Explore this covert underground network, which plays pivotal roles from transport pathways to fortresses for Hamas's leadership and arsenal.   In the 'Back of the Brief' segment, we turn our gaze to Iran. Tehran's latest ominous declarations hint at a broader regional upheaval if Israel proceeds with its strategies. Join us as we dissect the implications of Iran's statements, balancing the bluster with the tangible threats the Mullahs might unleash.   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

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it's Tuesday, October 17th. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. As Israel's conflict with Hamas moves into its second week, the world continues to wait for the much discussed and anticipated Israeli ground invasion of Gaza. With Tel Aviv under heavy rocket fire and Gaza feeling the pressure, what's behind the IDF's delay? From concerns about Hezbollah in the north to the intricate

tunnel network beneath Gaza, we break down the factors on today's PDB. Then a little later in the program, the latest on the ongoing hostage situation, nearly 200 families have now been notified about loved ones held in Gaza after Hamas's abduction spree. Plus, we'll take you inside the mysterious Gaza Metro, a hidden underground maze, serving as a transportation system, storage for rockets and other weapons, and Hamas command centers. Lastly, into our back of the brief segment, Iran issues a warning, suggesting broader regional repercussions if Israel advances. We'll dive into both the rhetoric and the genuine risks posed by the Iranian regime. And spoiler, the risks are significant. But First, let's look at the latest updates. Starting with the casualties, since the start of Hamas's

assault, 1,400 Israelis have lost their lives. Israel confirms 289 of these were soldiers, with the remainder being civilians. In Gaza, officials report a Palestinian death toll of 2,750. Now, the number of U.S. citizens killed has climbed to 30, and 13 are still missing. Telaviv has faced its most significant rocket barrage since the conflict erupted on October 7th. As Israel amplifies its strikes against Hamas and Gaza, conditions within the 140-square-mile enclave deteriorate. Israel's continuous aerial strikes since the Hamas attack are designed to both take out specific targets and prepare the environment for the impending ground incursion. For days, global anticipation has centered on the airmen.

has centered on the possible Israeli ground invasion of Gaza. The IDF set evacuation deadlines for Palestinians in northern Gaza, signaling a forthcoming invasion. Palestinian residents were advised to move south out of Gaza City with the Israeli government declaring a couple routes as safe passage zones. As has been noted, Hamas instructing civilians not to heed the evacuation orders and took steps to block the routes out of the north. The terrorists, well, they understand that the more civilian innocence that they can keep in the north

around Gaza City, the more likely there will be civilian casualties, and the more difficult the operation will be for Israel. However, despite the deployment and positioning of hundreds of thousands of IDF personnel and extensive movement of military resources, including tanks and APCs during the past week, the incursion has yet to kick off. A few reasons might account for this. Firstly, there's the official explanation. The IDF attributes its pause to cloudy weather, which hinders pilots and drone operators from effectively providing air coverage for ground troops. Secondly, there are growing concerns about Hezbollah's activities to the north. Hezbollah has recently started dismantling surveillance

cameras on Israeli border posts. With the recent uptick in hostilities and deaths, including four Hezbollah fighters, there's speculation that Hezbollah aims to capitalize on the IDF's preoccupation with Gaza, potentially escalating things up north. As a result, the IDF might be reinforcing its northern defenses before advancing into Gaza. The IDF has already deployed significant forces to the north in anticipation of increased trouble from either Lebanon or Syria or both. Third, the IDF, unlike Hamas, is concerned about potential civilian casualties. There's mounting international pressure, notably from the United States, to minimize civilian harm. The IDF also harbors domestic worries about Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

Extending the invasion's delay might offer more evacuation time for Palestinians and enable the IDF to better locate hostages taken by Hamas. Hamas' own reports indicate thousands of Palestinian casualties with many more injured. To contextualize, during the IDF's 2014 Gaza operation, out of 2,000 Palestinians killed, approximately half were Hamas terrorists and half were civilians, despite IDF's efforts to spare non-combatants. Lastly, Israel might simply not be fully prepared. This potential invasion marks the most significant ground effort since the 2006 Lebanon incursion, which some analysts argued didn't go so well. Coordinating such an extensive land, air, and sea urban combat

operation is daunting. No military wants to engage in urban combat, block by block, street by street fighting where the enemy embeds itself within the civilian population. Moreover, Gaza's intricate tunnel network, the Gaza Metro, which we'll discuss in more depth later, poses a formidable challenge to Israeli forces. All right, coming up next, we'll have an update on the hostages being held in the Gaza Strip following Hamas' attacks over this past weekend. Plus, we'll uncover the secrets of the Gaza Metro, a hidden underground war. world, used by Hamas to move personnel, weapons supplies, and now hostages. I'll be right back.

