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SECURITY UPDATES

Sunday, 15 October 2023

(Posted at 3:50pm Sunday, Mountain Daylight Time)

Students, BYU faculty and their families, and service couples have arrived in
Athens. They will be bused to a hotel near Nafplion.

This will be the last daily post for a while. Posts will resume shortly before
October 30.

(Posted at 1:52pm Sunday, Mountain Daylight Time)

Students, BYU faculty and their families, and service couples have left Israel,
bound for Athens.

We leave behind Eran Hayet, JC Exec Director;  Tawfic Alawi, JC Associate
Director; Tarek Safadi, Head of JC Security; and nearly 50 local employees and
their families. These beloved and trusted individuals and families -- Israelis
and Palestinians -- remain in harms way. We ask that you pray for their safety
and well being.

 

Saturday, 14 October 2023

(Posted at 8:52pm Saturday, Mountain Daylight Time)

Jerusalem was quiet over Saturday night. Schools in Jerusalem and much of the
country will reopen Sunday with in-school instruction. Schools in the far north
and in towns near Gaza will also reopen but with instruction via Zoom. Ben
Gurion Airport had normal operations but with flights limited to Israel-based
commercial airlines.

(Posted at 9:26am Saturday, Mountain Daylight Time)

Jerusalem was quiet Saturday -- there were no rocket alarms (which means no
rockets launched from Gaza in the general direction of Jerusalem) and there were
no clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces.  Operations at Ben
Gurion Airport have continued without interruptions.

 

Friday, 13 October 2023

(Posted at 8:30pm Friday, Mountain Daylight Time)

As noted in a previous post, even in normal times Jerusalem is tense on Fridays
as Muslims gather for noon prayer and then disperse. There were minor skirmishes
between Palestinians and Israeli police as Muslims gathered and as they
dispersed today but in line with a typical Friday.

However, on Thursday there was a shooting at a police station just north of the
Old City. And Friday evening in a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem
northwest of the Center,  three Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli
police.

The neighborhood where the Center is located was quiet.  There is now a large
and visible police presence in East Jerusalem. There is a police station located
at Hebrew University very close to the Center. A second police station is within
a half mile of the Center near the Old City. Police from these stations have
been actively patrolling in the Center's neighborhood. Center Admin and security
personnel have frequent contacts with these police stations and those on patrol.

(Posted at 6:43am Friday, Mountain Daylight Time)

The Jerusalem Center Fall 2023 Program is currently relocating to Greece. In
addition to the 93 students and faculty, faculty families and service couples
will also relocate to Greece.

 

Thursday, 12 October 2023

(Posted at 9:00am Thursday, Mountain Daylight Time)

There has been no reported violence in Jerusalem today. The neighborhood around
the Center remains quiet and calm. Please note that tensions are always higher
in Jerusalem on Fridays as Muslims gather on the Haram esh Sharif (the Temple
Mount) for noon prayers. (This is the reason that even in normal times, Fridays
are off limits to students until 3 pm.) So some unrest around the Old City is
expected tomorrow in Jerusalem.

Rocket sirens sounded Thursday morning in Israeli towns surrounding Gaza,
central Israel and Beit Shemesh (which is west of Jerusalem). Rocket fire
continued Thursday afternoon in areas surrounding Gaza.

The Israeli bombing campaign in Gaza continues. In addition, the Israel Airforce
bombed airports in Damascus and Halab, both in Syria.

 

Wednesday, 11 October 2023

(Posted at 11:10pm Wednesday, Mountain Daylight Time)

There were no reported incidents of violence over Wednesday night in
Jerusalem.  

There were a number of alarms of penetrations from Lebanon by paragliders and
through the border barrier during the day Wednesday.  All proved to be false and
there were no further alarms overnight in the north.

However, penetrations from Gaza into Israel continue and three Hamas militants
were killed outside of Gaza in the Israeli city of Sderot. Israel conducted
massive air strikes in Gaza overnight (even compared to the level of its nightly
strikes since Saturday). It is widely expected that Israeli ground forces will
move into Gaza within the next few days.

There were clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces in Jenin (in
the West Bank near Nabulus). To provide some context: Jenin has been a hot spot
for militants for a long time with frequent clashes between Palestinians and
Israel Security forces for many months predating Saturday morning's massive
attack by Hamas.

