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JAILED US CONTRACTOR WAS TRYING TO SET UP SATELLITE LINK FOR CUBA’S JEWS


REVIEW REVEALS ALAN GROSS WANTED TO ESTABLISH UNCENSORED INTERNET SERVICE FOR
JEWISH COMMUNITY

By Desmond Butler 13 February 2012, 8:07 am
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USAID worker Alan Gross arriving at a Havana courthouse for his trial in March
2011. (photo credit: AP Photo/Franklin Reyes, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Piece by piece, in backpacks and carry-on bags, American aid
contractor Alan Gross made sure laptops, smartphones, hard drives and networking
equipment were secreted into Cuba. The most sensitive item, according to
official trip reports, was the last one: a specialized mobile phone chip that
experts say is often used by the Pentagon and the CIA to make satellite signals
virtually impossible to track.

The purpose, according to an Associated Press review of Gross’ reports, was to
set up uncensored satellite Internet service for Cuba’s small Jewish community.

The operation was funded as democracy promotion for the U.S. Agency for
International Development, established in 1961 to provide economic, development
and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of U.S. foreign policy
goals. Gross, however, identified himself as a member of a Jewish humanitarian
group, not a representative of the U.S. government.




Cuban President Raul Castro called him a spy, and Gross was sentenced last March
to 15 years in prison for seeking to “undermine the integrity and independence”
of Cuba. U.S. officials say he did nothing wrong and was just carrying out the
normal mission of USAID.

Gross said at his trial in Cuba that he was a “trusting fool” who was duped. But
his trip reports indicate that he knew his activities were illegal in Cuba and
that he worried about the danger, including possible expulsion.

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One report says a community leader “made it abundantly clear that we are all
‘playing with fire.'”

Another time Gross said: “This is very risky business in no uncertain terms.”

And finally: “Detection of satellite signals will be catastrophic.”

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The case has heightened frictions in the decades-long political struggle between
the United States and its communist neighbor to the south, and raises questions
about how far democracy-building programs have gone — and whether
cloak-and-dagger work is better left to intelligence operatives.

Gross’ company, JBDC Inc., which specializes in setting up Internet access in
remote locations like Iraq and Afghanistan, had been hired by Development
Alternatives Inc., or DAI, of Bethesda, Maryland, which had a
multimillion-dollar contract with USAID to break Cuba’s information blockade by
“technological outreach through phone banks, satellite Internet and cell
phones.”

Judy Gross and Peter J. Kahn, respectively wife of and lawyer for U.S.
government contractor Alan Gross, arrive at the courthouse in Havana in March.
(photo credit: AP/Javier Galeano)

USAID officials reviewed Gross’ trip reports and received regular briefings on
his progress, according to DAI spokesman Steven O’Connor. The reports were made
available to the AP by a person familiar with the case who insisted on anonymity
because of the documents’ sensitivity.

The reports cover four visits over a five-month period in 2009. Another report,
written by a representative of Gross’ company, covered his fifth and final trip,
the one that ended with his arrest on Dec. 3, 2009.

Together, the reports detail the lengths to which Gross went to escape Cuban
authorities’ detection.

To avoid airport scrutiny, Gross enlisted the help of other American Jews to
bring in electronic equipment a piece at a time. He instructed his helpers to
pack items, some of them banned in Cuba, in carry-on luggage, not checked bags.

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He once drove seven hours after clearing security and customs rather than risk
airport searches.

On his final trip, he brought in a “discreet” SIM card — or subscriber identity
module card — intended to keep satellite phone transmissions from being
pinpointed within 250 miles (400 kilometers), if they were detected at all.

The type of SIM card used by Gross is not available on the open market and is
distributed only to governments, according to an official at a satellite
telephone company familiar with the technology and a former U.S. intelligence
official who has used such a chip. The officials, who spoke on condition of
anonymity because of the sensitivity of the technology, said the chips are
provided most frequently to the Defense Department and the CIA, but also can be
obtained by the State Department, which oversees USAID.

Asked how Gross obtained the card, USAID spokesman Drew Bailey said only that
the agency played no role in helping Gross acquire equipment. “We are a
development agency, not an intelligence agency,” he said.

Cuba’s communist government considers all USAID democracy promotion activities
to be illegal and a national security threat. USAID denies that any of its work
is covert.

Gross’ American lawyer, Peter J. Kahn, declined comment but has said in the past
that Gross’ actions were not aimed at subverting the Cuban government.

Cuban authorities consider Internet access to be a matter of national security
and block some sites that are critical of the government, as well as pages with
content that they deem as counterrevolutionary. Most Cubans have access only to
a severely restricted island-wide Intranet service.

Proponents of providing Internet access say it can undermine authoritarian
governments that control the flow of information to their people. Critics say
the practice not only endangers contractors like Gross, but all American aid
workers, even those not involved in secret activities.

