48 held captive in Gaza.
26 hostages confirmed murdered held in Gaza.
148 living hostages rescued.
59 hostage bodies rescued.
1,937 Israelis killed.
471 fallen soldiers and police in the battle in Gaza.
88 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
21 fallen soldiers and police in Judea & Samaria.
32,380 estimated projectiles fired at Israel.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Top Headlines

– Trump’s 21 point plan
– Two fallen heroes
– IDF advancements in Gaza City
– October 7th terrorists eliminated
– Terror attack kills soldier in Samaria
– Two terrorists planning imminent attack eliminated
– IDF strikes continue in Lebanon
– Hamas-funded flotilla expected to arrive on Yom Kippur.

Hostages

U.S. President Trump is preparing a 21-point plan to end the war in Gaza, and as always, rumors and claimed leaks are aplenty.

At this point, in my personal opinion, it is too soon to know anything for sure. As rumors are now, this does not look like a deal that Hamas will accept, and also has too many issues for Prime Minister Netanyahu to accept. However, Trump is presenting this as a near-done deal, so it’s worth taking a serious look at.

The deal is not yet final—Netanyahu has not agreed to it, and has already had three meetings with Steve Witkoff to negotiate the terms. No details are final, nothing has been shared with the public. However, there are leaks, and some are more reliable than others. We’ll start with the most reliable.

According to News 12, the basic outline of the plan is as follows:

1. Hamas will release all hostages on the first day, as the start of a new ceasefire.
2. Hamas will lay down “offensive” weapons.
3. Israel will agree not to annex any territory in Gaza or Judea and Samaria.
4. Israel will not target any terrorists in Qatar.
5. A gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza will be negotiated, and monitored by an international force.
6. Gazans will be given the right to leave Gaza, with guarantees that they can return in the future.
7. Gaza will be turned into an international trade zone, with exemptions from customs duties, in order to build a local economy.
8. Hamas will be removed from power, and a new government will be established in Gaza by a coalition of Arab countries, with American supervision.
9. The Palestinian Authority will be able to participate in the government council in the future, only after reforms in which they remove extremism from the organization.

Other details to the plan, according to leaks reported by Ynet:

– The hostages will be released in a 48-hour period, at the launch of the ceasefire.
– The ceasefire will begin as temporary, with assurances to Hamas, as IDF withdrawals are negotiated.
– Israel will release terrorists from prison, including 250 serving life sentences for murder, and 1,700 who were arrested after October 7th.
– Hamas leaders who commit to peaceful coexistence with Israel will be granted amnesty, and could relocate to another country, with the possibility of returning to Gaza in the future.
– There will be mass investment into rebuilding Gaza, with no limits, and heavy investment in healthcare, education, and housing.
– A path will be paved for the Palestinian Authority (PA) to take control of Gaza, if they undergo a series of reforms. This includes a path to a recognized Palestinian State.

The top issues standing in the way of the plan:

1. Hamas is extremely unlikely to release all hostages in one go, at the beginning of the agreement. They may not even be able to find all hostage bodies, but even if they could, they do not want to give up their lifeline.
2. Hamas has said that they will never disarm, and must maintain “the right to resistance” (aka the ability to attack Israel again).
3. Netanyahu has insisted that the PA must take no part in Gaza’s future, and cannot get a state in return for cheering on October 7th—not ever.
4. According to Ynet, Netanyahu finds the clause about Hamas laying down offensive weapons to be too light, and insists that it will not effectively dismantle and disable the terror organization.
5. Netanyahu does not want Hamas leaders to be able to return to Gaza in the future, arguing that this means they will eventually find their way back to running the strip.
6. Netanyahu’s coalition members will not allow promises not to apply sovereignty in any part of Judea and Samaria.

Once again, only G-d knows what will be, and only time will tell.

Gaza

In the last week, two heroes fell in battle in Gaza:

Maj. Shahar Netanel Bozaglo, 27, from Migdal Haemek
Staff Sgt. Chalachew Shimon Demalash, 21, from Be’er Sheva

**

The Air Force hit around 140 targets today, on par with the recent daily average. Targets came in all sizes, including weapons storage sites, observation points, terrorists, and high-rise towers used by Hamas. Targets were primarily in Gaza City, but also included a few terrorists who had fled to Central Gaza.

