60th Day of War: 7 Soldiers Killed, IDF to Flood Gaza Tunnels

War Summary, Day Sixty: A video captured a miraculous moment in Tel Aviv, Israeli Ministry of Health revealed that released hostages were given tranquilizers by Hamas to make them look happy.

By Mrs. Bruriah Efune

War Summary, Day Sixty

138 held captive in Gaza.
110 hostages freed.
4 hostage bodies rescued.
1,200+ Israelis murdered.
82 fallen soldiers since entering Gaza.
7,771 injured.
11,446 rockets fired at Israel.
187,533 Israelis displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Hostage & Injured Updates:

IDF spokesman Brigadier General Daniel Hagari announced: “138 abductees are being held in the Gaza Strip. We determined today, following intelligence information, that one of the missing persons was designated as a kidnapped.”

Professor Ronit Andwalt, head of the nutrition department at the Ministry of Health, told the Knesset Health Committee that the released hostages were given tranquilizers and vitamins from Hamas to make them look happy when they were being handed over to the Red Cross.

After meeting with the families of the hostages, Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed the nation, and said, “we have a giant intelligence project that is busy only with this, around the clock, we are working to bring every hostage home.”

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi again mentioned that heavy military pressure on Hamas will force them come to the negotiating table with reduced demands for the release of the hostages.

Gaza Front Political Updates:

Under international pressure to finish up the war in Gaza, the political members of Israel’s War Cabinet addressed the nation and made it clear that they have no intention to bow out until the job is done.

Referring to the pressure, Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “If our friends want to help, which is also their war against barbarism, they simply have to stand firmly by our side.”

Netanyahu spoke about the powerful strength with which the IDF is dismantling Hamas in Gaza, and said, “So far we have eliminated about half of Hamas’ generals – we are coming to account with everyone who murdered, violated, and slaughtered our people. The ground shook in Khan Yunis and Jabalia. We win every battle, but it comes at a heavy price.”

Netanyahu added that after the war Gaza must be demilitarized and under the control of the IDF. “The power will be Israel’s,” he said. “No international force can be responsible for this.”

Defense Minister Galant addressed the recent heavy losses of IDF soldiers, and said “There is only one way to justify the sacrifice – victory. The victory should be sharp, decisive and precise and touch the goals we set: Disband Hamas and return the kidnapped to their homes.”

He added, “Recently I have been asked if we have the legitimacy to continue, I say – we have no legitimacy to stop, there is only one legitimate thing. One: to eliminate Hamas.”

Minister Benny Gantz pointed out that the War Cabinet and IDF kept their promise to Israel that they would complete the job even after the ceasefire. “Some thought that Hamas would prevent the renewal of fighting, or that we would avoid it, and we are proving that only Israel will determine its future. We will act as much as we need to, and wherever we need to – in the South as well as in the North. We will do this while listening to our friendship, and do what is right for the State of Israel.”

Gaza Front Battle Updates:

Hamas fired missiles at civilians in the Gaza Envelope communities, Be’er Sheva area, Ashkelon and Ashdod, and Tel Aviv area. The range was much wider than in the week before the ceasefire, but still at about a third the capacity from the early weeks of the war. Hamas does not keep large storehouses of rockets, and instead hides them in small clusters spread out in residential areas and underground, making it much harder for the IDF to deplete their supply.

A direct hit was made on an apartment in Ashkelon, two women in their 60s were evacuated to the hospital in moderate condition, and several more were treated for shock.

Many large meter-long pieces of shrapnel from missiles that were detonated by the Iron Dome fell in Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan. A 41 year-old-man was moderately injured, and two young men very narrowly (and miraculously) dodged a fall. An especially large piece of a missile landed inside a Tel Aviv classroom; thankfully the students were in the bomb shelter at the time, and none were injured.

The IDF announced heavy losses over the last day, and published the names of seven heroes who died in battle against Hamas terrorists in Gaza:

Captain Eitan Fish, 23 years old, from the settlement of Paduel
Sergeant Yakir Yedidia Shinkolevsky, 21 years old, from Migdal Oz
Staff Sgt. Toval Yaakov Tsanani, 20 years old, from Kiryat Gat.
Captain Yahel Gazit, 24 years old, from the village of Rakefet,
Master Sgt. (res.) Gil Daniels, 34 years old, from Ashdod,
Master Sgt. (res.) Matan Damari, 31, from Demona,
Master Sgt. (res.) Ilay Eliyahu Cohen, 23 years old, from Beit Nehemiah

In addition, three soldiers were seriously injured, and evacuated to the hospital. Their families have been notified.

The IDF is now full swing ahead in the third stage of the ground offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which is in the southern Hamas strongholds. According to IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, IDF troops are encircling Khan Yunis, which is a secondary “center of gravity: for Hamas, and where many Hamas operatives relocated to when the IDF moved in to the north of Gaza.

“We are operating with professionalism, evacuating the [civillian] population ahead of time from the combat areas. We are striking Hamas above and below ground, from the air, land and sea,” Halevi says.

The IDF is still deepening the achievements in the north of Gaza, and is advancing further into Jabaliya and Shejaya. Through gradual battles, many face to face in the streets, forces are clearing the areas of Hamas terrorists and their war infrastructure. Last night they located a Hamas war room with strategic maps and weapons, and found and eliminated a hideout with Hamas’s elite Nukhba terrorists in it.

The IDF released a photo of Hamas’s senior military command in an underground (yet luxurious) bunker at the beginning of the war, and marked five out of eleven as eliminated.