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“All too often, the outside perception is that these USAID people are
intelligence officers,” said Philip Giraldi, an ex-CIA officer. “That makes it
bad for USAID, it makes it bad for the CIA and for any other intelligence agency
who like to fly underneath the radar.”

Even before he delivered the special SIM card, Gross noted in a trip report that
use of Internet satellite phones would be “problematic if exposed.” He was aware
that authorities were using sophisticated detection equipment and said he saw
workers for the government-owned telecommunications service provider conduct a
radio frequency “sniff” the day before he was to set up a community’s Wi-Fi
operation.

USAID: NO COVERT WORK

U.S. diplomats say they believe Gross was arrested to pressure the Obama
administration to roll back its democracy-promotion programs. The Cuban
government has alleged without citing any evidence that the programs, funded
under a 1996 law calling for regime change in Cuba, are run by the CIA as part
of an intelligence plan to topple the government in Havana.

While the U.S. government broadly outlines the goals of its aid programs in
publicly available documents, the work in Cuba could not exist without secrecy
because it is illegal there. Citing security concerns, U.S. agencies have
refused to provide operational details even to congressional committees
overseeing the programs.

“The reason there is less disclosure on these programs in totalitarian countries
is because the people are already risking their lives to exercise their
fundamental rights,” said Mauricio Claver-Carone, who runs the Washington-based
Cuba Democracy Advocates.

USAID rejected the notion that its contractors perform covert work.

“Nothing about USAID’s Cuba programs is covert or classified in any way,” says
Mark Lopes, a deputy assistant administrator. “We simply carry out activities in
a discreet manner to ensure the greatest possible safety of all those involved.”

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The U.S. National Security Act defines “covert” as government activities aimed
at influencing conditions abroad “where it is intended that the role of the
United States Government will not be apparent or acknowledged publicly.”

USAID’s democracy promotion work in Cuba was spurred by a large boost in funding
under the Bush administration and a new focus on providing communications
technology to Cubans. U.S. funding for Cuban aid multiplied from $3.5 million in
2000 to $45 million in 2008. It’s now $20 million.

Gross was paid a half-million dollars as a USAID subcontractor, according to
U.S. officials familiar with the contract. They spoke only on condition of
anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the case.

USAID head Raj Shah said democracy promotion is “absolutely central” to his
agency’s work. The Obama administration says its Cuba programs aim to help
politically repressed citizens enjoy fundamental rights by providing
humanitarian support, encouraging democratic development and aiding the free
flow of information.

U.S. officials say Gross’ work was not subversion because he was setting up
connections for Cuba’s Jewish community, not for dissidents. Jewish leaders have
said that they were unaware of Gross’ connections to the U.S. government and
that they already were provided limited Internet access. USAID has not said why
it thought the community needed such sensitive technology.

Asked if such programs are meant to challenge existing leaders, Lopes said, “For
USAID, our democracy programs in Cuba are not about changing a particular
regime. That’s for the Cuban people to decide, and we believe they should be
afforded that choice.”

Others disagree.

“Of course, this is covert work,” said Robert Pastor, President Jimmy Carter’s
national security adviser for Latin America and now director of the Center for
Democracy and Election Management at American University in Washington. “It’s
about regime change.”

HARD TO MISS

Gross, of Potomac, Maryland, was a gregarious man, about 6 feet (1.8 meters) and
250 pounds (113 kilograms). He was hard to miss. He had bought a Rosetta Stone
language course to improve his rudimentary Spanish and had scant knowledge of
Cuba. But he knew technology. His company specialized in installing
communications gear in remote parts of the world.

Gross’ first trip for DAI, which ended in early April 2009, focused on getting
equipment in and setting up the first of three facilities with Wi-Fi hotspots
that would give unrestricted Internet access to hundreds of Cubans, especially
the island’s small Jewish community of 1,500.

To get the materials in, Gross relied on American Jewish humanitarian groups
doing missions on the island. He traveled with the groups, relying on
individuals to help bring in the equipment, according to the trip reports.

Three people briefed on Gross’ work say he told contacts in Cuba he represented
a Jewish organization, not the U.S. government. USAID says it now expects people
carrying out its programs to disclose their U.S. government funding to the
people they are helping — if asked.

One of Gross’ reports suggests he represented himself as a member of one of the
groups and that he traveled with them so he could intercede with Cuban
authorities if questions arose.

The helpers were supposed to pack single pieces of equipment in their carry-on
luggage. That way, Gross wrote, any questions could best be handled during the
X-ray process at security, rather than at a customs check. The material was
delivered to Gross later at a Havana hotel, according to the trip reports.

USAID has long relied on visitors willing to carry in prohibited material, such
as books and shortwave radios, U.S. officials briefed on the programs say. And
USAID officials have acknowledged in congressional briefings that they have used
contractors to bring in software to send encrypted messages over the Internet,
according to participants in the briefings.

