Israeli Chief of Staff Meets with Jewish Community in Marrakech

Kohavi meets with members of the Jewish community in Marrakech (Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adraee’s Facebook page)
Kohavi meets with members of the Jewish community in Marrakech (Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adraee’s Facebook page)
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Israeli Chief of Staff Meets with Jewish Community in Marrakech

Kohavi meets with members of the Jewish community in Marrakech (Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adraee’s Facebook page)
Kohavi meets with members of the Jewish community in Marrakech (Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adraee’s Facebook page)

Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi concluded on Thursday a three-day official visit to Morocco, during which he held talks with senior commanders of the Royal Armed Forces and security and intelligence officers.

He met Wednesday with the local Jewish community, headed by Jackie Kadosh, in the Old City of Marrakech.

Kohavi paid tribute to the community members and thanked them for their contribution to the Jewish people in both Israel and the Jewish diaspora.

“I feel a sense of pride and admiration to meet you, the Jewish community of Morocco, some of who fought for the State of Israel, and are today working here for the Jewish community and to deepen the connection with Israel.”

He visited the local Jewish cemetery and attended a prayer service at the Slat al-Azama Great Synagogue.

He also met with members of the community who fought in the Yom Kippur war and later returned to Morocco.

Prior to his visit to Marrakech, Kohavi held talks with Commander the Moroccan Air Force Base Ben Greyer Colonel Major Hassan Mahwar.

Both sides discussed means of bolstering cooperation ties between both countries’ air forces.



Israel Presses Jenin Raid

Israeli army vehicles block a road on the second day of an Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, 22 January 2025. EPA/ALAA BADARNEH
Israeli army vehicles block a road on the second day of an Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, 22 January 2025. EPA/ALAA BADARNEH
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Israel Presses Jenin Raid

Israeli army vehicles block a road on the second day of an Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, 22 January 2025. EPA/ALAA BADARNEH
Israeli army vehicles block a road on the second day of an Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, 22 January 2025. EPA/ALAA BADARNEH

A Palestinian official reported shooting and explosions in the flashpoint West Bank town of Jenin on Wednesday as Israeli forces pressed a raid that the military described as a "counterterrorism" operation.

"The situation is very difficult," Kamal Abu al-Rub, the governor of Jenin, told AFP.

"The occupation army has bulldozed all the roads leading to the Jenin camp, and leading to the Jenin Governmental Hospital... There is shooting and explosions," he added.

On Tuesday, Israeli forces launched an operation in Jenin which Palestinian officials said killed 10 people, just days after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect in the Gaza Strip.

According to Abu al-Rub, Israeli forces detained around 20 people from villages near Jenin, a bastion of Palestinian militancy.

The Israeli military said it had launched a "counterterrorism operation" in the area, and had "hit over 10 terrorists.”

"Additionally, aerial strikes on terror infrastructure sites were conducted and numerous explosives planted on the routes by the terrorists were dismantled," it said in a statement on Wednesday.

"The Israeli forces are continuing the operation."

Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed to continue the assault.

"It is a decisive operation aimed at eliminating terrorists in the camp," Katz said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that the military would not allow a "terror front" to be established there.

On Tuesday, the Israeli military and the Shin Bet security agency announced that, in coordination with the Border Police, they had launched an operation named "Iron Wall" in the area.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the raid aimed to "eradicate terrorism" in Jenin.

He linked the operation to a broader strategy of countering Iran "wherever it sends its arms — in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen," and the West Bank.

The Palestinian Health Ministry says more than 800 people have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank since October 2023.