Welcome back to the President's Daily Brief. I wanted to give you an update on one of the aspects of this story that we're watching closely, which is the hostage crisis. On Monday, Israeli officials revealed that the families of 199 individuals have received word their loved ones are currently held in the Gaza Strip. Now, while Hamas is responsible for the majority of these kidnappings, they're not the only players here. Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another group that took part in the attack on Southern Israel, claims that they're holding 30 of the individuals captive. That would add a significant challenge to any efforts to negotiate their return. And as you know, the hostages are a mixed bag of nationalities. Official sources report that 13,000,

Americans in Israel remain unaccounted for. However, the number that are actually held as hostages remains unclear. As for the U.S. administration's efforts to gather concrete information on the American hostages, progress seems to be at a standstill. The Biden administration says they're actively working with Israel to shed light on the situation and, of course, secure the safe return of those abducted. For some perspective, if in fact all 13 Americans still unaccounted for have been taken hostage, that would make this the largest U.S. hostage situation since the Iran hostage crisis. The symmetry there is really not shocking. Iran is, after all, the puppet master for Hamas and for Hezbollah.

Now, with all the concern about the hostages taken by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, there is growing speculation as to where these unfortunate souls are being held. A strong likelihood is the vast underground network commonly referred to as the Gaza Metro. The nickname, well, it implies a transit system, which in a manner of speaking is accurate. We're talking about a web of tunnels, possibly totaling up to 300 miles beneath Gaza that serve multiple purposes for the Hamas militant group and other factions operating in the area. Initially, when discussing tunnels in Gaza, many people think of those connecting the strip to Egypt, which are primarily used for smuggling goods to circumvent strict blockades. The Gaza Metro, however, is a more intricate system and is playing a key role

in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Inside, these tunnels are not expansive. They're not well-lit spaces that you might imagine from urban subway systems. They're often narrow, dimly lit passageways reinforced with concrete walls and ceilings. Now, most of the tunnels can fit one person across. Electrical wiring can sometimes be seen running along the walls, providing minimal lighting through sporadic bulbs. The floors are usually uneven and the air can be damp and stale due to very limited ventilation. Now, some tunnels actually extend into Israel, allowing militants to carry out attacks,

ambush Israeli forces, or even attempt kidnappings. These tunnels were undoubtedly used to some degree during the October 7th attacks. Along these tunnels, there are storage depots full of small arms, ammunition, and rockets, shielding the equipment from the airstrikes, such as those that are currently targeting the Gaza Strip. Moreover, leadership and militants often retreat into these underground spaces, which double as shelters, command centers, and safe corridors, far from the prying eyes of aerial surveillance. Israel has consistently viewed these tunnels as direct threats to its security, and they have dedicated a great deal of resource and technology to their detection and destruction.

For Hamas, on the other hand, the Gaza Metro remains one of their most important assets. It's likely that a key objective of any upcoming ground incursion into Gaza, aside from the elimination of as many Hamas personnel as possible, the rescue of hostages and the destruction of Hamas stockpiles, will be the destruction of the tunnel network. Coming up in today's back of the brief segment, tensions rise as Iran warns of an international. inevitable expansion in the Israeli Hamas conflict. Could this signal a larger showdown on the horizon? I'll be right back. Welcome back. Here at the PDB, we're always keeping a close eye on Iran, the single largest state sponsor of terrorism, including both Hamas and Hezbollah. In today's back of the brief, I want to spotlight a few recent statements from Iranian leaders,

hinting that a broader regional conflict might be brewing. Just this past Saturday, two diplomatic sources relayed that Iran warned Israel of possible intervention if its operation in Gaza persists. The term intervention, well, it remains ambiguous, yet given Iran's ties, this could likely involve proxies, particularly Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, along Israel's northern border. Adding another layer of complexity, another Iranian official asserted on Monday that they view the United States as already deeply involved in the current conflict, implying that Iran could potentially target the U.S. if it sees fit to do so. Meanwhile, back in the U.S., the Pentagon

isn't taking any chances. In a precautionary move, it's dispatched a second aircraft carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean, positioning it near Israel. This strategic placement aims to discourage either Iran or Hezbollah from escalating their involvement. Now, during yesterday's PDB, I mentioned that the Chinese regime's recent comments that Israel had, quote, gone too far in their response was the most ridiculous and ironic statement of this conflict to date. ironic given Xi's years-long crackdown or genocidal treatment of the Muslim U.Gir population in China. However, Iran has managed to snatch victory from the CCP with their pronouncements about possible intervention in complaining that the U.S. is deeply involved in the conflict.

Now, despite the waffling from the Biden White House and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, as they dance around whether Iran is somehow involved in the Hamas-initiated conflict, Iran is responsible for both the atrocities that Hamas committed this past weekend and for the escalating body count on all sides since and going forward. I'll repeat that. Iran is responsible. Iran essentially has built Hamas and Hasbalah through their funding, their training, their technical support, the desire to surround Israel with, terrorist proxies. This is Iran's doing. For them to say that they may now have to intervene

if Israel persists in its efforts to remove Hamas from Gaza is absurd. The Moas have been intervening in the lives of Palestinians through their support and encouragement of Hamas for years, all for the benefit of the Iranian regime's objective, which, as they and Hamas have explicitly stated numerous times is the destruction of Israel. You cannot be any more clear than that, and sometimes you need to take people at their word. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Tuesday, 17 October. If you have any questions or comments, reach out to me at at pdb at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Thank you.