Nearly 800,000 people have evacuated Gaza City, with an estimated 200,000 remaining. Most of those remaining are in the western section of the city, near the coast.

Three divisions are operating in Gaza City: the 36th, 98th, and 162nd.

The troops have been advancing at a pretty quick speed. A major contribution to this speed, is the remote bombings; the troops now use remote control APCs to drop off large barrels of explosive materials in neighborhoods where troops need to enter. The resulting explosion is almost twice that of the typical Air Force bomb, and rips up entire neighborhoods, destroying all bombing traps laid by Hamas.

As the usual method, the IDF troops are working on fully surrounding Gaza City, and then closing in on the terrorists left inside. SO far they’ve closed the northern edge of Gaza City, and began working inwards through the Nassar neighborhood in the west, and up to the upscale Rimal neighborhood. On the southern side of the city, troops are working to close the Netzarim corridor (which the IDF previously had full control of until the May ceasefire), and are nearing the western coast.

While troops are making major advancements, they still have a long way to go until Hamas is fully cleaned from Gaza City. Many buildings which are being used by Hamas terrorists still need to be fully destroyed and flattened.

The 99th division is operating north of Gaza City, and the Gaza Division is operating in Rafah, Khan Younis, and the buffer zone area.

In addition to eliminating terrorists in combat, the IDF and Shin Bet work together to target specific high-profile terrorists, and all terrorists who entered Israel on October 7th. Eliminations in the last week included:
– The terrorist who raided the roadside bomb shelter in the Nahal Oz base on October 7th.
– The Hamas Nukhba commander who led the massacre and kidnapping of Israelis from a roadside bomb shelter near Re’im on October 7th.
– The Hamas terrorist who killed Ch. Insp. Arnon Zmora, during the hostage rescue mission in central Gaza last summer.

Yemen

The Houthis continue to be a nuisance with daily attacks of either UAVs or a ballistic missile. The missiles typically target the Jerusalem and Tel Aviv areas, while the UAVs target Eilat and the desert area.

Almost all projectiles either fail or are intercepted by Israeli air defenses. However, last week, a Houthi UAV hit a central area in Eilat. 20 people were injured, including two seriously.

The IDF says that the UAV was detected too late for it to be intercepted. Since then, improvements were made to prevent a repeat. The Iron Beam may have already began deployment in Eilat to help with the UAVs.

**

On the 25th, the Israeli Air Force struck back, with the heaviest airstrikes against the Houthis to day—dropping more than 65 munitions. Targets included five military headquarters where Houthi terrorists were gathered, and two weapon storehouses.

**

The Houthis have opened another threat: a possible cross-border attack, inspired by Hamas’s October 7th attack, but through the Jordanian border. Israeli intelligence found the Houthis to be training for such an attack, and that they may have begun sending terrorists to enter Jordan and prepare from inside, one by one.

In many areas, particularly in the southern Arava and Eilat area, there is no fence along the Israel-Jordan border. Israel has begun bolstering security with an entire division now guarding the Jordanian border. Jordan has no interest in being pulled into a war, and has also put their army on high alert to prevent Houthi gathering in the border’s vicinity.

Judea & Samaria

On Sunday, a resident of the Palestinian Authority drove his truck into Israeli troops at the Jit Junction. Tragically, he drove over and killed a soldier. The terrorist was neutralized by nearby troops.

The fallen hero is named as:
Staff Sgt. Inbar Avraham Kav, 20, from Lotem.

**

In an overnight operation in Tammun last week (September 25th), Israeli security forces eliminated two terrorists who were planning on carrying out an imminent attack.

Lebanon

The IDF has continued striking targets in southern Lebanon almost daily, and occasionally in the Bekaa Valley as well. Amongst targets were weapons storehouses, a missile manufacturing site, and busy terrorists in violation of the ceasefire agreement.

Other

The IDF is preparing to intercept an activist flotilla, which is scheduled to arrive at Gazan shores on Yom Kippur. IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin says that Israel has proof that this flotilla is planned and funded by Hamas representatives in Europe.
The flotilla includes dozens of boats, with activists of all kinds, primarily from Europe.
Flotilla leaders have turned down offers from the Italian government and the Vatican to collect the humanitarian aid and deliver it directly to Gazans in a faster and more efficient legal way.