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Remembering the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, 81 years later
On Sept. 1, 1939, Nazi Germany’s attack on Poland triggered World War II, prompting France and the United Kingdom to honor their defensive pact with Poland and declare war on Germany in response.
As Germany invaded from the west, the Soviet Union invaded from the east, culminating in the division and annexation of Poland under the German-Soviet Frontier Treaty.
The Nazis subsequently unleashed brutality on Poland’s considerable Jewish population, herding them into urban ghettos to await transport to the Majdanek and Treblinka extermination camps.
SURVIVOR OF THE WARSAW GHETTO UPRISING HONORED ON 80TH ANNIVERSARY
During the Grossaktion Warsaw, in the summer of 1942, a quarter of a million Jews were transported from the Warsaw Ghetto to Treblinka. In response, groups including the Jewish Combat Organization and the Jewish Military Union began to organize a resistance effort, leading to the largest military uprising by Jews during the war.
A group of Jewish civilians being held at gunpoint by German SS troops after being forced out of a bunker where they were sheltering during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in German-occupied Poland, World War II, April 19 – May 16, 1943. (12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
As the Nazis’ concentration camp deportation plan unfolded toward the end of 1942, the Jewish resistance initially decided to refrain from military action, under the belief that the Jewish population was being sent to labor camps. As word spread of the Nazi plan for Jewish extermination, fervor for armed resistance spread.
The first limited armed conflict in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising took place on Jan. 18, 1943, as sparsely armed Jewish families took heavy losses, but inflicted dozens of casualties on Nazi soldiers.
Then, on Passover eve, on April 19, German police and SS forces entered the Warsaw ghetto intent upon completing the deportation plan.
Despite great persecution, Poland again has a thriving Jewish community. Here, Chief Rabbi of Poland Michael Shudrich is seen speaking to a congregation of women Rabbis visiting the Nozyk synagogue in Warsaw, Poland on Jan. 17, 2019. (Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Soon, they met with heavy resistance from Molotov cocktails and grenades. Knowing the Nazi response would be fierce and total, the Jews decided to fight to the end; they refused to allow the Nazis to choose their time and place of death, and desired to call attention to the world’s troubling inaction in the face of growing awareness of Nazi atrocities.
SS Brigadefuhrer Jurgen Stroop, who commanded Warsaw, gave the Jewish defenders an ultimatum, offering them an opportunity to surrender. Upon rejection, Stroop resorted to burning the Jewish resistance out, employing flamethrowers and fire bottles. The so-called «Bunker Wars» lasted for a month, as the brave Jewish defenders slowed German progress in dense house-to-house urban warfare. Some driven from above ground, many defenders took refuge below in dugouts, bunkers and sewers.
GREAT SYNAGOGUE OF WARSAW TO ‘REAPPEAR’, 76 YEARS AFTER BEING DESTROYED BY NAZIS DURING GHETTO UPRISING
Following weeks of combat, the Jewish Military Union lost all of its commanders, prompting its last fighters to escape to the Michalin forest through the Muranowski tunnel on April 29, marking the end of the major engagement, although sporadic resistance continued until early June.
An estimated 13,000 Jews were killed during the uprising, while nearly all the rest were deported to the Majdanek and Treblinka concentration camps. Virtually every structure in the Warsaw Ghetto was subsequently demolished, and Stroop reported to his superiors on May 16, 1943, that the Warsaw Synagogue had been blown up. After razing the incinerated buildings, the Nazis built the Warsaw concentration camp complex in their place.
Railway networks were used to transport hundreds of thousands of Jews to the gas chambers to be murdered, inside the former Nazi death camps. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
However, justice would come for Stroop and the other Nazi commanders who oversaw the anti-Jewish brutality in Poland. Virtually all died in combat during the war or were captured by Allied forces and faced either execution or lengthy prison sentences. Stroop was captured in Germany by American troops, and following his conviction for war crimes, was hanged in Poland in 1952.