An alarm sounded on one of Gross’ trips when one of his associates tried to
leave the airport terminal; the courier had placed his cargo — a device that can
extend the range of a wireless network — into his checked bag.

Gross intervened, saying the device was for personal use and was not a computer
hard drive or a radio.

According to the trip reports, customs officials wanted to charge a 100 percent
tax on the value of the item, but Gross bargained them down and was allowed to
leave with it.

“On that day, it was better to be lucky than smart,” Gross wrote.

Much of the equipment Gross helped bring in is legal in Cuba, but the volume of
the goods could have given Cuban authorities a good idea of what he was up to.

“Total equipment” listed on his fourth trip included 12 iPods, 11 BlackBerry
Curve smartphones, three MacBooks, six 500-gigabyte external drives, three
Internet satellite phones known as BGANs, three routers, three controllers, 18
wireless access points, 13 memory sticks, three phones to make calls over the
Internet, and networking switches. Some pieces, such as the networking and
satellite equipment, are explicitly forbidden in Cuba.

Gross wrote that he smuggled the BGANs in a backpack. He had hoped to fool
authorities by taping over the identifying words on the equipment: “Hughes,” the
manufacturer, and “Inmarsat,” the company providing the satellite Internet
service.

The BGANs were crucial because they provide not only satellite telephone
capacity but an Internet signal that can establish a Wi-Fi hotspot for multiple
users. The appeal of using satellite Internet connections is that data goes
straight up, never passing through government-controlled servers.

AWARE OF THE RISKS

There was always the chance of being discovered.

Last year, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee asked about clandestine
methods used to hide the programs and reports that some of them had been
penetrated.

“Possible counterintelligence penetration is a known risk in Cuba,” the State
Department said in a written response to AP. “Those who carry out our assistance
are aware of such risks.”

Gross’ first trip to Cuba ended in early April 2009 with establishment of a
communications site in Havana.

He went back later that month and stayed about 10 days while a site was set up
in Santiago, Cuba’s second-largest city.

On his third trip, for two weeks in June 2009, Gross traveled to a city in the
middle of the island identified by a U.S. official as Camaguey. He rented a car
in Havana and drove seven hours rather than risk another encounter with airport
authorities.

Gross wrote that BGANs should not be used outside Havana, where there were
enough radio frequency devices to hide the emissions.

The report for Gross’s fourth trip, which ended early that August, was marked
final and summarized his successes: wireless networks established in three
communities; about 325 users; “communications to and from the U.S. have improved
and used on a regular basis.” He again concluded the operation was “very risky
business.”

BACK TO CUBA

Gross would have been fine if he had stopped there.

In late November 2009, however, he went back to Cuba for a fifth time. This time
he didn’t return. He was arrested 11 days later.

An additional report was written afterward on the letterhead of Gross’ company.
It was prepared with assistance from DAI to fulfill a contract requirement for a
summary of his work, and so everyone could get paid, according to officials
familiar with the document.

> ‘I am deeply sorry for being a trusting fool. I was duped. I was used’

The report said Gross had planned to improve security of the Havana site by
installing an “alternative sim card” on the satellite equipment.

The card would mask the signal of the BGAN as it transmitted to a satellite,
making it difficult to track where the device was located.

The document concluded that the site’s security had been increased.

It is unclear how DAI confirmed Gross’ work for the report on the final trip,
though a document, also on Gross’ company letterhead, states that a
representative for Gross contacted the Jewish community in Cuba five times after
his arrest.

In a statement at his trial, Gross professed his innocence and apologized.

“I have never, would never and will never purposefully or knowingly do anything
personally or professionally to subvert a government,” he said. “I am deeply
sorry for being a trusting fool. I was duped. I was used.”

In an interview with AP, his wife, Judy, blamed DAI, the company that sent him
to Cuba, for misleading him on the risks. DAI spokesman O’Connor said in a
statement that Gross “designed, proposed, and implemented this work” for the
company.

Meanwhile, the 62-year-old Gross sits in a military prison hospital. His family
says he has lost about 100 pounds (45 kilograms) and they express concern about
his health. All the U.S. diplomatic attempts to win his freedom have come up
empty and there is no sign that Cuba is prepared to act on appeals for a
humanitarian release.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.