Chief of Staff Halevy put the responsibility for any civilian casualties directly on Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar’s shoulders. “In nearly every home they enter, our forces find weapons and terrorists. We understand that part of their way of operating is to leave weapons in the homes, then terrorists come to the home in civilian clothing, and fight from there.”

American officials told the Wall Street Journal that Israel has set up a large system of pumps that it can use to flood the Hamas tunnels with Mediterranean sea water. The goal is to destroy the underground system, and force the Hamas terrorists to come to the surface.

Gaza Humanitarian Efforts Updates:

The IDF division responsible for transferring aid to Gaza, known as COGAT, responded to a complaint from a UN official on Twitter/X that the UN is to blame for the lack of humanitarian aid in Gaza.

The COGAT account shared a photo of hundreds of aid trucks lining up at the Rafah crossing in Egypt on the way to Gaza, and wrote:

“This is the truck convoy carrying humanitarian aid waiting to enter the Gaza Strip. The conditions required to deliver aid to the people of Gaza exist. We’ve completed all the necessary logistics to make it happen. Now, the UN has to keep up.”

Inside Gaza, civilians report that Hamas terrorists are taking the majority of the aid for themselves.

The IDF made a tactical pause from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for civilians to evacuate along designated routes.

Northern Front Updates:

Hezbollah and other terror forces in Lebanon and Syria continued to fire into the far northern cities of Israel. On Tuesday afternoon an explosive drone landed in the Margaliot area–IDF sappers rushed to the scene and detonated it with no casualties.

The IDF attacked all sources of fire, as well as terror targets in both Lebanon and Syria, primarily weapons storage sites and military operating rooms. While in Syria, Assad’s positions are a direct target, in Lebanon the IDF is only targeting Hezbollah and other terrorist groups. However, today Lebanese forces got caught in crossfire, and one soldier was killed, and several were injured.

In an unusual move, the IDF spokesman published a message in which he apologized for harming soldiers from the Lebanese army. “Earlier today, IDF fighters acted to neutralize an actual threat detected from Lebanese territory. The threat was detected from a launch and observation complex of the terrorist organization Hezbollah nearby Lal Awadi on the Lebanese border. A report was received in the IDF that a number of soldiers from the Lebanese army were injured during the attack. Lebanese army forces were not the target of the attack. The IDF regrets the incident, the incident is being investigated.”

A Hezbollah source told Arab press that this incident called for escalation and that their attacks increased today because of it. The escalation was minimal, again displaying that Hezbollah is hesitant to fully enter the war and receive the same fate as Hamas.

At the end of a situation assessment meeting on the issue of the civilian home front, Defense Minister Yoav Galant announced the establishment of the “Northern Horizon” administration in the Ministry of Defense. The job of the Northern Horizon will be to strengthen the civil infrastructure in northern municipalities; improve the security components in the towns (including increasing the number of standby units and their armament); restore the civilian infrastructure damaged by the war; and fully implement the government’s decision to complete the “Defense of the North” project to protect the towns up to 9 kilometers from the Lebanese border.

Chief of Staff Halevy addressed the defense task separately, and said, “We are focused on the Gaza Strip, but at the same time continue our operations to bring about a much better security reality for the northern border,” Halevi says.

Additional War Fronts Updates:

After hints from both the U.S. and Israel that the Houthi’s actions against ships in the Red Sea would be addressed, last night there were reports of an unnamed aircraft over Yemen, and explosions in the area of ​​Sana’a, the capital of Yemen under the control of the Houthis.

Judea and Samaria Updates:

The IDF is continuing the battle against terror groups in Palestinian-controlled areas of Judea and Samaria, and in recent weeks arrested more than 1,200 members of Hamas from the region. In addition, many who had planned on carrying out attacks, or already did, were eliminated. Last night alone, 21 wanted persons were arrested in Judea and Samaria, and two printing houses used by Hamas were closed.

Over the last day and night, the IDF, Shin Bet, and Magav units operated heavily in Jenin, amongst other areas. Forces searched for suspected terrorists and locations of weapons, and exchanged fire with terrorists. The forces prepared two houses for demolition, both belonging to one of the terrorists who carried out the attack killing Meir Tamiri.

A controversial proposal was moved forward to allow the return of Palestinian laborers from Judea and Samaria to work in Israeli-controlled areas. While many think it’s necessary in order to keep the economy and construction moving forward, and also to prevent economic devastation and unrest in Palestinian towns, there is also strong opposition.

Minister Gideon Sa’ar responded to the proposal, calling it “wrong and dangerous.” He wrote: “This is a public full of incitement and hatred for Israel and the Jews.” Israel must today wean itself off Palestinian labor and increase the volume of foreign workers from friendly countries. There is no more important consideration than the security of the citizens of Israel.”

Helping Israelis Displaced by War:

A huge thank you to the 362 people who have donated $55,638 towards Chabad of Eilat’s emergency assistance to the families and children worst affected by this war!

It’s heartwarming to see Jewish people and our friends around the world come together to lift them up. We still have a long way to go; there are 70,000 displaced people in Eilat, including 16,000 children. The expenses are enormous.

If you haven’t yet donated, please join in here:
https://causematch.com/eilat/bruria

If you aren’t able to donate at this time, or already did, please share the campaign with friends and encourage them to help.

Every penny donated goes directly to helping the displaced and traumatized families in Eilat.

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Miracle: Watch as a large piece of shrapnel very narrowly misses two young men in Tel Aviv. The pair admitted that they hadn’t waited the full ten minutes after the siren in the bomb shelter, which is the maximum time it takes shrapnel from missiles detonated by the Iron Dome to fall from the sky.