War Day 130: Sinwar Underground Residence Found, 2 Citizens Injured

War Summary, Day One Hundred and Thirty: Footage was released of the underground residence of Sinwar which was fully equipped with bedrooms, bathrooms, a kitchen, and a stash of millions of shekels, heavy Hezbollah fire on Kiryat Shemona left a young boy in serious condition and a 47 year old woman lightly injured, and Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah publicly rejected the ceasefire proposed by France.

By Mrs. Bruria Efune

War Summary, Day One Hundred and Thirty:

134 held captive in Gaza.
112 hostages freed.
11 hostage bodies rescued.
34 hostages confirmed murdered in Gaza.
1,400+ Israelis murdered.
232 fallen soldiers in the battle in Gaza.
5 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
3 fallen soldiers in Judea & Samaria.
8,000 injured.
13,300 rockets fired at Israel.
186,000 Israelis displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Hostage Updates:

In a video expressing gratitude to the forces who rescued them, Louis Har said: “Every word you said to us, every hug that enveloped us with affection, gave us the feeling that we were at home. There are no words to describe the happiness when you brought us home to our grandchildren and children. Through you, we felt the nation in your hands.”

In reference to the code name that the forces used to speak about the two hostages during the operation, Louis added, “You said we were “diamonds,” but you are the diamonds in the crown, a thousand thanks.”

According to reports, negotiations in Cairo today for a hostage release deal “went good,” but with no breakthrough. Reportedly, the primary disagreement is the number of terrorists who will be left free in exchange for the freedom of each hostage.

A senior Hamas official told Al Jazeera: “Our main goal in the negotiations is a complete ceasefire in Gaza, Netanyahu is the one who is hindering the achievement of an agreement.” A senior Islamic Jihad official said: “We do not foresee any breakthrough in the talks in Cairo.”

Gaza Front Updates:

Hamas fired one rocket onto Israeli civilians in the Gaza Envelope today.

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

Lt. Col. (res.) Netanel Yaacov Elkouby, 36, from Haifa
Maj. (res.) Yair Cohen, 30, from Ramat Gan
Sgt. First Class (res.) Ziv Chen, 27, from Kfar Saba

All three were young fathers. Two other soldiers were seriously injured in the same incident that took the lives of these three.

In an address to the Israeli public, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi expressed optimism regarding the progress made in the conflict against Hamas in Gaza, noting that the military’s achievements have surpassed initial expectations. Despite ongoing challenges, Halevi highlighted the resilience and success of IDF soldiers in navigating complex urban warfare conditions and achieving significant victories against terrorist infrastructure.

Halevi emphasized the determination to continue operations aimed at dismantling Hamas leadership, ensuring the safety of border residents, and securing the release of hostages. He praised the successful rescue operation in Rafah as a testament to the military’s capabilities and commitment to returning hostages home safely. Looking ahead, Halevi conveyed confidence in the military’s plans and strategies, expressing a steadfast resolve to pursue further actions aimed at achieving long-term peace and security in the region.

Halevi also said that the IDF is preparing a solution to evacuate the civilians in Rafah as was done in other Gaza cities, before the IDF forces move in to eliminate the estimated 10,000 Hamas terrorists who are currently in the southern city. In response to questions, Halevi answered that the IDF is still operating in Northern Gaza, and is not yet ready to allow the return of Gaza civilians to the area until all of Hamas terrorists and infrastructure are cleared out. According to unverified reports from Washington, the IDF proposed to build 15 camps of 25,000 tents each in a humanitarian “safe zone” in the southwest of the Gaza Strip.

The IDF has eliminated an estimated 10,000 and arrested around 1,000 Hamas terrorists in Gaza since the beginning of the war. Many more have been seriously injured and are no longer active. Hamas started out with 30,000.

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, release footage from a Hamas tunnel camera taken on October 10th. The footage shows Hamas military head, Yahya Sinwar and his family, walking though a Hamas tunnel. In another video, the IDF gives a tour of the luxury tunnel, where Sinwar’s family had bedrooms, bathrooms, a kitchen, and Sinwar kept a stash of cologne and a safe full of millions of shekel and dollars. The spokesman pointed out that Hamas leaders have been living in safety and luxury underground without concern for the rest of Gaza over ground.

