War Day 177: Terror Attack in Be’er Sheva, Iraq Attacks Eilat

War Summary, Day One Hundred and Seventy Seven: Terrorist stabbed a soldier in the arm at Be’er Sheva’s central bus station, terrorist behind the shooting attack in the Jordan Valley area surrendered to the IDF, and around 1:30am, air-raid sirens woke up the city of Eilat, as the IDF forces detected a “suspicious aerial target” sent by Iraq.

By Mrs. Bruria Efune

War Summary, Day One Hundred and Seventy Seven:

134 held captive in Gaza.
112 hostages freed.
11 hostage bodies rescued.
36 hostages confirmed murdered in Gaza.
1,481 Israelis murdered.
255 fallen soldiers in the battle in Gaza.
6 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
4 fallen soldiers in Judea & Samaria.
11,549 injured.
14,430 estimated rockets fired at Israel.
102,100 Israelis displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Top Headlines:

• Surrendered terrorists say Hamas is disintegrating
• Hamas arrests rival political party members
• Terror attacks in Be’er Sheva and Gan Yavne
• PA terrorist surrenders in Judea and Samaria
• Iraq attacks Eilat

Hostage Updates:

Prime Minister Netanyahu says that he is doing everything to bring about the release of the hostages, all the time. He says: “Most of our action is a combination of military pressure and determined negotiations, which has already led to the release by our forces and our efforts, of approximately half of the hostages. Together with the negotiating team and the Cabinet, I am working around the clock to free all of our hostages. I am doing so while balancing between the necessary pressure on Hamas and the flexibility that is possible in the negotiations.”

Netanyahu added that when Israel shows flexibility in negotiations, Hamas only hardens their position, and demands more, including things which are not doable. “Hamas is demanding the cancellation of the corridor [which divides north and south Gaza] and the unsupervised return of Gazans – including Hamas terrorists – to the northern Strip. These demands by Hamas have security ramifications that I will not detail here. With all of the difficulty that this entails, the negotiations must be conducted with level-headedness and prudent determination. This is the only way to return our hostages – all of our hostages.”

“I reiterate: I am committed to returning all of our hostages, women and men, civilians and soldiers, the living and the victims. I will not leave even one behind. With G-d’s help, we will be successful. Together we will fight and together we will win.”

Netanyahu also responded to calls for elections, saying that if elections were held today, it would set the war back 6-8 months, and possibly lead to its end too soon.

The Israeli negotiation team, led by the Mossad, brought a new proposal to Cairo today. Hamas does not seem to plan on agreeing.

Gaza Front Updates:

Hamas did not successfully fire any rockets at Israeli civilian communities today.

The IDF announced the name of one hero who fell in battle against Hamas in Gaza:

Sgt. First Class Sivan Weil, 20, of the Egoz unit, from Ra’anana

Sivan Weil was seriously injured when his unit was hit by an RPG on Friday, and today he succumbed to his wounds. Five other soldiers were listed in serious condition together with him.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant gave an optimistic overview of the war, and shared that senior Hamas terrorists who were recently captured in Gaza, say that Hamas is collapsing from within, and paying a heavy price. Gallant added that the intelligence gathered from those who surrendered, plus the fact that Hamas is so significantly weakened, gives confidence that the IDF will successfully eliminate every single terrorist involved in the October 7th attack, from planning to footwork, and form the lowest ranks to the highest.

In Northern Gaza, the operation in Shifa Hospital is continued into its 13th day. After eliminating over 200 and arresting over 500 terrorists in the first days of the operation, the troops are continuing to hunt down the last remaining terrorists who are hiding throughout the hospital campus, in close-quarters combat. In the maternity ward, where two senior terrorists were eliminated, troops found a significant cache of weapons hid inside pillow cases, beds, ceilings, and walls. The weapons included mortars, explosive devices, sniper rifles, assault rifles, handguns, and other military equipment.

Elsewhere in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood, the IDF used airstrikes to destroy buildings from where terrorists had fires anti-tank missiles at IDF troops on ground. Airsrikes were also reported in Beit Lahiya.

In Central Gaza, troops battled and eliminated at least 15 active terrorists. In Deir al-Balah, a neighborhood not yet taken by the IDF, the Air Force struck a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) command center which was located in a small building in the courtyard of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. The IDF says that it took precautions and used a precise strike to ensure no civilians were harmed in the process. This is the fourth hospital in Gaza with a confirmed official Hamas or PIJ presence.

