War Summary, Day One Hundred and Eighty Six: Israel Hayom reported that hackers managed to break into the Israel Defense Ministry’s systems and there is some concern that sensitive materials may have been leaked, Turkey and Israel boycott each other over war tensions, and Iraq claims credit for attempted drone attack.
By Mrs. Bruria Efune
War Summary, Day One Hundred and Eighty Six:
133 held captive in Gaza.
112 hostages freed.
12 hostage bodies rescued.
37 hostages confirmed murdered in Gaza.
1,489 Israelis murdered.
260 fallen soldiers in the battle in Gaza.
6 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
4 fallen soldiers in Judea & Samaria.
11,600+ injured.
13,200 estimated rockets fired at Israel.
102,100 Israelis displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.
Top Headlines:
- Ongoing hostage negotiations failing
- Disagreement over Rafah
- Record amounts of aid entering Gaza
- The IDF is at top preparedness in the north
- Iraqi militants have been firing at Israel
- Turkey and Israel start a boycott
Hostage Updates:
Hamas is continuing with impossible demands in negotiations for the release of the hostages, including the complete withdrawal from the IDF—with no checkpoint stopping terrorists from returning to Northern Gaza, and a permanent Israeli ceasefire.
The Americans proposed allowing 150,000 Gazans to return to the north.
As of now, there is no deal on the horizon.
Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich proposed to the Israeli cabinet that any deal signed come with a commitment from the U.S. to support Israeli action in Rafah after the temporary ceasefire.
Gaza Front Updates:
Hamas fired rockets at Israeli civilians in Kibbutz Kfar Aza today.
Thank G-d, the IDF did not announce any fallen heroes today.
The IDF says that last night’s airstrike in Maghazi, Central Gaza, targeted and eliminated Hatem al-Ghamri, the head of the Hamas’s emergency committee for the Central Gaza region. The role of the emergency committee is to maintain public order and civil control inside Gaza, including control over humanitarian aid. Al-Ghamri was also active in the Hamas military, and was responsible for rocket fire launched from the Maghazi area.
The Nachal Brigade, which is currently the only brigade inside Gaza, is operating in the Central Gaza area, where troops eliminated several terrorists today in close-quarters-combat, and called in airstrikes for assistance when needed.
Over the last day, the IDF carried out a large number of airstrikes in Gaza, eliminating a number of Hamas terrorists, including at least one in Khan Younis who participated in the October 7th massacre. Other targets included tunnels, rocket launchers, and buildings used by Hamas.
The Palestinian Authority has begun a quick restoration project in parts of Khan Younis, where Gazans are returning after the IDF mostly completed operations in the area.
While the defense administration promises that Israel will complete the job of dismantling Hamas, with out without a deal, and will enter Rafah—and Prime Minister Netanyahu says there is a date, the Americans seem to be attempting to completely prevent it.
At a press conference, when asked about Rafah, American National Security Adviser, Jack Sullivan commented: “I have yet to see a credible and feasible plan for population transfer.” When asked if Biden would limit military support to Israel if it entered Rafah, he replied “I’m not going to comment on hypothetical questions, but the US does not believe there will be a massive ground entry into Rafah. This is not the best way forward.”
The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, at a press conference in Washington with British Foreign Minister Cameron, said, “Israel has not informed us of a date for action in Rafah. I think an Israeli delegation will be in Washington next week to discuss this.” The meeting over Rafah was supposed to happen last week, but continues to be delayed by the US.
British Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, stated that despite growing pressure, the UK will not stop the sale of arms to Israel by British companies.
At the Armed Forces Conference, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, stated that the US sees no evidence that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
Gaza Humanitarian Efforts Updates:
468 humanitarian aid trucks were inspected and transferred to Gaza today (Apr. 9).
More than 1200 aid trucks entered Gaza over the last 3 days.
303 packages carrying hundreds and thousands of meals were airdropped over Gaza.
47 food trucks were coordinated to northern Gaza overnight.
Close to 17 million pounds of food entered Gaza yesterday alone.
There is now more food entering Gaza each day than before the war, and by some estimates more food than existed in Gaza before the war including locally grown produce.
Northern Front Updates:
Hezbollah fired a few rounds of missiles on Israeli communities in the far north, at a decrease from yesterday.
The IDF responded with the usual—shelling Hezbollah positions along the border, and using airstrikes on Hezbollah positions in Southern Lebanon.
The IDF also targeted Hezbollah sites in Syria, from where a few missiles and attack drones were launched at Israel in recent days.
The IDF completed a large-scale drill in Northern Israel, involving infantry, armory, the Navy, Air Force, as well as police and civilian rescue services. The drill simulated a variety of war and emergency scenarios, including evacuating wounded while under fire, and enemy infiltrations.
Israel has warned that it cannot tolerate the situation in the north with Hezbollah. France and the Lebanese government—including Hezbollah, have been carrying out slow and unsuccessful negotiations to bring about a ceasefire. While Israel would agree to a ceasefire that brings a guarantee of quiet, it so far has no confidence that anything will come about. Hezbollah feels that they need some kind of “victory” piece to show for the 330+ terrorists they lost.
60,000 Israelis remain displaced from their homes in the far north, and in some communities, more houses are destroyed by missiles than not. In the beautiful resort town of Metula, the mayor estimates that it will take around one month just to repair the damage to public infrastructure enough for people to be able to move back. Some homes will be easier to repair, but some will need to be completely rebuilt. The mayor also estimates that 25% of residents won’t return, even after the war—unless something extreme is done to convince them that this won’t happen again.
The 36th Division was moved north nearly 100 days ago, and is finishing up with advanced training in case of an entry into Lebanon. A war with Hezbollah will be very different than with Hamas in Gaza. Hezbollah is very well equipped, with advanced guided missiles and drones. IDF troops on the border mountains stay under camouflage at all times, and don’t turn on any lights—if they’re spotted, Hezbollah fires at them.
The troops are currently fighting Hezbollah across hilltops—when they identify armed Hezbollah terrorists hiding in the Lebanese mountains, they shoot, no questions asked. The IDF soldiers also set up traps, some of them very sophisticated, to get Hezbollah terrorists to give up their cover. Between the IDF shelling and airstrikes, Hezbollah has learned to pull back their more valuable soldiers, and it’s estimated that most of their elite “Radwan” unit are now 7-8 kilometers away from the border.
The soldiers of the 36th Division already fought in Gaza, and come with a high level of confidence, and trust in their fellow soldiers and commanders. However, older reservists who fought in the Second Lebanon War in 2006 warn them that the fighting in Lebanon will make Gaza feel like a party: most roads are blocked, the fighting is on mountainous terrain, and the weapons are far more advanced.
One commander warns his soldiers: “In Gaza, you could make dozens of mistakes a month without paying a price from Hamas for it. In Lebanon, make one mistake – and you will immediately be kidnapped.”
Israel has not yet given a deadline for a ceasefire with Lebanon. There is speculation about two possible scenarios; either Israel will begin a larger operation or war to quiet Hezbollah after Israel is done with Hamas in Rafah, or Hezbollah will scale up their attacks on Israel as soon as the IDF enters Rafah (which Hezbollah says is a red line and feels they have world backing on that), and Israel will be forced to respond then.
Houthi & Other War Front Updates:
The IDF confirmed that yesterday’s “suspicious aerial target,” which was shot down by the C-Dome, was an attack drone from Iraq. The Islamic Resistance of Iraq, which is a group of Iranian-backed militants, took credit, claiming that they targeted the Hatzerim Airbase near Be’er Sheva. They also claimed to have launched a few other attacks, which clearly failed to enter Israeli airspace.
The US military announced that it destroyed an anti-ship ballistic missile over the Gulf of Aden, which was launched by the Houthis.
Although Iran has not done anything yet, they continued with threats of retaliation on Israel today, and Israel remains prepared.
Judea and Samaria Updates:
Overnight, the IDF, the Shin Bet and the Special Forces operated tonight to arrest nine wanted persons throughout Judea and Samaria. So far, since the beginning of the war, approximately 3,700 wanted persons have been arrested throughout Judea and Samaria Division, approximately 1,600 of whom are associated Hamas, and the remainder are associated with various other terror groups.
International Updates:
After Israel denied Turkey’s request to carry an airdrop of aid over Gaza (something which Jordan is doing in cooperation with the IDF), Turkey’s Minister of Trade announced that it would ban the export of 54 products to Israel, including on, cement, bricks, aluminum products, optical fibers, chemical fertilizers, forklifts, plastic pipes, jet fuel, and cranes.
In response, Israel’s Foreign Minister, Yisrael Katz announced that Israel will boycott Turkey back: “Erdogan is once again sacrificing the economic interests of the people of Turkey for his support of Hamas – we will respond accordingly and prepare an extended list of additional products that Israel will prevent Turkey from exporting.”
Turkish exports to Israel amounted to $5.4 billion in 2023.
General Updates:
Israel Hayom reported that hackers managed to break into the Israel Defense Ministry’s systems, and there is some concern that sensitive materials may have been leaked.
Discussion
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