(Posted at 8:25am Wednesday, Mountain Daylight Time)

There were no incidents of violence reported in Jerusalem today. No rockets were
launched from Gaza toward the greater Jerusalem area. The city remains calm, but
tense. However, an Israeli was injured in a shooting incident immediately south
of Jerusalem near the checkpoint leading to the West Bank town of Beit Jala.  

In the north, rocket sirens sounded at noon in the Galilee, but the IDF later
indicated it was a false alarm. In the morning, Hezbollah fired an anti-tank
missile and mortars at an Israeli army post. The IDF responded with artillery
and by air. Earlier, a Hezbollah post was destroyed by the IDF following another
mortar fire and an anti-tank missile attack from Lebanon. 

Along the coast, rockets sirens went off in Ashdod, Ashkelon, the Tel Aviv area
and at Ben Gurion Airport, which continues to operate. Except for El Al,
commercial airlines have suspended flights in and out of the airport until the
end of October. El Al has increased its flights in and out of Ben Gurion. 
Rocket fire at Israeli towns around Gaza continues. 

Gaza Strip is now without electrical as its power plant have run out of fuel,
shipments of which Israel has blocked.

 

Tuesday, 10 October 2023

(Posted at 11:15pm Tuesday, Mountain Daylight Time)

Over Tuesday night there were no incidents of violence reported in Jerusalem,
and there were no rockets fired toward the greater Jerusalem area from Gaza. 
Hence, the area around the Center in East Jerusalem was calm and quiet
overnight. 
 
Rockets were fired on Israeli cities on the coast between Gaza and Tel Aviv and
into Israeli towns along the Gaza border throughout the night, however.  Efforts
to infiltrate Israel by land and by sea by Hamas and other militants were
thwarted by the IDF in overnight battles along the border between Israel and
Gaza.  
 
In the north, mortars were fired into Israel from Syria overnight. The IDF
responded with artillery fire. 
 
The death toll in Israel is now over 1200 and rising; the death toll among
Palestinians in Gaza is higher (but reliable estimates aren't available) and
also rising because of the ongoing IDF bombing campaign. Estimates of the number
of Israelis kidnapped has increased to more than 200.
 
The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group arrived in the eastern Mediterranean
Sea to “deter any actor” looking to escalate or widen the conflict between
Israel and Hamas. The strike group includes 7 US Navy guided missile ships.
 

(Posted at 1:30pm Tuesday, Mountain Daylight Time)

Heavy rocket fire hit Ashqelon at 5:00pmTuesday. Simultaneously 14 rockets were
fired into the Western Galilee from the Lebanese border, likely by Hamas or
Islamic Jihad militants and not Hezbollah. (For the present, Hezbollah appears
to have chosen not to get involved.)  Four of the rockets were intercepted and
10 landed in open spaces. The IDF responded with artillery fire into
Lebanon. Earlier in the day, rockets were fired from Gaza by Hamas militants at
various intervals toward Tel Aviv and towns in central Israel. No rockets were
fired toward greater Jerusalem on Tuesday.  

The IDF announced that it is holding the bodies of 1500 militants and that it
has cut off power, water and food. It has urged Gazans to leave Gaza for Egypt. 
Reports of the number of hostages held by Hamas continues to fluctuate between
130 and 150. Foreign nationals are among those being held at sites scattered
around Gaza. 

There have no reports of violence in Jerusalem.  Most Jerusalemites are staying
home; local schools will remain closed for the next two days.

The Jerusalem Center students have been asked to remain at the Center on
Wednesday. (Decisions about travel outside of the Center compound are made on a
day by day basis.) They continue with scheduled classes.

CLARIFICATION:  The Fall 2023 Program at the Jerusalem Center started with 94
students. One student fractured bones in her foot and needed surgery.  She
returned to her home for the surgery before the start of the current violence. 
So there are 93 students currently at the Center.  (The number has been
variously reported as either 94 or 93; this is the reason.)

 

Monday, 9 October 2023

(Posted at 8:07am Monday, Mountain Daylight Time)

Rocket attacks from militants in Gaza continue and sirens sounded in Jerusalem
Monday afternoon. Everyone at the Center, including students, moved to the
Center's shelters for the short duration of the attack. Rockets on a trajectory
toward greater Jerusalem, which includes the western-most parts of the municipal
area, trigger the alarms. The rockets were either intercepted by Israel's Iron
Dome air defense system or fell harmlessly in rural areas between Gaza and
Jerusalem. However, damage and injuries from overnight rocket attacks were
reported in Ashkelon (between Gaza and Tel Aviv) and Israel towns bordering
Gaza. 

IDF forces continue to battle Hamas militants in towns and areas bordering Gaza
as well as bombing targets in Gaza. The death toll and serious injuries continue
to mount on both sides. Israel formally declared war, which sounds ominous, but
was done in order to give the government certain powers that it did not have
without the declaration. Nothing in the declaration changes the nature of the
conflict that started early Saturday morning.  

There have been some disturbances in Palestinian neighborhoods in
Jerusalem. However, areas around the Center and most of Jerusalem remain calm,
but tense, with a heavy Israel security presence.    

In the north, several militants were killed after infiltrating the
Lebanon-Israel border. Hezbollah immediately issued an official statement in
which they stated that they were not responsible. It appears that splinter
militia groups are trying to instigate a reaction.

Students and others were at the Center all of Monday and have been asked to
remain at the Center on Tuesday. Students were in classes much of Monday and
will be in classes much of each day this week. Following classes there are some
student-organized activities and study time.

This afternoon the students, faculty and their spouses, and service couples met
with the Center's admin team for a full briefing on the situation. While we have
tried to keep everyone at the Center well-informed, this was an opportunity to
ask questions and express concerns. Academic plans for the coming weeks were
also discussed.

 

Sunday, 8 October 2023

(Posted at 9:20am Sunday, Mountain Daylight Time)

Current estimates are that 600 Israelis have been killed, 350 seriously wounded
and over 1500 with various injuries. The IDF continued to bomb targets in Gaza
through the day Sunday and the death toll and injuries among Palestinians is
also rising, but the numbers are not verifiable at this point.

There are growing tensions with Hezbollah on the northern border with Lebanon
following a security incident where there was a relatively brief exchange of
mortar and artillery fire.

Students were at the Center all day working on a humanitarian project.  Students
and expat personnel have been asked to remain in the Center Monday, with a full
academic schedule. Jerusalem remains calm and is mostly empty as most people
have remained at home. Schools will remain closed for the next two days.

 

Saturday, 7 October 2023

(Posted at 10:45pm Saturday, Mountain Daylight Time)

Sunday morning estimates are that 300 Israelis have been killed and over 1500
hospitalized. Palestinian dead and injured are unknown but almost certainly at
least as large as Israeli casualties. Over 100 Israelis are believed to have
been kidnapped and taken into Gaza.  None of these estimates are particularly
reliable given the chaos in and around Gaza.  Hostages in Sderot and B’eri were
released after a long battle with militants. Rocket fire on coastal cities and
towns near Gaza continued through the night and Tel Aviv was among the cities
hit. The Israel Defense Force (the IDF) bombed militant targets across Gaza
throughout the night. Israeli schools will be closed today.

Jerusalem was tense Saturday night with a heavy security presence. There are
reports of a few clashes between Palestinian youth and Israeli security
forces. None occurred near the Jerusalem Center, which remains safe, secure and
peaceful for those living there.

(Posted at 2:05 pm Saturday, Mountain Daylight Time)

The largest missile attack in several years was launched by militants in Gaza
early Saturday morning Jerusalem time, targeting cities north of Gaza from
Ashkelon to the southern parts of Tel Aviv.  A large number of Hamas armed
militants infiltrated Israeli towns bordering the Gaza District.  The attack was
unexpected and caught virtually everyone by surprise. The Jerusalem Center and
surrounding area have never been threatened during these flare-ups however it is
unclear whether the situation will escalate and affect Jerusalem. The
93 students and ex pat Center personnel living at the Center have been asked to
remain at the Center through Sunday night. A decision about Monday will be made
Sunday evening. However, it seems likely that students et al will be asked to
remain at the Center into next week, but decisions on travel outside of the
Center will be made on a day-by-day basis.  The Jerusalem Center cancelled its
Sunday evening concert and a field trip that would have taken the students to
Eilat. 

Academic instruction will continue as scheduled; on Sunday students will be
working in the Center on a humanitarian project.  The challenges over the next
while are with travel outside of the Center. These will be evaluated as the
conflict unfolds.

 


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