War Day 152: IDF Make Buffer-Zone at Border, Call Out UN for Lying

War Summary, Day One Hundred and Fifty Two: The IDF has made significant progress in clearing out space to make a 1 kilometer-wide buffer zone, the IDF has called out the UN for lying about the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and a 14-year-old terrorist stabbed a 64-year-old man in Neve Yaakov in northeast Jerusalem.

By Mrs. Bruria Efune

War Summary, Day One Hundred and Fifty Two:

134 held captive in Gaza.
112 hostages freed.
11 hostage bodies rescued.
33 hostages confirmed murdered in Gaza.
1,400+ Israelis murdered.
247 fallen soldiers in the battle in Gaza.
6 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
3 fallen soldiers in Judea & Samaria.
14,900 injured.
13,600 rockets fired at Israel.
160,000 Israelis displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Hostage Updates:

Hamas is continuing with demands that are red lines for Israel, including a complete withdrawal of IDF troops, a permanent ceasefire, and the return of all residents to the north of Gaza, which would allow Hamas terrorists to return under the guise of civilians, and with the cover of human shields.

Reports indicate that Hamas is threatening to leave negotiations altogether. Israel’s security departments are preparing for a Hamas-incited rise in violence across Israel with the start of Ramadan on Sunday.

Gaza Front Updates:

Hamas has not successfully fired any rockets at Israeli civilians since Monday.

The IDF announced the name of a hero who fell in battle in Gaza:
Staff Sgt. David Sasson, 21, of the Oketz canine unit, from Ganot Hadar

In Northern Gaza, where the IDF has already broken down all Hamas battalions but is still dealing with small cells of holdouts, the IDF carried out airstrikes in Jabaliya, targeting weapon depots, rocket launchers, tunnels, and Hamas hideout apartments. In Beit Hanoun, the IDF struck a building after troops spotted two terrorists fleeing into it.

In Central Gaza, over 20 terrorists were eliminated by troops on ground, and by airstrikes they called in.

Using intel from the Shin Bet, the IDF eliminated Amar Atiya Darwish Aladini, the commander of Hamas’s rocket unit in central Gaza. Aladini has been in his position since before 2008, and, according to the Shin Bet, “played a central role in the preparations” for Hamas’s October 7th massacre, in which rockets were showered on Israeli cities and troops during the attacks.

In Southern Gaza, the IDF is continuing to operate in Hamad, which is a town of residential complexes built by Qatar where large swaths of terrorists assumed they were safe to hide. IDF commando troops and Shin Bet agents have been going door-to-door capturing “many” Hamad and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists, including terrorist commanders. The troops have also confiscated large amounts of weapons, explosives, and scuba-diving gear from Hamas’s Navy. IDF intelligence officers are also surrounding the town, and scanning the ground of evacuating civilians, and arresting the terrorists who are hiding in between them.

So far the IDF has captured over 250 Hamas and PIJ terrorists in Hamad, including some who participated in the October 7th massacre, and a number of Hamad’s elite Nukhba forces. The IDF says that the captured terrorists have been giving helpful information when interrogated.

The IDF is continuing operations in Khan Younis, and has also expanded grounds on the northwest side. In one neighborhood of Khan Younis, IDF troops ambushed and eliminated a Hamas cell of five terrorists.

Targeted airstrikes across Gaza today eliminated a large number of terrorists, including participants in the massacre in Nir Yitzchak on October 7th who were hiding in a Hamas military building.

The IDF has also made significant progress in clearing out space to make a 1 kilometer-wide buffer zone along the outskirts of Gaza, keeping Israel far our of reach of potential terrorists in Gaza.

Gaza Humanitarian Efforts Updates:

The IDF has called out the UN for lying about the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) wrote on Twitter/X claiming that in February the IDF denied or impeded access to 40% of aid missions in Gaza.

The IDF’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) division responded that out of 193 requests, the IDF approved 150, and only denied approval to 22% which were denied for security reasons. In addition, in a huge display of hypocrisy. 30% of the requests approved by COGAT weren’t even carried out, or were cancelled by OCHA.

Today, 257 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid were transferred to the Gaza. 153 trucks carried food, the rest carried medical supplies, shelter equipment, and water. 15 of the trucks carrying food and flour were brought to the Northern Gaza Strip with IDF coordination. In addition, Egypt and the UAE airdropped aid into Northern Gaza.

Before October 7th, only 70 food trucks entered Gaza each day, and it was enough to keep the shops well stocked, and with food prices a fraction of that in Israel.

Videos filling social media show armed Hamas personnel taking control of the trucks.

Meanwhile, Qatar and Iraq pledged $25 million each to keep UNRWA alive.

Northern Front Updates:

Hezbollah fire was minimal today, and mostly landed in open fields. Late last night, an anti-tank missile hit a chicken coop in Aviv, causing heavy damage. This morning, a heavily-laden attack drone was shot down near Metula by IDF troops.

The IDF responded by attacking Hezbollah positions in Southern Lebanon—including a building where a terrorist squad was taking shelter—and with shelling of Hezbollah positions along the border.

Three pro-Iranian militia were eliminated Syria.

According to Lebanese reports, the U.S. is hoping that a temporary ceasefire agreement with Hamas in Gaza will allow an opening to negotiate a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Houthi War Front Updates:

Three sailors were killed, and at least four others wounded, after the Iranian-backed Houthis fired missiles at a Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier called True Confidence, in the Gulf of Aden. The vessel was heavily damaged, and the crew were forced to abandon the ship.

Judea and Samaria Updates:

An 64-year-old man was stabbed in Neve Yaakov in northeast Jerusalem, and is in good-to-moderate condition. The terrorist was only 14-years-old, and was a resident of East Jerusalem. He initially fled the scene, but was very soon caught by police.

Overnight, the IDF, Shin Bet, and Border Police carried out counter-terrorism operations, in which they arrested 17 wanted persons throughout Judea and Samaria. So far, since the beginning of the war, approximately 3,450 wanted persons have been arrested throughout Judea and Samaria, of approximately 1,500 of whom are affiliated with Hamas, and the remainder are affiliated with other terror organizations.

During the day the IDF operated in Deheisha, near Bethlehem. During the operation, the forces arrested several terrorists. According to the reports, local terrorists opened fire, and the IDF fired back, resulting in at least two wounded terrorists, one of them in critical condition.

International Updates:

Foreign Minister Israel Katz instructed the Israeli delegation to the UN to contact the Secretary-General with the demand to act for an immediate meeting of the Security Council, and also to contact the eight member states of the Security Council, requesting that they demand an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council in response to the UN report on Hamas’s gender-based violence on October 7th. Such a meeting would have been the usual response if the report had been about any other country,

General Updates:

According to a Washington Post report, since the beginning of the war, the US has “secretly” transferred weapons to Israel in more than a hundred different transactions – which were not presented for congressional approval because they were below the minimum monetary value that requires an official update. The report also says that the U.S. has been increasing the aid, and is providing a wide range of bombs and missiles. This appears to indicate strong support coming from Washington which is staying quiet behind the scenes.