ILTV News Flash- War Day 118, February 01, 2024
ILTV Israel News
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TV7 Israel News – Sword of Iron, Israel at War – Day 116
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Evacuated Southern Residents Find Temporary New Home As War Continues to Rage OnTroy O. Fritzhand
The residents of Kibbutz Sufa, a southern town of 227, have found a new temporary home more than 3 months after being forced from their homes because of the war. Like the more than 100,000 Israelis displaced from their homes in the north and south, Sufa’s residents were living in a hotel in Eilat, though on Thursday, 30 families moved into their new homes in Ofakim. Another 50 families moved into temporary homes in Ramat Gan.
Residents spoke to Hebrew media, one of them, 22-year-old Yael Alexandrovitz, saying, “The landscape is different and everything is different. We are far from our friends, the families are a little far, but we are surrounded from all directions. I can’t say it’s a happy or sad day for me. There are others who want to come and lay down their heads. On October 7, everything broke and fell apart… [but] the kibbutz won. Most people are still with us.”
Her partner, Elia Lilienthal — who jumped to action on October 7, when Hamas terrorists entered their city during their raid on southern Israel, killing more 1,200 Israelis and taking over 240 hostage — was there for the move. She spoke about her experience on that day: “That day, when everyone was uncertain, I was certain. His walkie-talkie was with me, which allowed me to understand what was going on around me. And I had someone to rely on. That day there was no army and there were no planes… But I had the person I can trust the most. He killed four terrorists outside the house. I feel that I came out stronger mentally than the other people. This was the day that broke everyone.”
The kibbutz was temporarily taken over by Hamas on the day of the attack, with three members being killed. Okafim, where the residents are now living, was also taken over by Hamas, with 50 Israelis being killed by the terrorists.
Another resident, Ziv Chai, said, “We were evacuated to Eilat. I never thought I would live there. It’s a strange city to live in, but I’ve gotten used to the quiet. It’s a little sad to say goodbye to Eilat and go back to a kind of normal life, but I’m glad it’s happening. We hope we can build a life here … I plan to find a job here and just live life. Like everyone else, eventually, I want to return to the kibbutz. This is my home. I don’t really see myself living anywhere else long-term.”
The mayor of Ofakim, Yitzhak Danino, welcomed the new residents, saying, “The terrorists planned one fate for us, and one fate unites us here, together as one people. We are brotherly people. We are happy and proud that we had the privilege of hosting you, and we can assure you that we will do everything to make you feel at home. The residents of Ofakim are warm, loving, and hospitable people, a city of good people, and after October 7, a city of heroic people.”
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Israel Daily News – War Day 115, January 29, 2024
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Video Game on Largest Online Platform Promotes Murder of Israelis; Who Will Act?Asher Stern
FILE – An aerial view shows the bodies of victims of an attack following a mass infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, lie on the ground in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, in southern Israel, October 10, 2023.
You wouldn’t create a game where you could play the role of the Columbine shooters, bomb the USS Cole, or fly the planes into the World Trade Center. Those atrocities do not have two sides; the line between right and wrong is clear. Yet, according to the creator of the first-person shooter game Fursan al-Aqsa: The Knights of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, this clarity is not applied to the October 7 Hamas massacre.
Fursan was launched in late 2021 on the world’s largest digital gaming distribution platform, Steam. In early December 2023, the game received a gruesome update — one that follows and praises the October 7 Hamas terrorist infiltration of Israel, and the wholesale massacre, rape, torture, and abduction of Israeli citizens, 136 of whom are still being held hostage in Gaza.
This game incites obscene and gratuitous violence against Israelis, with a protagonist whose goal is to murder IDF soldiers under the slogan, “With bullets and blood we will free Palestine” — a known euphemism for the violent destruction of the State of Israel.
Fursan’s creator includes a thinly veiled disclaimer that the game does not promote antisemitism or “terrorism” — but the quotation marks around terrorism indicate just how little he regards the very real terrorism and violence that Israelis endure. Further, one only needs to look at some of the comments on the game, ranging from age-old antisemitic tropes to active support for “resistance” (a code word for terrorism), to gauge this game’s audience.
One specific instance is an exchange from October 9, while Israel was still reeling from Hamas’ brutal attack. A comment reads, “…they made this game in real life,” with the developer responding, ‘”They made a Live Action Trailer… .” For some, the violence that this game promotes may be mere virtual reality, but for Jews, it’s a constant reminder of the genocidal goal of Hamas and other Iranian-funded terror groups: the complete and utter annihilation of Israel.
The availability of Fursan on Steam demonstrates a symptom of a much deeper issue. Yes, freedom of speech and artistic expression are cornerstones of democracy; however, this game crosses all acceptable boundaries. The “resistance” that the game invites its players to join, is the same resistance that raped, murdered, tortured, and kidnapped innocent civilians in the real world.
Games like Fursan provide fertile soil for the growth of hatred, antisemitism, and incitement. It is a rallying cry that sits on one of the largest online gaming platforms in the world, with nothing seemingly being done about it on the part of Steam or its parent company, Valve.
As the world evolves, so do the ways hatred is expressed and cultivated. Extremist groups are increasingly using online gaming platforms both to spread their messages and as a method to recruit members to their ranks. A 2022 study identified Steam itself as having become a hub for such recruitment.
If terror groups utilize Fursan as a recruiting tool, that could place Steam and Valve in violation of Federal anti-terrorism legislation, which comes with serious ramifications, including potential fines and/or imprisonment.
But the most serious ramification is the effect this game can have on its players. By encouraging violence, the game leads to the perpetuation of extremist ideals and the legitimization of terrorism among young adults, which could result in more hate-filled attacks in the US and abroad.
Steam and Valve have a responsibility as a leading global platform for gaming to prevent the abuse of their software for incitement to violence and terror, and remove this game before it’s too late and someone is harmed. The results of incitement, like the October 7 massacre, are no game.
Asher Stern is the Head of Operations at the International Legal Forum, an Israel-based network of over 4,000 lawyers and activists around the world standing up for Israel and combating antisemitism in the international legal arena. He holds a BA in Government, Strategy, and Diplomacy from the IDC and an MA in International Relations from the Hebrew University.
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