Latest news with #GolaniBrigade
Fox News
13 hours ago
- Fox News
Former Hamas hostage Edan Alexander returns to a hero's welcome in New Jersey
Nearly 600 days after he was abducted by Hamas during the October 7 massacre, Edan Alexander returned home to New Jersey on Thursday to a deeply emotional homecoming. Hundreds of residents lined the rain-soaked streets of his hometown of Tenafly, waving American and Israeli flags and holding handmade signs, eager to welcome him back. Alexander, 21, was seen smiling and waving from the passenger seat of a black SUV as it slowly rolled through the 50,000-resident town, flanked by a police motorcade and cheering supporters. "Our community has been praying for him—585 days," said Rabbi Mordechai Shain, the family's longtime rabbi. There was a march every week for him to come home. It was like we lived it." Raised in Tenafly, New Jersey, Alexander moved to Israel at 18 to volunteer for military service in the IDF's Golani Brigade. He lived with his grandparents in Tel Aviv and at Kibbutz Hazor, where he was part of a group of lone soldiers. Alexander was serving in the Israel Defense Forces when he was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists during its deadly assault on southern Israel when he was 19 years old. In May, he was released after more than 19 months in captivity, in what was described as a goodwill gesture following quiet negotiations between U.S. officials and Hamas. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Special Hostage Envoy Adam Boehler, played a key role in securing his release. Rabbi Shain, who has known Alexander since he was two years old, said Edan was known for his quiet kindness. "Even when he was a little boy, he was the one who helped without anyone knowing," the rabbi recalled, noting that Edan had taken a friend's shift on October 7, so the other soldier could go home—an act that led to his capture. "As a person and a family, he just wants to go back to life and move on," said the rabbi. "This is a process. It's going to take time to heal because we don't even know how much torture he went through. He hasn't told us." During his time in captivity, Tenafly's Jewish community held weekly prayers, marches, and even celebrated Edan's birthday in his absence. "Over 800 people came to his Hanukkah birthday celebration," said the Rabbi. "We wanted him to know we hadn't forgotten." Alexander is expected to remain in New Jersey for now as he focuses on his recovery. He reportedly weighed just 121 pounds upon his release and suffered hand injuries.
Saba Yemen
3 days ago
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Israeli army announces death of a soldier, injury of 4 others in southern Gaza.
Gaza - Saba: The Israeli army announced on Tuesday the death of one of its soldiers and the serious injury of an officer and three other soldiers during a battle with Palestinian resistance forces in the southern Gaza Strip. Channel 12 reported that the military censorship allowed the publication of the death of Sergeant Niv Leshem, a 20-year-old soldier from the Golani Brigade from the settlement of Nokdim in the southern Gaza Strip. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
Jordan News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Jordan News
Israeli Soldier Killed, Four Seriously Injured in Southern Gaza - Jordan News
Israeli Soldier Killed, Four Seriously Injured in Southern Gaza The Hebrew-language news site Ynet reported Tuesday that an Israeli soldier from the Golani Brigade was killed and four others were seriously injured in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. اضافة اعلان According to the report, a sergeant from the 12th Battalion of the Golani Brigade was killed, while an officer and three other soldiers sustained serious injuries during a battle in southern Gaza, caused by an explosive device planted on an armored personnel carrier they were operating. The site also confirmed that in the same incident, three additional soldiers were moderately wounded, and another three sustained minor injuries. This brings the number of Israeli military fatalities—whose names have been cleared for publication—since October 7, 2023, to 869. On Monday evening, the Israeli army announced the death of a deputy company commander in the Engineering Battalion during battles in southern Gaza. He was killed during a military operation that involved fierce fighting and the detonation of a booby-trapped building near the city of Rafah. — (Petra)
Roya News
4 days ago
- Roya News
'Israeli' officer killed, soldiers injured in Khan Younis blast
'Israeli' military announced Monday evening the death of a captain and the injury of several soldiers following an explosion inside a building during ongoing fighting in the city of Khan Younis, southern Gaza. According to the statement, the deceased was the deputy company commander of the 7086th Engineering Battalion within the Golani Brigade. The explosion occurred during a military operation in built-up areas of the southern Gaza Strip, resulting in casualties among the 'Israeli' forces.