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While the Jewish resistance faced overwhelming odds against the vastly larger and better armed German forces, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising stands as an important milestone in Jewish history, demonstrating the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity, and inspiring other resistance and partisan forces both in Poland and beyond.
In 2018, Simcha Rotem, who played a key role as a courier in the Warsaw resistance, became the last survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, dying in Jerusalem, aged 94.
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White House backs Israel’s decision to halt Gaza aid shipments until Hamas accepts ceasefire extension
The White House is supporting the Israeli government’s decision to block aid to Gaza until Hamas leaders agree to a ceasefire extension, according to a newly-released statement.
In a statement obtained by Fox News on Sunday, National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said that Israel has «negotiated in good faith since the beginning of this administration to ensure the release of hostages held captive by Hamas terrorists.»
«We will support their decision on next steps given Hamas has indicated it’s no longer interested in a negotiated ceasefire,» Hughes added.
Earlier on Sunday, Israeli officials announced that they are stopping the entry of all goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip and warned Hamas it would face «additional consequences» if it does not accept a new proposal for an extended ceasefire.
ISRAEL AGREES TO TRUMP ENVOY’S TEMPORARY GAZA CEASEFIRE EXTENSION PROPOSAL AS FIRST PHASE EXPIRES: REPORTS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem on Dec. 9, 2024. (Maya Alleruzzo/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
«With the conclusion of the 1st stage of the hostages deal and in light of Hamas’ refusal to accept the [U.S. Mideast envoy Steve] Witkoff framework for the continuation of the talks, to which Israel agreed, PM Netanyahu decided: as of this morning, entry of all goods & supplies to the Gaza Strip be halted,» Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on X.
«Israel will not allow a ceasefire without a release of our hostages. If Hamas persists in its refusal, there will be additional consequences,» the post added.
Hamas accused Israel of attempting to derail the fragile truce, saying its decision to cut off aid was «cheap extortion, a war crime and a blatant attack on the (ceasefire) agreement.»
«The occupation’s announcement of halting the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip is yet another confirmation of its failure to uphold its commitments and its evasion of obligations under the ceasefire agreement,» Hamas said in a statement. «This reflects its ugly criminal face and constitutes a continuation of the genocide against our people, as well as an act of blackmail targeting an entire population by depriving them of food, water, and medicine.»
The first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, which included an uptick in humanitarian assistance, expired on Saturday. The two sides have not yet negotiated the second phase, in which Hamas was called to release dozens of remaining hostages in return for an Israeli pullout and a permanent ceasefire.
Hamas terrorists take up positions ahead of a hostage release in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Feb. 8, 2025. (AP)
An Israeli official said the decision to suspend aid was made in coordination with the Trump administration.
Israeli officials said earlier on Sunday that they support a proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire through Ramadan and Passover, or April 20. They said the proposal came from the Trump administration’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.
Under that deal, Hamas would release half the hostages on the first day and the remainder when an agreement is reached on a permanent ceasefire, according to Netanyahu’s office.
In the first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas released 25 Israeli hostages and the remains of eight others in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israeli also pulled back forces from most of Gaza and allowed a surge of humanitarian aid to enter the region.
But the first phase also featured various disputes, as each side accused the other of violating the ceasefire.
Hamas now says Israel committed another violation by suspending aid. The terror group said deliveries were supposed to continue as the two sides negotiated the second phase of the ceasefire.
HAMAS RELEASES MORE HOSTAGES IN EXCHANGE FOR MORE THAN 600 PALESTINIAN PRISONERS AS PART OF CEASEFIRE DEAL
Hamas fighters stand in formation as Palestinians gather on a street to watch the handover of three Israeli hostages to a Red Cross team in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, on Feb. 8, 2025. (Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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The war began when Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing roughly 1,200 people and abducting more than 251. Hamas still has 59 hostages, 32 of whom are believed to be dead.
Israel’s offensive into Gaza in response to Hamas’ attack has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run government’s Gaza Health Ministry. It does not specify how many of the dead were terrorists or civilians.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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