“Hamas released a video late Monday of Mia Schem, one of the nearly 200 people
believed to be held hostage in Gaza after the group launched a cross-border
assault on Israel nine days ago. The 60-second video — the first released by
the group to show any of the hostages — begins with Ms. Schem, 21, receiving
medical treatment for a wound above her right elbow and shows her arm being
wrapped in bandages by a person off-camera. The next images are of Ms. Schem,
who disappeared from the site of a music festival where at least 260 people
were killed, speaking directly to the camera in Hebrew. “At the moment I am in
Gaza,” Ms. Schem says in a solemn, clipped voice. She says that she is being
looked after and that her arm was operated on for three hours at a hospital.
The video ends with her plea to be returned to Israel. “I just ask that I am
returned as fast as possible to my family, to my parents, and to my siblings,”
she says. “Please get us out of here as quickly as possible.” The Israeli
military issued a statement after the video was released that said Hamas was
“trying to portray itself as a humane organization, while it is a murderous
terrorist organization responsible for the murder and abduction of babies,
women, children and elderly.””











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Eye on Extremism



October 17, 2023



The New York Times: Hamas Posts Hostage Video Of Woman Abducted From Israeli
Music Festival
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“Hamas released a video late Monday of Mia Schem, one of the nearly 200 people
believed to be held hostage in Gaza after the group launched a cross-border
assault on Israel nine days ago. The 60-second video — the first released by
the group to show any of the hostages — begins with Ms. Schem, 21, receiving
medical treatment for a wound above her right elbow and shows her arm being
wrapped in bandages by a person off-camera. The next images are of Ms. Schem,
who disappeared from the site of a music festival where at least 260 people
were killed, speaking directly to the camera in Hebrew. “At the moment I am in
Gaza,” Ms. Schem says in a solemn, clipped voice. She says that she is being
looked after and that her arm was operated on for three hours at a hospital.
The video ends with her plea to be returned to Israel. “I just ask that I am
returned as fast as possible to my family, to my parents, and to my siblings,”
she says. “Please get us out of here as quickly as possible.” The Israeli
military issued a statement after the video was released that said Hamas was
“trying to portray itself as a humane organization, while it is a murderous
terrorist organization responsible for the murder and abduction of babies,
women, children and elderly.””



Voice Of America: Somali TV Journalist Killed In Mogadishu Suicide Bombing
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“A Somali television journalist was killed Monday evening in a suicide
bombing at a restaurant in Mogadishu, police said. Abdifatah Moalim Nur Qeys,
who worked for Somali Cable Television, was fatally injured in the explosion at
Blue Sky restaurant near the national museum. “At around 21:00 a Khawarij
suicide bomber detonated explosives on people who were having tea outside the
Blue Sky restaurant in Bondhere district,” police in Mogadishu said in a brief
statement. Khawarij, or "deviants,” is a term the government uses to refer to
al-Shabab. Four other people were injured in the explosion, according to
police. “Security forces provided assistance to those impacted by the attack,”
police said. “There is an ongoing investigation, and any updates will be shared
with the public.” The station Qeys worked for confirmed his death in a Facebook
post. It said Qeys was the director of the station’s branch in Mogadishu. “He
was pronounced dead after we brought him to Recep Tayyip Erdogan hospital,”
said Abdishakur Mohamed Mohamud, who was among the journalists who took Qeys to
the hospital. “He had shrapnel on the upper part of his body,” he told VOA
Somali. In a Telegram message, the al-Shabab militant group immediately claimed
responsibility for the attack. In the message, al-Shabab said a suicide bomber
was behind the blast.”



<[link removed]>

Listen to the Fighting Terror Podcast

Fighting Terror is a podcast that brings together counterterrorism experts and
practitioners from Europe, the United States, and beyond to address different
approaches to combating terrorism in our society. Our frank discussions cover
the lifecycle of terrorism from propaganda and recruitment, to financing,
action, and failure. Listenhere
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or wherever you get your podcasts.