Hagari says that the IDF has arrested several close relatives of Hamas’s military leadership, and that they are providing very helpful intelligence in interrogations.

The IDF is continuing clearing out operations in Khan Younis, Central Gaza, and Northern Gaza, and have eliminated dozens of terrorists, found several tunnel entries, and confiscated multiple weapons caches over the last day.

In Khan Younis, the IDF is very cautiously moving forward on the area which contains the Nassar Hospital and al-Amal hospital and is heavily populated with civilians. Hamas terrorists are taking advantage of the civilian shields and shooting from in and around the hospitals. The IDF requested from the staff of Nassar hospital that they evacuate everyone in the hospital who is not a patient or medical staff.

Another challenge the IDF is facing in Khan Younis, is groups of terrorists posing as evacuating civilians in attempts to evade the IDF. The IDF has developed methods for identifying these terrorists, and eliminated at least three such groups today. In one instance, dozens of Hamas terrorists were hiding in a civilian shelter. After opening a safe humanitarian corridor for Gaza civilians to exit, the IDF identified and arrested the terrorists. However, it was during this operation that an explosive was set off in a building, and killed three IDF reservists and severely injured two.

Hamas reported that Al Jazeera “journalist” Ismail Abu Omar was severely injured in an Israeli drone attack on Rafah. Abu Omar can be seen in a video filming himself with the Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7th, and praising the attacks.

Gaza Humanitarian Efforts Updates:

Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, stopped a shipment of flour for UNRWA and requested that the IDF find a different and legitimate humanitarian organization to distribute it in Gaza instead.

174 trucks carrying humanitarian aid were inspected and transferred to the Gaza Strip yesterday. 23 trucks were inspected at Nitzana and transferred via the Rafah Crossing, and 151 were inspected and transferred via Kerem Shalom. 83 of the trucks carried food. In addition, 4 tankers of cooking gas designated for the operation of essential infrastructure in Gaza, entered the Gaza Strip.

Northern Front Updates:

Heavy Hezbollah fire on Kiryat Shemona this morning left a 15-year-old boy in serious condition, and a woman aged 47, moderately wounded.

The IDF carried out many airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Southern Lebanon, including on a building where Hezbollah terrorists were hiding.

The war in the north as not yet escalated out of the border area.

In a speech delivered by video today, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah publicly rejected the ceasefire proposed by France, which would pull Hezbollah back 10 km from the border with Israel. Nasrallah took pride in that Israel has only been attacking Hezbollah within the southern area of Lebanon, claiming this shows Hezbollah’s deference capabilities. He also bragged about forcing 100,000 Israeli civilians to evacuate from their homes in the north.

Houthi War Front Updates:

The US Central Command says that the Houthis fired two missiles at a ship in the Bab al Mandab Strait.

Judea and Samaria Updates:

A Palestinian driver attempted to run over pedestrians at the Gush Etzion junction, before driving away. IDF troops fired at and launched pursuit of the terrorist’s car, before bringing him to a stop near the town of Elazar. A knife was found in the terrorist’s car. The terrorist was injured by gunfire and taken to an Israeli hospital for treatment. Thank G-d, no Israelis were injured in this incident. Despite ongoing Palestinian violence against Israelis in Judea and Samaria, there has been no condemnation from any of the countries who demand that the Palestinians be given a state.

Today, Israeli Border Police forces arrested Omar Fayed, a high-ranking Hamas terrorist, in Jenin. Fayed is a key figure in Hamas’s military infrastructure in the Jenin area. Two IDF soldiers sustained minor injuries during the operation.

An additional 18 Palestinians wanted for association with terrorist groups were arrested in Judea and Samaria last night.

Joining the United Kingdom and the United States, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has imposed sanctions against 28 Israeli residents of Judea and Samaria “involved in violence against Palestinians.”

The IDF gives a tour of Sinwar’s first tunnel hideout:

Sinwar and his family safely under Gaza on October 10th: