War Summary, Day One Hundred and Two: One killed and 17 injured in Ra’anana today in a car ramming and stabbing rampage, the Shin Bet security agency revealed attempt by Iranian intelligence to gather information about Israeli civilians through fake social media pages, and 9 University students involved with Hamas were arrested in Shechem.
By Mrs. Bruria Efune
War Summary, Day One Hundred and Two:
136 held captive in Gaza.
110 hostages freed.
11 hostage bodies rescued.
33 hostages confirmed murdered in Gaza.
1,300+ Israelis murdered.
187 fallen soldiers in the battle in Gaza.
5 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
2 fallen soldiers in Judea & Samaria.
8,000 injured.
12,850 rockets fired at Israel.
187,533 Israelis displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.
Hostage Updates:
Yesterday Hamas published a sickening video with three hostages, including Itay Svirsky, Noa Argamani, and another male whose family request he not be named. The video contains threats to the male hostages lives. Today, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that several days before the Hamas video was released, the IDF had notified two of the hostage families that they had concerns for their well-being.
In an announcement today, Hamas claimed that the three hostages were hit by IDF strikes on the building they were held in. Hagari stated: “This is a lie. They were never harmed by an IDF attack. The building they were in was not the target of any attack at all.”
Noa Argamani is believed to still be alive.
Gaza Front Updates:
Hamas fired three barrages of rockets at the Gaza Envelope communities. No hits were reported.
Thank G-d, no IDF casualties were reported in the Gaza Strip today.
In a press conference, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stressed the importance of military pressure. “If the fire stops, the fate of the hostages will be sealed for many years in the captivity of Hamas. Without military pressure no one will talk to us. Only from a position of strength can the hostages be freed,” he says.
Gallant also explained the next stage of the ground offensive in Gaza. After completing the “intensive stage” in the north of Gaza, he predicts that it will soon end in the south of Gaza as well, as the Khan Younis brigade is slowly being broken down.
Currently, Gallant says “IDF troops are focused on the head of the snake, the Hamas leadership. As part of this action… the Khan Younis Brigade is gradually disintegrating as a fighting force.”
To prevent mass movement of Hamas forces to the south, Gallant says the IDF cut off the roads that lead to Rafah “above and below ground.”
Gallant also warned that the political indecision could harm the progress of the military operation. He believes that the future government in Gaza must grow from within the Gaza Strip, and says Gaza will be ruled by Palestinians. “The end of the military campaign must be anchored in a political act,” he says.
As the IDF moves towards the less intensive and more long-term stage of fighting, the 36th Division was temporarily withdrawn from Northern and Central Gaza, leaving three remaining divisions in combat. The 36th Division will go through a refreshment and training period, in what may be a rotation with other divisions in order to maintain fighting endurance and competence. It is possible that one of these divisions will be moved to Israel’s north, to face Hezbollah.
In the meantime, the 162nd Division will remain in Northern Gaza to continue the clean-up operations, and eliminate the remaining Hamas terrorist holdouts and infrastructure. Today the division spotted and eliminated a holdout of five terrorists.
The 99th Division is completing operations in Central Gaza where they advanced further in Nuseirat today, and found a mortar production facility, a rocket manufacturing factory, and a small weapons cache in a building belonging to a humanitarian organization. The troops also raided a school in Nuseirat, where eight Hamas terrorists were hiding, along with a heavy cache of weapons. The terrorists surrendered and were taken to Israel for questioning.
The 98th Division is operating in Khan Younis, where today they foiled an attempt by Hamas to transport a truck of weapons to resupply their terrorists in the city. The troops found and destroyed several significant storage caches of weapons, among them assault rifles, handguns, grenades, RPGs, and diving equipment belonging to Hamas’s naval forces. These caches were found across various buildings, including homes of Hamas terrorists.
Gaza Humanitarian Efforts Updates:
227 trucks carrying humanitarian aid were inspected and transferred to the Gaza Strip today.
The IDF says that there is no limit to the amount of humanitarian aid that can be transferred to the people of Gaza.
Northern Front Updates:
Hezbollah continued to fire on communities in Israel’s far north, including Malkia, Mattat, Margaliot, Adamit, and Zar’it.
The IDF says this that this morning it launched interceptor missiles at several “suspicious aerial targets” over the south Lebanon. The IDF did not explain further, but said that the incidents are over.
In response to Hezbollah’s fire on Israel, the IDF carried out several strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including launch sites, and other operational infrastructure.
Houthi War Front Updates:
The United States Army reported that last night, between Sunday and Monday, it intercepted a cruise missile that the Houthis aimed at a destroyer belonging to the American Navy in the Red Sea. No injuries were reported in the incident.
Later, the Houthis hit a US container ship off the coast of Yemen, causing minor damage.
Terror Attack in Ranana, Central Israel:
Edna Bluestein, 79, was killed in a terror attack in Ranana today. 17 others were injured, including at least seven children.
The attack was perpetuated by two Palestinians from PA controlled Chevron (Hebron), who were working illegally in Israel. At 1:30 pm, as children were being dismissed from school, the terrorists went on a murderous rampage, stabbing and ramming in to passerby, including a bus stop where children were waiting on their way home.
Judea and Samaria Updates:
Overnight, the elite Duvdevan unit and Border Police officers operated in Shchem (Nablus), where they arrested nine Hamas members at the an-Najah University. The arrest was part of an effort to foil terror attacks planned by university students affiliated with Hamas.
Additional raids were carried out, and a total of 17 Palestinians were arrested on suspicion of involvement in terror organizations.
General Updates:
The Shin Bet security agency revealed an elaborate attempt by Iranian intelligence to gather information about Israeli civilians through fake social media pages. The pages were designed to look like they were about the ongoing war and hostages, and one page impersonated the Kan public broadcaster.
The Iranians used these pages to requests photographs of events and locations from followers, and also asked followers to fill out “surveys” to gather information.
Can we please get updates on the procedings at the icj?