United States



NPR: Biden Set To Visit Tel Aviv And Amman As Israel-Gaza Conflict Intensifies
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“President Biden plans to travel to Tel Aviv and Amman on Wednesday, a trip
meant to signal full U.S. support as Israel responds to the Hamas attacks — but
also to press for humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza, and safe passage out
for Americans in the conflict zone. The trip comes as Israel prepares to launch
a ground assault on Hamas in Gaza. Shortages of food, water and medicine in
Gaza – and a rising civilian death toll from Israeli strikes – mean the
situation is volatile. The trip was announced by Secretary of State Antony
Blinken in Tel Aviv after a meeting that stretched more than 7 hours with
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials. In
brief remarks afterward, Blinken said the United States and Israel had agreed
on aid to Gaza. Biden will meet with Netanyahu for an update on the strategy
and pace of military operations, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby
told reporters on a conference call Monday night. In Amman, Biden will meet
with King Abdullah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to talk about efforts to get humanitarian aid
into Gaza. "We want to see assistance get in through that Rafah gate and also
for people to be able to get out," Kirby said.”



Lebanon



Associated Press: Hezbollah Destroys Israeli Surveillance Cameras Along The
Lebanese Border As Tension Soars
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“Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group said Monday it has started destroying
surveillance cameras on several Israeli army posts along the border as tension
rose following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. Hezbollah’s military media
arm released a video showing snipers shooting at and destroying surveillance
cameras placed on five points along the Lebanon-Israel border including one
outside the Israeli town of Metula. The militant group appears to want to
prevent the Israeli army from monitoring movements on the Lebanese side of the
border after days of fire exchange that left at least seven people dead,
including four Hezbollah fighters, on the Lebanese side. Since the Oct. 7
attack by the Palestinian militant Hamas group on southern Israel that killed
more than 1,400 Israeli civilians and troops, tension has been on the rise
along the Lebanon-Israel border. Hezbollah fighters fired anti-tank missiles on
Israeli army positions and Israeli troops shelled border areas on the Lebanese
side of the border. Israel and Hezbollah are bitter enemies that fought a
monthlong war in the summer of 2006. Israel considers the Iran-backed Shiite
militant group its most serious immediate threat, estimating that Hezbollah has
around 150,000 rockets and missiles aimed at Israel.”



Middle East



Metro: Hamas Is ‘Using Horrific Imagery In Gaza To Try And Spark A Regional
War’
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“... The senior director of the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) spoke after
Israel told 1.1 million people in northern Gaza to evacuate their homes as it
ramps up its military response to Hamas’s mass incursion nine days ago. Gaza
has been pounded by nine days of Israeli air strikes amid reports of dire
humanitarian conditions from international organisations including the United
Nations. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said on Saturday that it is preparing
for a ‘significant ground operation’ in Gaza from the ‘air, sea and land’. Dr
Schindler assesses that a large-scale Israeli ground offensive in the 25-mile
long strip would be ‘phase two’ of Hamas’s plan, despite the militant group
being no match for the IDF in military terms. ‘What is 100% certain is that
Hamas wants an Israeli incursion in order to reverse the victim-perpetrator
image,’ he said. ‘Israel was the victim on October 7 but Hamas’s intent is to
turn the picture in the region and beyond to Israel being the aggressor. ‘It is
clear that part of Hamas’s overall strategy for this abhorrent terrorist attack
is to force a large-scale Israeli reaction in Gaza. ‘The aim by Hamas seems to
be to generate as many Palestinian casualties as possible in Gaza to generate
political pressure forcing other groups such as Hezbollah, and potentially some
Arab countries, to join the conflict and therefore create a multi-front
confrontation for Israel.”



Global With JJ Green: THIS Is How Hamas Surprised Israel; A Diversion
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Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, Sr. Director of the Counter Extremism Project,
explains how they did it.



