War Day 110: 21 Soldiers Killed, Terrorist on Scooter Fires

War Summary, Day One Hundred and Ten: 21 IDF soldiers were killed in one incident around 4pm on Monday, a Palestinian terrorist on an electric scooter opened fire on IDF reservists near the town of Anabta, and Hamas rejects Israel’s two month cease-fire deal.

By Mrs. Bruria Efune

War Summary, Day One Hundred and Ten:

136 held captive in Gaza.
110 hostages freed.
11 hostage bodies rescued.
34 hostages confirmed murdered in Gaza.
1,400+ Israelis murdered.
219 fallen soldiers in the battle in Gaza.
5 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
3 fallen soldiers in Judea & Samaria.
8,000 injured.
12,900 rockets fired at Israel.
187,533 Israelis displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Hostage Updates:

A report in the AP news agency claimed that Hamas has rejected Israel’s proposal for a two-month ceasefire, during which the Israeli hostages held in the Strip will be released and the Hamas leaders will be granted the opportunity to leave Gaza.

Tikva Forum reaction, on behalf of families of hostages, responded to Hamas’ refusal of the deal offered by Israel: “Hamas’ refusal of the extreme concessions Israel agreed to for the hostage deal, shows that there really is no partner and the enemy does not plan to go to any deal. We must lead to the decision of Hamas through pressure and stopping humanitarian aid. That’s the only way we’ll get to the abductees.”

The spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, Majid Al-Ansari, said that the emirate’s mediation regarding the war in Gaza continues, but that most of the details being published are incorrect. At a press conference, the spokesman said that “there are serious negotiations going on in this matter, and Qatar is working to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.”

Gaza Front Updates:

For the second day in a row, Hamas did not succeed in firing any rockets onto Israeli civilians.

The IDF announced the names of 21 heroes who fell in battle in Gaza yesterday:

Sgt. Maj. (res.) Matan Lazar, 32, from Haifa
Sgt. First Class (res.) Hadar Kapeluk, 23, from Mevo Beitar
Sgt. Maj. (res.) Sergey Gontmaher, 37, from Ramat Gan
Sgt. First Class (res.) Elkana Yehuda Sfez, 25, from Kiryat Arba
Sgt. First Class (res.) Yoval Lopez, 27, from Alon Shvut
Master Sgt. (res.) Yoav Levi, 29, from Yehud-Monosson
Sgt. First Class (res.) Nicholas Berger, 22, from Jerusalem
Sgt. First Class (res.) Cydrick Garin, 23, from Tel Aviv
Sgt. Maj. (res.) Rafael Elias Mosheyoff, 33, from Pardes Hanna-Karkur
Sgt. Maj. (res.) Barak Haim Ben Valid, 33, from Rishon Lezion
Sgt. First Class (res.) Ahmad Abu Latif, 26, from Rahat
Cpt. (res.) Nir Binyamin, 29, from Givatayim
Master Sgt. (res.) Elkana Vizel, 35, from Bnei Dekalim
Sgt. First Class (res.) Israel Socol, 24, from Karnei Shomron
Cpt. (res.) Ariel Mordechay Wollfstal, 28, from Elazar
Sgt. First Class (res.) Sagi Idan, 24, from Rosh Haayin
Sgt. Maj. (res.) Mark Kononovich, 35, from Herzliya
Sgt. Maj. (res.) Itamar Tal, 32, from Mesilot
Sgt. Maj. (res.) Adam Bismut, 35, from Karnei Shomron
Sgt. Maj. (res.) Shay Biton Hayun, 40, from Zichron Yaakov
Sgt. Maj. (res.) Daniel Kasau Zegeye, 38, from Yokne’am Illit

21 IDF soldiers were killed in one incident around 4pm on Monday. The troops were in an area about 600 meters from the border with Israel, where they were demolishing buildings in order to create a buffer zone, which would allow Israeli residents of the border communities to safely return home.

Hamas terrorists hiding in a nearby plantation fired an RPG missile at two buildings which had already been rigged up with about 20 mines for detonation. The RPG fire reached a few dozen meters away, and likely set off the mines, causing the buildings to collapse, killing 19 soldiers who were in or near them. A nearby IDF tank which was guarding the operating forces spotted the terrorists and prepared to return fire, but were hit by a second RPG first, which killed two additional soldiers.

The IDF is investigating the security of such demolition operations, as well as the number of soldiers in and near buildings that are being prepared for demolition.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi shared a video statement in response to the incident, sharing in the grief of the families.

“If this is any comfort, I would like the families to know, they fell in battle near the border fence, during a defense operation in the buffer zone between the Israeli communities and Gaza. This is a task whose entire purpose is to create the security conditions for the safe return of the residents of the Gaza border communities to their homes. To that end, we went to war, which began with a cruel attempt to stop life, and we are more determined than ever to bring life back here, even more strongly.”

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu remarked, “Yesterday we experienced one of the most difficult days since the outbreak of war. I wish to strengthen the dear families of our heroic fighters who fell on the battlefield, and grieve for our fallen soldiers. The IDF has begun an investigation into the disaster. We must produce the necessary lessons and to do everything to preserve the lives of our fighters. We will not stop fighting until complete victory.”

IDF troops have made significant advancements in the last day; overnight they completed the encirclement of Khan Younis, and completed offensive and defensive operations in the city’s outskirts. Today alone, they eliminated 100 Hamas terrorists in West Khan Younis, many in close combat battles.

The troops also located rockets prepared for launch, many tunnel shafts, and other Hamas weapons.

One tunnel network located in Khan Younis contained the largest underground weapons production site found until now in Southern Gaza.

Videos from inside Gaza show mass numbers of Palestinians fleeing the fighting in southern Khan Yunis, towards Rafah.

Papers from the IDF in Arabic which were distributed around Khan Younis, read “Hamas commanders, look around you, we are coming.”

Meanwhile in Rafah, the southernmost edge of the Gaza Strip, the IDF struck a vehicle, eliminating four terrorists.

Gaza Humanitarian Efforts Updates:

In response to public complaints from UNRWA, the IDF shared photos of a seemingly endless lineup of trucks filled with humanitarian aid, waiting to be received in Gaza. The IDF says that UNRWA is being inefficient at delivering the aid, and has not made any efforts to repair that.

Northern Front Updates:

Hezbollah fired missiles heavily on Israel’s far north today, including an attack on a military position near Adamit, and at the Meron air traffic control base. The IDF says that the missile caused slight damage to a sensitive air traffic control base on Mount Meron. No injuries were reported.

The IDF has backup systems to ensure that the air traffic control base can continue to operate, and so that damage isn’t caused to the Air Force’s detection capabilities.

The IDF struck back on multiple Hezbollah targets in Lebano.

Houthi War Front Updates:

Britain’s Maritime Trade Operations Agency announced that it had received reports of “UAV activity about 85 kilometers south of the port city of Muha in Yemen”. The report comes in the wake of threats by the Houthi rebels that they will not go by the US nightly attacks in silence.

Judea and Samaria Updates:

A Palestinian terrorist on an electric scooter opened fire on IDF reservists near the town of Anabta. The reservists returned fire, and eliminated him, with no injuries to the soldiers.

The IDF was seen operating in Shechem (Nablus), Chevron (Hebron), and Jenin. Overnight, the IDF arrested eight wanted persons, and confiscated weapons, terrorist funds, and materials for preparing explosives.

Since the beginning of the war, around 2,700 wanted persons have been arrested throughout the Judea and Samaria Division, over 1,300 of them are associated with Hamas, and the others associate with a variety of terror groups in the region.