Middle East Eye
04-06-2025
- Business
- Middle East Eye
How Morocco's high-stakes gamble on Israel could be its downfall
The arrival of Israeli Golani Brigade forces in Morocco for the African Lion 2025 military drills has triggered political shockwaves across North Africa. It is not simply the military presence of a foreign power, but rather the symbolic weight of hosting a unit accused of war crimes in Gaza that has crystallised widespread anger among Moroccan citizens. Since the Abraham Accords, Morocco has increasingly aligned with Israeli and US interests in the military, intelligence and surveillance domains. This normalisation has been framed by the regime as a strategic imperative to counterbalance Algeria and bolster its position in the Western Sahara. Israeli military expertise - especially in drone warfare and desert surveillance - is seen as key to gaining an operational edge over the Polisario Front. But this pursuit of strategic depth comes at the cost of a widening legitimacy gap. Morocco's monarchy traditionally draws its legitimacy from religious symbolism, historical continuity, and the perception of national unity. By openly embracing Israeli forces - particularly units like Golani - the regime risks alienating wide swaths of the population and undermining its own national narrative. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The paradox lies in the regime's calculation: by asserting sovereignty and strategic relevance externally, it is eroding the foundations of consensus and cohesion internally. Why does the regime persist in this strategy, despite visible discontent? Rabat's logic appears to rest on several intertwined factors, including geostrategic utility, particularly with regards to the military and technological benefits it can gain from partnering with Israel; western endorsement, including a pathway to preferential access to US and European military and security frameworks; and controlled pluralism, or the belief that dissent can be managed without fundamental policy changes. Normalisation is also viewed as another way to undermine the influence of Algiers. Moral outrage This strategy, however, looks like a high-stakes gamble. The government is trading symbolic legitimacy for strategic gains, at the risk of political implosion. The monarchy appears to believe that the political system can absorb the current tensions without fundamental destabilisation, and that over time, normalisation will become an accepted - if not popular - aspect of Moroccan foreign policy. The Gaza war has not distanced Morocco from Israel, quite the opposite Read More » But this approach has inherent vulnerabilities. If protests escalate beyond the regime's capacity to manage them, or if the promised strategic benefits fail to materialise visibly, Rabat could face a scenario where it has sacrificed popular legitimacy without securing compensatory advantages. The sustainability of this strategy ultimately depends on whether the regime can deliver tangible national gains that justify the controversial alliance in the eyes of ordinary Moroccans. The eruption of protests in cities such as Rabat, Casablanca, Fez and Tangier - despite tight restrictions on political expression - shows that Moroccan civil society retains significant mobilising power. The Moroccan Front for the Support of Palestine and Against Normalisation, a coalition of political parties and activist groups, has emerged as a key actor articulating public outrage and framing normalisation as betrayal. Yet the scope for meaningful impact remains constrained by several structural factors. Coverage of protests is limited in official Moroccan media, reducing national visibility and coordination. In addition, protest leaders often face arrest or surveillance, while other movements are fragmented or absorbed into the regime's orbit. Thirdly, there is a lack of political alternatives. With opposition parties marginalised or delegitimised, no cohesive political force has emerged to effectively challenge the monarchy's foreign policy direction. Despite these limitations, the ongoing mobilisation may plant the seeds for longer-term transformations. The moral outrage sparked by Israel's war on Gaza - and magnified by the visible presence of Israeli troops in Morocco - has created a transnational consciousness that connects local struggles with broader global injustices. Potential trajectories The Moroccan monarchy's embrace of military cooperation with Israel thus stems from a complex calculus that prioritises territorial sovereignty, regional competition with Algeria, and integration into western security frameworks. The regime appears willing to absorb significant domestic dissent to advance these strategic objectives, determining that the concrete benefits of normalisation outweigh the costs to its symbolic authority. The sustainability of this approach remains questionable. The unprecedented nature of current protests suggests that the Palestinian cause transcends Morocco's managed pluralism, touching core aspects of national identity that cut across ideological divides. The Moroccan regime's deepening alliance with Israel is not just a foreign policy shift; it is a rupture in the symbolic contract that binds state and society The regime's traditional tools for managing dissent - limited concessions, targeted repression and narrative control - face increasing challenges in an environment where a concrete Israeli military presence provides a visible rallying point for opposition. Going forward, several potential trajectories emerge. The regime may successfully contain dissent and gradually normalise security cooperation with Israel as a fait accompli, effectively relegating opposition to marginalised political spaces. Alternatively, sustained pressure could force a recalibration towards less visible forms of cooperation, maintaining strategic benefits while reducing symbolic provocations. In a more volatile scenario, the legitimacy crisis could deepen if regional conflicts escalate and Moroccan forces become even indirectly associated with Israeli military actions. Morocco's strategic gamble has fundamentally altered both its regional positioning and internal political dynamics. By prioritising militarised realpolitik over the emotional and ideological resonance of the Palestinian cause within Moroccan identity, the monarchy has initiated a transformation whose full implications may not become apparent for years to come - and it could have significant consequences for stability and governance throughout North Africa. The Moroccan regime's deepening alliance with Israel is not just a foreign policy shift; it is a rupture in the symbolic contract that binds state and society. Whether the monarchy can sustain this posture without provoking deeper domestic instability remains an open question. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