Europe



TVP World: Terrorism Returns To Europe
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“France raised its terror threat alert to the highest level last Friday after
a knife-wielding man of Chechen origin killed a teacher and injured three other
people at a school in northern France. Officials described the killing as an
Islamist terror attack. The murder put President Macron’s government under
severe pressure as officials acknowledged that the main suspect in the attack
and various members of his family had been identified by French intelligence
services as radicalized or had been convicted on terrorism charges. Should we
be concerned about another wave of terror in Europe caused by Islamic
extremism? To delve more into the topic, we were joined by Dr. Hans-Jakob
Schindler, Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project.”



Reuters: Italy Arrests Two People In Counter-Terrorism Operation
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“Italian authorities carried out a counter-terrorism operation early on
Tuesday that led to the arrest of an Egyptian citizen and an Italian citizen of
Egyptian origin, police said in a statement. The operation was coordinated by
the Milan Prosecutor's Office and the two suspects have been accused of
inciting terror offences and being members of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist
group. The two suspects were active in propaganda activities, were trying to
recruit potential affiliates online and were financing support initiatives for
IS, the prosecutor's office said. "This morning two people were arrested on
charges of terrorism," Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told RAI-Radio
Anch'io. He added that the alert level had already been raised and authorities
were working to prevent potential threats. Asked if the country could expect
terror attacks such as the one that struck Belgium late on Monday, Tajani said
there were no specific threats towards Italy at the moment. Two Swedish
nationals were shot dead and a third person was wounded in central Brussels on
Monday night by a man who identified himself as a member of IS and claimed
responsibility in a video posted online.”



The New York Times: Police Kill Suspect In Brussels Shooting, Official Says
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“A suspect in the killing of two Swedish nationals in Brussels on Monday
evening, in what officials called an act of terrorism, was fatally shot by the
police on Tuesday morning after an overnight search, the office of Belgium’s
public prosecutor said. The suspect, a man whose name was not released, died in
a hospital, the prosecutor’s office said. A weapon was found at the scene after
the man was shot, according to the interior minister. Belgium’s justice
minister, Vincent Van Quickenborne, said on Tuesday that the suspect, a
Tunisian man who was living in the country illegally, had been known to the
authorities for possible radicalization and criminal activity since 2016, but
the authorities had not acted on mounting intelligence that he posed a threat.
The shooting in central Brussels on Monday evening, before a scheduled soccer
match between Sweden and Belgium, was described as terrorism by Prime Minister
Alexander De Croo. It shocked the Belgian capital, which has a painful history
of terrorist attacks. Islamic State militants carried out bombings there in
2016 that killed more than 30 people and wounded hundreds more.”



Technology



Reuters: Tether Freezes Crypto Linked To 'Terrorism And Warfare' In Israel And
Ukraine
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“Cryptocurrency issuer Tether has frozen 32 crypto wallet addresses
containing a combined $873,118 it said were linked to "terrorism and warfare"
in Israel and Ukraine, the company said on Monday. Israeli police said last
week they had frozen crypto accounts used to solicit donations for Hamas on
social media. Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel killed 1,300 people. Tether's
first Israel-related freeze was on March 16, 2023, while the first
Ukrainian-related freeze was on June 16, 2021, a Tether spokesperson told
Reuters via email. TRM Labs, a major U.S. blockchain analysis company that
works with law enforcement agencies, said in a blog in February that Tether was
a "currency of choice" for terrorist financing. Tether said that it is
committed to "working closely" with law enforcement agencies globally "to
combat cryptocurrency-funded terrorism and warfare." Crypto operates mostly
outside of the traditional financial system and wallet addresses are
pseudonymous, which makes those behind transactions difficult to track. Tether,
whose stablecoin is the third-largest cryptocurrency by circulation, said it
was working with Israel's National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing (NBCTF)
"to counter cryptocurrency-funded terrorism and warfare". The Tether
spokesperson declined to give any details about this work.”



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