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January 27, 2024
Current Top Stories
Live
IDF says ‘large number’ of Hamas gunmen killed in Khan Younis; rocket fire on
north
By ToI Staff
Canada joins US in pausing UNRWA funding amid probe into allegations some staff
involved on Oct. 7 * Biden speaks to Egypt’s al-Sissi, Qatari emir on war,
efforts to free hostages
 * 28min ago
   IDF says numerous Hamas operatives killed amid intensive fighting in Khan
   Younis
 * 31min ago
   Shipping company says no casualties in Friday missile attack on fuel tanker
   in Gulf of Aden
 * 38min ago
   Sirens sound in towns close to Lebanon border
 * 1hr ago
   Sirens sound near Lebanon border for third time within an hour

UNRWA sacks staffers who allegedly participated in Oct. 7 attack; US halts
funding
By Jacob Magid and AFP
Israel provided intel incriminating 12 employees of UN agency for Palestinians,
allegedly also revealed use of organization’s vehicles and facilities during
assault; Canada also pauses funding
Hezbollah says 4 fighters killed in IDF strikes on south Lebanon targets
By Emanuel Fabian and ToI Staff
Two sites hit by fighter jets in village of Beit Lif manned by operatives, says
military; Iran-backed terror group names slain members, bringing death toll to
171
After UAV attack, IDF hits Hezbollah airstrip said built by Iran to launch
drones
By Emanuel Fabian and ToI Staff
Interview
Piano prodigy Norbert Stern was slain at Auschwitz; nephew’s play revives his
genius
By Matt Lebovic
After high-profile gigs in the US and Europe, playwright Roger Peltzman will
stage ‘Dedication’ at United Nations for International Holocaust Remembrance Day
in January 2025
On Holocaust Remembrance Day, survivors mark 79th anniversary of Auschwitz
liberation
By AP
Op-ed: The wrong culprit
David Horovitz
Hamas came for everyone it could kill in Israel on Oct 7. Today, The Hague
encouraged it
The ICJ accepted the South African jurists’ misrepresentation of the cause and
nature of the war in Gaza, seeking to constrain Israel and thus aiding the true
genocidal party, Hamas
ExplainerHow genocide officially became a crime, and why Israel is being accused
of it
By Agencies
Failure to throw out genocide claims a ‘mark of disgrace’ on ICJ, Netanyahu
declares
By Sam Sokol
ICJ tells Israel to ‘prevent genocide’ in Gaza, rejects ordering immediate
ceasefire
By Jeremy Sharon
In its decision, Hague court finds there is ‘plausibility’ to South Africa’s
claims that the rights of Palestinian not to be subjected to genocide must be
urgently protected
Live updates (closed)Jan. 26: Israeli leaders vow Gaza war to go on; Hamas: ICJ
ruling ‘contributes to isolating Israel’
By ToI Staff
US sets up channel with Israel to discuss reports of civilian casualties in Gaza
By Reuters and ToI Staff
Justice Barak: ICJ ruling based on scant evidence; Ugandan judge: Legal case a
‘desperate bid’
By ToI Staff
Two justices issue dissenting opinions to court’s finding ‘plausible’ South
African concerns of genocidal acts; Barak: Pretoria wrongly sought to impute the
crime of Cain to Abel
EU urges implementation of ICJ ruling; S. Africa, Hamas, Qatar, Turkey hail
decision
By Jacob Magid and Agencies
Biden said to tell Netanyahu he can’t support year-long war in Gaza as elections
near
By ToI Staff
In first call last week in almost a month, US president pressed premier on plans
after war, Axios reports

AnalysisUS support is firm, but Biden and Netanyahu play dangerous game with
two-state fight
By Lazar Berman
Israel advancing deals with US to purchase fighter jets, helicopters and
munitions
By Emanuel Fabian
AnalysisHamas’s cobbled together weapons arsenal still proving deadly to IDF
troops in Gaza
By AP
Analysis
Jeremy Sharon
The Hague’s decision means Israel is now in the dock for genocide
There are caveats, including the absence of a ceasefire order. But the IJC
ruling will give a tailwind to international calls for trade sanctions and arms
boycotts against Israel

Israel says WHO ‘colluding’ with Hamas by ignoring ‘terrorist use’ of Gaza
hospitals
By ToI Staff and Agencies
El Al nixing flights to South Africa amid fall in demand, ICJ genocide charge
By ToI Staff and Reuters
In rural Australia, a new Holocaust museum doubles down on its mission after
Oct. 7
By Nomi Kaltmann
Because many of the Queensland Holocaust Museum’s visitors have never met a Jew,
its strategy of outreach takes on added importance in its quest to educate on
racial tolerance
Troops battle Hamas operatives in Khan Younis as IAF strikes RPG-wielding cell
By Emanuel Fabian and ToI Staff
IDF announces death of reservist, bringing Gaza op toll to 220; protesters block
humanitarian aid at Kerem Shalom for third consecutive day, calling for release
of hostages
Gallant: Hamas collapsing in tunnels, more than 100 operatives nabbed in recent
days
By Emanuel Fabian
Netanyahu tells troops there’s ‘no substitute for complete victory over our
enemies’
By Michael Horovitz
Shin Bet chief said to urge state commission be formed ‘now’ to probe Oct. 7
failures
By ToI Staff
Ronen Bar reportedly tells ministers public ‘desperately needs this,’ as does
agency to put an end to ‘lies and conspiracies’ claiming it had foreknowledge of
Hamas attack

