War Summary, Day Two Hundred and Fifty Four: Day of mourning in Israel, as the names of 10 soldiers were released today of the twelve killed since Shabbos, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari gave a long statement in English addressing Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel, and warning of what is to come, and Israel announced a daily tactical pause to enable aid delivery to Gaza.
By Mrs. Bruria Efune
War Summary, Day Two Hundred and Fifty Four:
120 held captive in Gaza.
45 hostages confirmed murdered in Gaza.
116 hostages freed.
19 hostage bodies rescued.
1,546 Israelis killed.
312 fallen soldiers and police in the battle in Gaza.
15 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
7 fallen soldiers in Judea & Samaria.
19,480 estimated rockets fired at Israel.
90,000 Israelis displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.
Top Headlines:
- Hamas still being pressured to agree to deal
- Day of mourning in Israel, as the names of 10 soldiers were released
- The IDF is implementing a tactical pause along Salah al-DIn so that the UN can more easily deliver the aid
- IDF Spokesperson warns of war with Hezbollah
Hostage Updates:
Israel Hayom reports that Egypt and other countries friendly with Hamas have been pressuring Hamas to agree to the first stage of the deal, which includes a ceasefire, IDF withdrawal from populated areas, the release of terrorists from prison, and the return of female and ill hostages to Israel.
Gaza Front Updates:
Hamas fired a rocket at Kibbutz Nirim today. The kibbutz remains mostly evacuated, with a small minority having returned home.
The IDF announced the names of 10 heroes who fell in battle in Gaza this weekend:
Cpt. (res.) Eitan Koplovich, 28, from Jerusalem.
Warrant Officer (res.) Elon Weiss, 49, from Psagot.
Sgt. Eliyahu Moshe Zimbalist, 21, from Beit Shemesh
Sgt. Itay Amar, 19, from Kochav Yair
Sgt. Stanislav Kostarev, 21, from Ashdod
Sgt. Or Blumovitz, 20, from Pardes Hanna-Karkur
Sgt. Oz Yeshaya Gruber, 20, from Tal Menashe
Sgt. Yakir Ya’akov Levi, 21, from Hafetz Haim
Sgt. Shalom Menachem, 21, from Beit El
Staff Sgt. Tzur Abraham, 22, from Modi’in
Two fell in Northern Gaza, the remainder in Rafah.
Despite enormous tragedy, IDF troops continue to move forward in Rafah. The IDF did not announce much about today’s activity, but troops were seen operating in Rafah, Nuseirat, along the Netzarim Corridor, and in specific areas in Northern Gaza.
Gaza Humanitarian Efforts Updates:
6 bakeries are now operational in Northern Gaza following coordination with Israel. Together, these bakeries produce 1.5 million pita breads daily.
The content of 1,000 aid trucks are still waiting to be collected from the Gazan side of Kerem Shalom, by UN organizations.
The IDF announced that a daily tactical pause will occur along the main road (Salah al-Din) which leads from the Kerem Shalom Crossing, through eastern Rafah, and toward the north of Gaza. The pause will take place from 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m., and should make it even easier for humanitarian aid to be delivered throughout Gaza. It should be noted that in recent days, little to no activity was happening along this road anyway.
Northern Front Updates:
There were far less attacks than usual from Hezbollah today, and none that triggered sirens in civilian areas. This is likely due to the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha, which kept Hezbollah terrorists busy.
The IDF carried out several attacks against Hezbollah positions in Southern Lebanon.
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari gave a long statement in English, addressing Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel, and warning of what is to come. Hagari called out Iran’s “axis of evil,” for sponsoring terror on all fronts around Israel. He said that Hezbollah is “bringing us to the brink of what could be a wider escalation, which could have devastating consequences for Lebanon and the entire region.”
Hagari noted that Hezbollah has fired over 5,000 rockets, anti-tank missiles, and attack drones at Israeli families, homes, and communities. He then emphasized that Israel will not allow an October 7th to happen again, on any border.
“Because of Hezbollah’s refusal to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, because of Hezbollah’s military infrastructure; weapons and fire at Israel from the area south of the Litani River in southern Lebanon, and because of Lebanon’s failure to enforce 1701 on Hezbollah, Israel will take the necessary measures to protect its civilians, until security along our border with Lebanon is restored,” Hagari warned.
The Litany River crosses through Lebanon and divides the Northern lowlands from the southern mountains—from where Hezbollah fires onto Israel. The UN Security Council Resolution 1701, signed in August 2006, was supposed to keep Hezbollah in the lowlands, and unable to harm Israel. It’s most likely that Israel’s goal in a ground offensive will be to push Hezbollah back past the Litany River.
While Hezbollah is far better armed than Hamas, and the war isn’t expected to be easier, it will likely be much faster. This largely because it will be easier to evacuate civilians—they have the larger half of Lebanon to move to, and very few are interested in acting as human shields for Hezbollah.
Houthi & Iraqi War Front Updates:
This morning, a Greek ship was reported rescued by the US Central Command after being hit in a Houthi attack in the Red Sea.
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