War Summary, Day Two Hundred and Fifty Six: While the US initially denied that it was holding back weapons, there was an exchange of threats, and indications that Netanyahu’s claims are accurate, the IDF soldiers thwarted an attempted stabbing attack near the Migdal Oz intersection, the terrorist was neutralized, and soldiers are finding tunnel shafts in almost every home in Rafah.
By Mrs. Bruria Efune
War Summary, Day Two Hundred and Fifty Six:
Updates may be off schedule for the next few weeks while I travel.
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:
- Israel is speeding up readiness plans for war against Hezbollah
- Netanyahu accuses Biden administration of holding back essential ammunition needed to win the war
Hostage Updates:
Qatar is still trying to pressure Hamas to compromise on some of their demands and agree to a negotiated version of the ceasefire; hostage deal. The main issue remains that Hamas wants Israel to agree to a complete ceasefire and withdrawal before the hostages are released, and Israel will only agree to end the war once Hamas is removed from power.
Gaza Front Updates:
Hamas fired six rounds of rockets towards Israeli communities on the Gaza border three times today, including twice at the Kerem Shalom crossing, from where aid is being transferred to Gaza.
Thank G-d, the IDF did not announce any fallen heroes today.
Three divisions of IDF troops are currently operating in Gaza: the 99th Division along the Netzarim Corridor, and in select neighborhoods of Gaza City and Central Gaza—including Nuseirat; The Gaza Division in various areas in Gaza on pinpoint operations, and in the buffer zone; and the 162nd Division in Rafah and along the Philadelphi Corridor.
The IDF has picked up speed in Rafah, where troops are searching for Hamas weapons and infrastructure, and are finding tunnel shafts in almost every home. Many of the buildings are also rigged with remotely-detonated explosives, and Hamas has hidden cameras guarding the buildings so that they can see when it’s time to pull the trigger.
Gaza Humanitarian Efforts Updates:
On Wednesday, June 19th:
285 aid trucks were transferred to the Gaza Strip today via the Erez and the Kerem Shalom crossings.
Aid arrived from Egypt, the Ashdod port and Israel.
88 aid trucks were collected by UN aid agencies and the private sector.
The content of 1,100 aid trucks is still waiting to be collected from the Gazan side of Kerem Shalom.
The US may be soon be dismantling the $200 million pier they built in order to deliver aid to Gaza, due to weather damage. The pier was only operational for a total of 10 days.
Northern Front Updates:
Hezbollah continued firing at Israel at a reduced number, and yesterday used an attack drone to set fire to a house in Manara. The terror group also released drone footage that they had taken of important IDF positions—including air defense systems and an Israeli Navy base. Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasralah threatened that the terror group has been gathering intelligence on many more sites over the last months, and is ready to hit Israel hard. Sources indicate that in case of a war, Hezbollah will try to cut off all of Israel’s communications and power bases.
IDF Chief-of-Staff, Herzi Halevy responded to Nasrallah’s threats saying that the IDF is aware, and has far more technical capabilities to combat Hezbollah, of which the terror group knows nothing.
The IDF continues to attack Hezbollah sites in Southern Lebanon, and yesterday struck a string of active Hezbollah terrorists.
The IDF has been holding various assessments and readiness exercises, and says that they are “accelerating the readiness of the forces on the ground.” It is unclear if this means that the possible war with Hezbollah in Lebanon will begin sooner than expected, and within the next few weeks.
Amos Hochstein, Biden’s envoy, visited Lebanon with the primary goal of reducing tensions between Lebanon and Israel and returning to negotiations. Hezbollah, through parliament representative Hassan Fadlallah, dismissed the idea of a buffer zone in southern Lebanon as an illusion and insisted that their front will remain active until the war in Gaza ends. Benny Gantz, Chairman of the state camp and former member if the War Cabinet, met with Hochstein, expressing appreciation for U.S. efforts to stabilize the region but emphasized that the window for a northern border settlement is closing. Gantz reiterated his commitment to removing the Hezbollah threat from the northern border, assuring that the Israeli government will have support for effective actions, whether political or military.
Reports in Syria say that the IDF distributed leaflets in which it warned the Assad army: “Time after time the Syrian army continues to pay a price as a result of the presence of Hezbollah in its sites. As we warned – we will not stop acting as long as the intelligence cooperation with Hezbollah continues.”
Houthi & Iraqi War Front Updates:
The Houthis used a naval drone to bomb s Greek-one ship (named Tutor), which they claim was headed towards Israel. The ship was sunk, and one sailor was killed in the initial explosion.
Judea and Samaria Updates:
IDF soldiers thwarted an attempted stabbing attack near the Migdal Oz intersection, the terrorist was neutralized.
International Updates:
PM Netanyahu says that in a conversation with US Secretary of State, Blinken, he told him that ”it’s inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel. Israel, America’s closest ally, fighting for its life, fighting against Iran and our other common enemies.” Netanyahu then claimed that Blinken reassured him that that the administration is working day and night to remove these bottlenecks.
While the US initially denied that it was holding back weapons, there was an exchange of threats, and indications that Netanyahu’s claims are accurate. The Jewish Insider reported that the American administration is delaying the transfer of additional arms shipments to Israel besides the shipment of heavy bombs that was halted ahead of the operation in Rafah. According to the sources, Netanyahu chose to make the issue public following a feeling in Jerusalem that the talks behind the scenes did not lead to results.
The Washington Post reports that the IAEA found Iran to be installing additional centrifuges that could triple the amount of enriched uranium and result in Iran being able to produce a sufficient amount of uranium for several nuclear bombs—every month.
Rafah – before and after. IDF troops found tunnel shafts in nearly every home in the city, leading to a large amount of demolitions.
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