Protest leader demands Likud MK retract ‘delusional conspiracy’ of Mossad
meeting
By ToI Staff
Houthis fire missile at US warship, strike UK vessel in major maritime
escalation
By Jon Gambrell and TARA COPP
Attack on USS Carney marks first time Iran-backed group directly targets US
warship since assaults on shipping started post-Oct. 7; British tanker in Gulf
of Aden also hit

Amid fears for trade, China said to warn Iran to rein in Houthi attacks in Red
Sea
By Parisa Hafezi and Andrew Hayley
Iraq, US agree to start talks on phased withdrawal of US-led military coalition
By TARA COPP and Qassim Abdul-Zahra
Hamas publishes new propaganda clip showing 3 young female hostages in Gaza
By Emanuel Fabian and ToI Staff
Video shows Daniella Gilboa, Karina Ariev and Doron Steinbrecher, who ask that
the Israeli government bring them home
For third day running, protesters block Gaza aid at Kerem Shalom crossing
By ToI Staff
ToI podcastDaily Briefing Jan. 26: Day 112 – Hostage families protest, both for
and against war
By ToI Staff
Trump ordered to pay E. Jean Carroll an additional $83.3m in defamation trial
By Jake Offenhartz, Larry Neumeister and Jennifer Peltz
Columnist hails ‘great victory’ after jury’s decision over ex-US president’s
attacks after she said he sexually assaulted her in NY department store; Trump:
‘Absolutely ridiculous’

Hostage families mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day: ‘Never again is
now’
By Maya Zanger-Nadis
Descendants of Holocaust survivors whose family members were kidnapped to Gaza
gather virtually to discuss what they say are similarities between Nazi and
Hamas atrocities
Marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Biden warns against downplaying
Oct. 7
By Reuters and Jacob Magid
85 years later, president hosts Kindertransport survivors, draws link to October
7
By Maya Zanger-Nadis
Miss Lieser returns
Gustav Klimt painting resurfaces in Austria after almost 100 years
By AFP
Last seen in 1925, portrait was commissioned by wealthy Jewish family, painted
in 1917 shortly before artist’s death; work estimated at $33-55 million, to be
auctioned in April

