Cauldron of Terror - Hamas, Israel, and the World - Five Hundred Days in Gaze - "The Jewish Woman is Dead."

Welcome to an excerpt from Cauldron of Terror: Gaza, Hamas, Israel, and the World, written by Mark Silinsky and published by Pen and Sword. This is presented by Kensington Security Consulting, which offers education on national security. In this excerpt, we will focus on one incident from October 7 that shocked Israel and parts of the Western world. It was a celebration of violence where a young Hamas operative boasted to his mother, father, and the world about his murders of men, women, and children. This episode is titled, “The Jewish woman is dead.” October 7, 2023, was a pivotal day in Israeli history. It was not a military operation; it was a massacre with 1,500 Hamas and Jihad terrorists infiltrating Israel to kill as many people as possible. Operatives went house-to-house, killing men, women, and children, sometimes burning entire families alive. In a gruesome ritual, they danced and sang over bodies. One participant in this slaughter was Mahmoud Afana, and one victim was Liraz Assulin. Mahmoud Afana came to world attention when he called his parents to boast that he had murdered ten Jews. With uncontained joy, he gushed to Mom and Dad that he killed 10 Jews! These are direct words of the exchange. “Dad… I killed [them] with my own hands. Your son killed Jews.” The father replies ‘May God protect you.’ The terrorist repeats himself over and over again, then addresses his mother. ‘I swear… I killed 10 with my own hands.’ The terrorist’s mother can only finally muster, ‘May God bring you home safely.’ While the father adds, ‘I wish I was with you.’ Afana underscored, ‘Mum, your son is a hero,’ he insists. ‘Kill, kill, kill!… Open WhatsApp on your phone and see how I killed them.’ This exchange was one of many collected on that day from call recordings, security cameras, Hamas terrorists’ body cameras, victim dashboard cameras, Hamas and victims’ social media accounts, and cellphone videos taken by terrorists, victims, and first responders. Israeli authorities crafted a documentary mixed with these exchanges and showed it to journalists. Later, Israel showed it to the United Nations. The disturbing conversation in which Afana repeatedly boasted about his killings became public two and a half weeks after the massacre, when it was presented during a United Nations Security Council session. And what about his victims? They did not capture the headlines worldwide. This author cannot verify whether Afana killed 10 Jews, 5, or 15. His claim might have been mostly bragging, but it is very likely that he killed some, including Liraz Assulin. The 38-year-old woman was dancing and enjoying the pulsating music at the Nova Festival when a Hamas operative shot and killed her. Then, Assulin acquired her cell phone. Did he kill her himself, or was she dead or dying when he took her phone? We will probably never know. We do know that he gleefully participated in the mass shooting at the festival. We also know that Liraz Assulin had a full life, mourned by those who knew her. With her friends, she went to Nova and never came back. For several days, her fate was unknown. Was she alive and kidnapped or dead and unidentified? On 9 October, her body was found. Who was she? She was single, had no children, and had five siblings. She was a CPA and an MBA, served as head of accounting at the Neto Group, and, in addition, acted as a board member of Tamar Water Consortium. Liraz was known for saying “Always be smiling” and “Life is good.” On the day of her death, her sister called her to see if she was alive. She was not, and her probable killer had her phone. Afana answered her sister’s call by saying, “The Jewish woman is dead.” Her killer would die, too, by an Israeli airstrike, nearly two years later Remembering her life and death, someone remarked, “She will always be remembered as a blessing, someone who cherished life. Mahmoud, meanwhile, has now joined the ranks of Goliath, Haman, Titus, Hitler, and Sinwar—all of whom sought to wipe out the Jewish people, and all of whom failed. Never forget how this ugly war began: with an attack on those who cherish life by those who worship death. This is a battle between good and evil, and good will prevail. Liraz, may you rest in the palm of God. May the angels carry to you the news: justice has been served.” ` This concludes a profile from "Cauldron of Terror Gaza, Hamas, Israel, and the World," by Mark Silinsky, published by Pen and Sword. If you enjoyed this, please consider subscribing to continue listening to this podcast. The book will be available for purchase in early spring 2026. This reading does not represent the official position of any agency or individual within the United States government. On behalf of Kensington Security Consulting, thank you for listening.