In Southern Gaza, dozens of terrorists have been eliminated by troops on ground and airstrikes they called in, including in the al-Amal neighborhood where a commando unit is operating. Combat engineering units are also working to destroy local Hamas infrastructure.

Prime Minister Netanyahu says that ha has approved the IDF operational plan for Rafah, and that the IDF is prepared for the evacuation of the civilian population and for the provision of humanitarian assistance. He notes that this may take time, but it will be done, and for one main reason: ”There is no victory without entering Rafah and there is no victory without eliminating the Hamas battalions there. This is a fundamental part of the goals of the war, which also include returning all of our hostages.”

In total, the Israeli Air Force struck around 80 targets across the Gaza Strip over the last day.

The IDF released Hamas documents which include data and documentation from 2020, in which Hamas recognizes that around 11% of PIJ rockets fall short and land within Gaza, killing Gaza civilians. The documentation also demonstrated how Hamas lists casualties from PIJ rockets as casualties killed by IDF airstrikes.

Palestinian journalists report that Hamas has been arresting people in Northern Gaza who they suspect are Palestinian Authority infiltrators who came in coordination with Israeli forces to “create a state of confusion.” Hamas claims to have arrested 10 officers from the General Intelligence Service headed by Gen. Majed Faraj.

Gaza Humanitarian Efforts Updates:

Today:
205 aid trucks were inspected and transferred to Gaza via the Kerem Shalom and Nitzana-Rafah crossings.
242 packages of food carrying hundreds of thousands of meals were airdropped over northern Gaza
Overnight, 10 food aid trucks were coordinated to the northern Gaza Strip.
Over the last few days, 21 ambulances were transferred to the Gaza Strip. Since the start of the war, the IDF facilitated the transfer of 105 ambulances.

Terror Attacks:

This morning, at the urban terminals of Be’er Sheva’s central bus station, a terrorist stabbed a soldier in the arm, lightly injuring him. The terrorist was shot and eliminated by another soldier who was standing nearby. The Be’er Sheva bus station is generally packed with soldiers on their way to bases near Gaza. The terrorist was an Israeli-Bedouin from the city of Rahat.

In the evening, a terrorist entered a Gan Yavne mall, and stabbed three Israelis, all of whom are in serious condition. The terrorist was eliminated by police who heard the commotion. The terrorist was a 19-year-old Palestinian who had a permit to work in Israel at a store in the mall.

Northern Front Updates:

Hezbollah continued with moderately heavy fire on Israel’s far northern communities today. One IDF soldier was lightly wounded by a rocket in the city of Kiryat Shemona.

In response, the IDF carried out a significant number of attacks against Hezbollah targets in Southern Lebanon, including targeted assassinations of terrorists. Using a precision drone strike, the IDF eliminated Ismail Ali al-Zin, a senior commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan forces’ anti-tank missile unit. The IDF says that Zin was a “significant source of knowledge regarding anti-tank missiles, and was responsible for dozens of anti-tank missile attacks against Israeli civilians, communities, and security forces.”

Last night, an IDF fighter jet shot down a “suspicious aerial target,” likely an attack drone, that was heading towards Israeli airspace.

Late tonight, Syrian media is reporting multiple Israeli airstrikes near Damascus, causing “material losses.” The Syrian Center for Monitoring Human Rights, an opposition-affiliated organization based in London, said that “Israeli missiles were aimed at the area between al-Hama and Jamraya in Damascus.” The Syrian “Voice of the Capital” website, which is also affiliated with the opposition, reported that the attack was aimed at a scientific research institute in Jamraya.

Houthi & Other War Front Updates:

Not long ago, around 1:30am, air-raid sirens woke up the city of Eilat, as the IDF forces detected a “suspicious aerial target” (likely a UAV, or attack drone) that crossed from the direction of Jordan towards Israel. The target struck a building in the Eilat area, causing no casualties, but minor damage. It’s unclear if the target was intercepted before crashing or not, as IDF planes were heard above. Iraq claimed responsibility for the UAV attack.

There is speculation that Iraq was aiming for a Saar 6 class corvette belonging to the Israeli Navy, which was right nearby the impact zone.

The U.S. Central Command reported engaging and destroying two unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen yesterday.

Judea and Samaria Updates:

The terrorist behind the shooting attack in the Jordan Valley area on Thursday surrendered to the IDF earlier this morning. He is named as Abu Rida al-Saadi, and was an active member of the Palestinian Authority security forces. The weapon he used in the attack was also seized.