Could social media have stopped the Holocaust? Scholars doubt Elon Musk’s theory
By Shira Li Bartov
Visiting the Auschwitz death camp, the billionaire said the genocide could have
been mitigated if only his platform X had been around 80 years ago. Academics
beg to differ
Six former Yugoslavia nations to renovate a barracks at Auschwitz
By AFP
ToI podcast
What Matters Now to Yossi Klein Halevi: 5 big questions about the war
By Amanda Borschel-Dan
Noted author weighs in on the tough issues facing Israel and the Jewish people
now – and how to conceive of the foreseeable future
Analysis
AP
Why Israel’s push to control Gaza’s southern border could endanger peace with
Egypt
Israel says that in the future it must control the Philadelphi Corridor buffer
zone between Gaza and Egypt to stop further arms smuggling, but Cairo warns this
could endanger ties
ExclusiveSenior UAE official: Warm peace with Israel ‘could turn cold’ if Gaza
war drags on
By Jacob Magid
More Headlines
Damning Tel Aviv University report calls to shutter Diaspora Ministry
By Sam Sokol
Michigan man convicted of defacing synagogue with swastika, graffiti
By AP
Russia extends detention of US journalist accused of espionage until March
By AP
‘Genocide supporters’: Graffiti against Israel scrawled on two stores in NY
suburb
By Luke Tress
UN chief to sit out Park East Synagogue Holocaust event for first time in 10
years
By Luke Tress
US warned Iran ahead of deadly ISIS suicide bombings which killed 95 people
By AAMER MADHANI
Poll shows NY state voters split on aid to Israel, in shift from November
By Luke Tress
Georgia lawmakers pass legislation defining antisemitism in state law
By Jeff Amy
Top Ops
Rachel Sharansky Danziger
The almond trees bloom and I’m thinking of salvation
I trust redemption will come, but I’m impatient: I want it to arrive as swiftly
as the first blossoms and with the force of the parting sea (Beshalach)
Sally Mayer
Fighting the pharaohs of today
Sometimes, all the Jewish people need for salvation is a ready willingness to do
God’s command (Beshalach)
Shira Pasternak Be'eri
When our hearts turned orange
The image of Shiri Bibas being taken hostage with her redheaded babies haunts
Israelis like no other image. Here’s why
Shlomit Ravitsky Tur-Paz
What South Africa gets wrong about the Jewish take on ‘Amalek’
If you want to build a case in The Hague that Israel is calling for genocide,
then you should have better evidence than thousands of years of metaphor
Ari Berman
The global hug of a united Jewish community
I went to Israel to support the troops, and discovered a gap between the US and
Israeli Jewish experience like none I have felt before
Shimon Glick
An open query to all people of good will
Please define for us and our fellow Israeli citizens what you consider a
“proportionate” response
Alon Tal
70 years of planting trees for the next generation
How do you explain that Jewish nationalism is not the ’settler colonialist
paradigm’ that today’s progressives claim it is? Start with the trees
Rachel Sharansky Danziger
The fruit of Kfar Aza
Overripe pomegranates highlight the loss of those who would have harvested them,
but also point to the resilience of those who first planted the tree (Tu
Bishvat)
Jeremy M Staiman
‘Your son gave his life for my son,’ I said
He said: If the reverse had happened, the pain would have been the same; they
are all my children
James Inverne
Actors’ readings of South Africa’s case at the Hague miss the real drama
If only Susan Sarandon, among many others, had given stage time to Israel’s
efforts to protect civilians and Hamas’s role in killing both peoples
Amir Ben-David
Till death do us unite
Have we become a nation whose sons can no longer live together — so that all we
have left is to die together?
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib
As a Gazan, I still believe Israelis and Palestinians must talk
My relatives were killed, my childhood homes destroyed, yet I know dialogue is
the only way to start building a different future
Latest Articles
 * 1 hour ago
   On Holocaust Remembrance Day, survivors mark 79th anniversary of Auschwitz
   liberation
 * 2 hours ago
   Trump ordered to pay E. Jean Carroll an additional $83.3m in defamation trial
 * 3 hours ago
   InterviewPiano prodigy Norbert Stern was slain at Auschwitz; nephew’s play
   revives his genius
 * 4 hours ago
   Hezbollah says 4 fighters killed in IDF strikes on south Lebanon targets
 * 6 hours ago
   Biden said to tell Netanyahu he can’t support year-long war in Gaza as
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 * 8 hours ago
   Live updatesIDF says ‘large number’ of Hamas gunmen killed in Khan Younis;
   rocket fire on north
 * 10 hours ago
   In rural Australia, a new Holocaust museum doubles down on its mission after
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 * 10 hours ago
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 * 11 hours ago
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 * 11 hours ago
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 * 12 hours ago
   UNRWA sacks staffers who allegedly participated in Oct. 7 attack; US halts
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 * 13 hours ago
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 * 15 hours ago
   Hamas publishes new propaganda clip showing 3 young female hostages in Gaza
 * 15 hours ago
   EU urges implementation of ICJ ruling; S. Africa, Hamas, Qatar, Turkey hail
   decision
 * 16 hours ago
   Could social media have stopped the Holocaust? Scholars doubt Elon Musk’s
   theory
 * 16 hours ago
   Hostage families mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day: ‘Never again
   is now’
 * 17 hours ago
   Failure to throw out genocide claims a ‘mark of disgrace’ on ICJ, Netanyahu
   declares
 * 17 hours ago
   AnalysisThe Hague’s decision means Israel is now in the dock for genocide
 * 17 hours ago
   Op-ed: The wrong culpritHamas came for everyone it could kill in Israel on
   Oct 7. Today, The Hague encouraged it
 * 18 hours ago
   ICJ tells Israel to ‘prevent genocide’ in Gaza, rejects ordering immediate
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Those We Have Lost

Stories of the civilians and soldiers who have fallen since Oct. 7

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Today's Daily Briefing

Daily Briefing Jan. 26: Day 112 – Hostage families protest, both for and against
war

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at Sheba Medical Center

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Those We

Are

Missing

The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown

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Wartime Diaries

Voices and testimonies of these devastating times

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TOI ORIGINAL VIDEO




A BIRTH AT ALUMIM

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Full Coverage 2023-2024 Israel-Hamas war
 * Hezbollah says 4 fighters killed in IDF strikes on south Lebanon targets
   By Emanuel Fabian and ToI Staff
 * Biden said to tell Netanyahu he can’t support year-long war in Gaza as
   elections near
   By ToI Staff
 * Houthis fire missile at US warship, strike UK vessel in major maritime
   escalation
   By Jon Gambrell and TARA COPP

See All
Full Coverage What Matters Now
 * What Matters Now to Yossi Klein Halevi: 5 big questions about the war
   By Amanda Borschel-Dan
 * What Matters Now to Haviv Rettig Gur: What Israelis think about the suffering
   in Gaza
   By Amanda Borschel-Dan
 * What Matters Now to Mishy Harman: 3 ‘postcards’ from wartime Israel
   By Amanda Borschel-Dan

See All
Full Coverage Liveblog
 * IDF says ‘large number’ of Hamas gunmen killed in Khan Younis; rocket fire on
   north
   By ToI Staff
 * Jan. 26: Israeli leaders vow Gaza war to go on; Hamas: ICJ ruling
   ‘contributes to isolating Israel’
   By ToI Staff
 * Jan. 25: After Netanyahu criticism, US touts Qatar’s ‘irreplaceable’ role in
   hostage negotiations
   By Joshua Davidovich and ToI Staff

See All
Full Coverage ToI Original Video
 * A birth at Alumim
 * Kibbutz Be’eri: Through the ruins
 * A menorah is all that is left

See All
Those we have lost
Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel

 * 
   Those We Have Lost
   Shoshi Brosh, 75: Grandmother with ‘a blossoming garden’
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those We Have Lost
   Naama Mualem, 28: Young lawyer ‘destined for a glorious career’
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those We Have Lost
   Eitan Hadad, 43: Talented bass player who ‘was all heart’
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those We Have Lost
   Cpl. Noam Avramovich, 19: Soldier was a ‘once-in-a-lifetime leader’
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those We Have Lost
   Staff Sgt. Dor Lazimi, 21: Music-loving soldier ‘fought heroically’
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those We Have Lost
   Eliyahu Orgad, 72: Grandfather who was ‘a true intellectual’
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those We Have Lost
   Nadav Bartal, 23: Global traveler killed with his two best friends
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those We Have Lost
   Gili Adar, 24: Scout leader and volunteer who was ‘always merry’
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those We Have Lost
   Sgt. Shir Biton, 19: Volunteer medic dreamed of becoming a doctor
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those We Have Lost
   Din Bar, 27, and Shoam Bar, 21: Uncle and nephew slain together
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those We Have Lost
   Livnat Levi, 27: World-traveler partygoer was sixth of 10 siblings
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those we have lost
   Chief Warrant Officer Ido ‘Crido’ Rosenthal, 45: A habitual hero
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those We Have Lost
   Samar Talalka, 24: Motorcycle lover who was slated to get married
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those We Have Lost
   Staff Sgt. Hallel Saadon, 21: Horse lover and former camp counselor in US
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those we have lost
   Oded Abergel, 26: Guided his friends at rave ‘saving them from hell’
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those We Have Lost
   Shaked Habani, 21: A ‘magnetic’ personality who lived life joyfully
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those we have lost
   Cpt. Hadar Kama, 24: A ‘rare, noble boy’ who loved life fiercely
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those We Have Lost
   Shiran Ganon, 38: Mom of three with ‘the perfect dimples’
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those We Have Lost
   Roi Poppelwell, 53: ‘A real kibbutznik’ who had a way with animals
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those We Have Lost
   Noa Farage, 22: Surfer who was ‘the most magical person’
   By ToI Staff


Those we are missing
The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown

 * 
   Those we are missing
   Taken captive: Devoted uncle and Nir Oz resident Yair Horn
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those we are missing
   Taken captive: Shiri Bibas and her redheaded babies
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those we are missing
   Taken captive: Arbel Yehud, third generation on Kibbutz Nir Oz
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those we are missing
   Taken captive: Hamza Ziyadne, Rahat resident working in Kibbutz Holit
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those we are missing
   Taken captive: Gali Berman, from Kfar Aza’s ‘young neighborhood’
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those we are missing
   Taken captive: Argentine-born Fernando Marman, beloved handyman
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those we are missing
   Presumed captive: Eli Sharabi from Kibbutz Be’eri
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those we are missing
   Taken captive: Thai field hand Sriaoun Watchara
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those we are missing
   Taken captive: Surasak Lamnau, Thai worker abducted with employer
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those we are missing
   Taken captive: Daniel Perez, absence felt at brother’s wedding
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those we are missing
   Presumed captive: Ohad Yahalomi, shot in the leg by terrorists
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those we are missing
   Taken captive: Ofer Calderon, initially escaped through window
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those we are missing
   Taken captive: Tal Shoham, held captive separately from family
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those we are missing
   Taken captive: Matan Zangauker, ‘is a survivor’
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those we are missing
   Taken captive: Youssef Hamis Ziyadne from Rahat
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those we are missing
   Taken captive: Argentine-born Louis Har, grandfather to ten
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those we are missing
   Taken captive: US citizen Keith Siegel, driven to Gaza in his own car
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those we are missing
   Taken captive: Elad Katzir, farmer and social activist
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those we are missing
   Taken captive: Edan Alexander, told mother he was safe
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Those we are missing
   Taken captive: Nadav Popplewell, held in tunnel under Gaza
   By ToI Staff


Those We Call Heroes
People saving others and making lives better

 * A month after his son fell in battle, a father stages a one-man play about
   October 7
   By Jessica Steinberg
 * Under fire in Gaza, hero paramedic saved life of tank crew member
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Inside story
   Something is afoot: Volunteers fit IDF soldiers with US military boots amid
   Hamas war
   By Sharon Wrobel
 * Undeterred by Oct. 7 massacre, foreign interns keep Gaza-periphery dairy
   farms afloat
   By Bernard Dichek
 * The Persian-Jewish grandma who wants to feed the entire IDF from her
   apartment
   By Gavriel Fiske
 * Family of fallen Oct. 7 hero Tomer Nagar commissions line of beers in his
   honor
   By Stuart Winer
 * Fixing up old tanks and recruiting old reservists, a tech VP creates a new
   battalion
   By Sue Surkes
 * Officer tasked with arranging constant IDF funerals nearly died after heart
   gave way
   By Renee Ghert-Zand
 * Dad launches ‘Project Menorah’ to support Jews fearful of displaying Hanukkah
   lights
   By Matt Lebovic
 * 
   Interview
   ‘Life under Hamas is like under ISIS,’ says Syria-born journalist deported
   from Gaza
   By Gianluca Pacchiani
 * 
   Reporter's notebook
   Resurrecting Gaza border communities will take a lot more than sowing winter
   wheat
   By Canaan Lidor
 * 96-year-old woman escaped October 7 massacre at Be’eri; grandson held in Gaza
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Interview
   Lebanese Israeli advocate on US colleges post-Oct. 7: ‘Many don’t see
   Israelis as humans’
   By Gianluca Pacchiani
 * First wave out of 7,000 foreign doctors wanting to help amid war have come to
   Israel
   By Renee Ghert-Zand
 * 
   Inside story
   Archaeologists sift through devastation to help families of Oct. 7 victims
   gain closure
   By Melanie Lidman
 * Truck dashcam footage shows farmer dodging bullets as he saved 120 from music
   festival
   By Sue Surkes
 * Shepherding life into the world following catastrophe brings hope to Israeli
   midwives
   By Renee Ghert-Zand
 * Israeli charity aims to provide it all for soldiers, including mobile laundry
   and spas
   By Gavriel Fiske
 * 
   Those We Call Heroes
   Four Bedouin drove from Rahat to evacuate their cousin in Be’eri; they
   rescued dozens
   By ToI Staff
 * In Tel Aviv, diverse mix of artists shines spotlight on Israeli hostages
   By Bernard Dichek


Tales of the Times
The quirky, improbable, infuriating and uplifting

 * 
   Miss Lieser returns
   Gustav Klimt painting resurfaces in Austria after almost 100 years
   By AFP
 * 
   Called up for service
   Jon Stewart to return as part-time host of ‘The Daily Show’
   By jacob gurvis
 * 
   Time bomb
   Gaza war among fears as ‘Doomsday Clock’ stays close to midnight
   By Reuters and ToI Staff
 * 
   Loafing around
   35-foot challah in NYC attempts to break Guinness record
   By julia GERGELY
 * 
   Infonomicon
   What’s information? Yuval Noah Harari gives answer in new book
   By Hillel Italie
 * 
   Music stand
   Five for Fighting pens October 7 ballad: ‘We are not OK’
   By Amy Spiro
 * 
   2 pulled out; 2 stepped in
   US comics help Israelis cope with trauma of Hamas massacre
   By Reuters and ToI Staff
 * 
   Racers unite
   Jerusalem’s annual marathon to run as usual, despite Hamas war
   By Jessica Steinberg
 * 
   Schnapp back
   Actor Noah Schnapp says views on Israel-Hamas war were ‘misconstrued’
   By Michael Horovitz
 * 
   Food fight
   Celebrity chef’s Zahav hummus hits shelves despite war protests
   By Jackie Hajdenberg
 * 
   Love amid horror
   Hit book ‘Tattooist of Auschwitz’ being adapted for small screen
   By Shira Bartov
 * 
   Mama vs Mia
   Jewish woman confronts pro-Hamas porn star Mia Khalifa
   By ToI Staff
 * 
   Army appetizer
   Over 100,000 soldiers to receive Bamba and Coke Thursday
   By Gavriel Fiske
 * 
   Stir up the crowd
   Rob Reiner uses Yiddish word in Emmys tribute to Norman Lear
   By PHILISSA CRAMER
 * 
   Reality TV
   Emmys see gestures of support for both sides in Israel-Hamas war
   By ToI Staff and AFP
 * 
   The Late Show
   Mrs. Maisel, Fleishman, Jewish actors shine among Emmy nominees
   By Andrew Lapin
 * 
   Pulling through
   Cyclists worldwide plan rides to mark 100 days since hostages taken captive
   By Jessica Steinberg
 * 
   Triple digit tally
   Mother of hostage asks public to mark his 100th day of captivity
   By Jessica Steinberg
 * 
   Captivating gesture
   Some at Golden Globes don yellow ribbon pins in solidarity with hostages
   By PHILISSA CRAMER
 * 
   The way home
   Hostages’ sister creates trail of shoes on Tel Aviv boardwalk
   By Jessica Steinberg


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