War Day 330: Major Car Bombings Averted, Hostage Bodies Retrieved

War Summary, Day 330: Two cars laded with explosives were stopped before being able to bomb civilian areas in the Shomron, the IDF confirmed that bodies were retrieved from Gaza but not yet identified and asked for the public to refrain from spreading rumors, and a top Hamas commander operating in Jenin was found and eliminated.

By Mrs. Bruria Efune

War Summary, Day 330:

107 held captive in Gaza.
35 hostages confirmed murdered held in Gaza.
117 living hostages rescued.
31 hostage bodies rescued.
1,636 Israelis killed.
344 fallen soldiers and police in the battle in Gaza.
21 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
10 fallen soldiers in Judea & Samaria.
20,780 estimated rockets fired at Israel.
88,000 Israelis displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Top Headlines:

• IDF responds to rumors: bodies are being retrieved, are not identified
• Government votes 8-1 to hold onto Philadelphi Corridor
• Hostage family forums put out opposing statements on Philadelphi vote
• IDF completes operation in Khan Younis area
• Top PIJ commander eliminated in Gaza
• New data says 6000 terrorists infiltrated Israel on October 7th
• Polio vaccination campaign underway in Gaza
• IDF soldier fell in Jenin
• Major battles in Judea and Samaria
• Commander of Hamas in Jenin eliminated
• Two car bombing attacks averted

Hostage Updates:

In response to many irresponsible rumors, the IDF made a rare announcement: “The IDF located several bodies during the fighting in the Gaza Strip. At this stage the forces are still operating in the area and carrying out a process to extract and identify the bodies which will last several hours. We ask to avoid spreading rumors.”

On Friday, Israel’s government cabinet voted 8-1 in favor of holding onto the Philadelphi Corridor (which lines Gaza’s border with Egypt) in hostage negotiations. According to reports, the majority agreed that maintaining a strong stance will lead Hamas to giving in to a deal. Defense Minister Gallant voted against holding on to the corridor, stating that it may cause there to be no deal at all to bring hostages home. Internal Security Minister Ben Gvir abstained, maintaining his position that there should be no deal that releases terrorists from prison.

The Hostage and Missing Families Forum, which represents most families of hostages, responded to Netanyahu’s insistence on holding the Philadelphi Corridor with a statement: “Netanyahu abandoned the hostages! This is now a fact. Starting tomorrow the country will tremble. We are calling on the public to prepare. We are stopping the country.”

The Tikva Forum, which represents a smaller number of families of hostages put out an opposite statement: “We are certain that maintaining IDF control over the Philadelphi Corridor is key to compelling Hamas to release all the hostages. Any deal that relinquishes Israeli military control over strategic assets such as the Philadelphi Corridor would result in the failure to release the majority of the hostages in the first round of negotiations. We cannot grant the terrorist organization that kidnapped our children, gifts and accommodations that strengthen their control of Gaza, without extracting a significant price. The Philadephi Corridor is an essential and critical strategic asset that is necessary to restore security to Israel and achieve deterrence by preventing Hamas from smuggling weapons in from Egypt, and as leverage in negotiations to bring all the hostages home.”

After Hamas told media that all talks fell through due to the Philadelphi issue, Ariel Kahana of Israel Hayom reported according to an official privy to the negotiations, that Hamas’s claims are false, and talks are ongoing. The official stated that Hamas’s statements are intended to cause Israelis to pressure the government into abandoning fundamental principals important to Israel’s security in the negotiations.

Supporting Hamas in their demands that the IDF withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor, is Egypt—who is also one of the deal mediators. Egypt is known to have made at least hundreds of millions in profits off the Gaza-Egypt border, in bribes from Gazans wishing to exit Gaza for Egypt. It is unknown how much Egypt made off turning a blind eye to the dozens of Hamas under-ground smuggling tunnels, and even above-ground smuggling operations. Some analysts suspect that Egypt is looking to make up the lost revenue, and hoping that the U.S. will supply it, as part of the deal, if Israel refuses to withdraw. Egypt already receives around $2 billion annually from the U.S.

Gaza Front Updates:

Hamas has not succeeded in firing any rockets into Israel since Thursday.

Thank G-d, the IDF did not announce any fallen heroes in Gaza.

Three divisions of IDF troops are currently operating in Gaza: the 252nd Division along the Netzarim Corridor, and pinpoint operations in Central Gaza and Gaza City; the 162nd Division in Rafah and along the Philadelphi Corridor; and the Gaza Division in the buffer zone.

The IDF and Shin Bet announced that Muhammad Qatrawi, commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s (PIJ) central Gaza brigade, was eliminated in an airstrike on Thursday.

On Friday, the IDF announced the completion of a three-week-long operation in Khan Younis and the outskirts of Deir al-Balah. During the operation, the IDF demolished six kilometers of tunnels, eliminated over 250 armed terrorists, and recovered the bodies of six hostages (as announced at the time of retrival: Alex Dancyg, 75, Yagev Buchshtav, 35, Chaim Peri, 79, Yoram Metzger, 80, Nadav Popplewell, 51, and Avraham Munder, 78). It was revealed that the hostage bodies were found in the Hamad residential neighborhood of Khan Younis.

The tunnels found and demolished during the operation contained key Hamas operation rooms and residence areas. Other important findings included valuable intelligence materials, rocket launchers, and weapons.

The IDF announced that civilians in Gaza can now return to the al-Qarara suburb of Khan Younis, which had temporarily been removed from the designated humanitarian zone.

After further research, the IDF released a new report on the details of the October 7th attack. While it was formerly believed that 3,000 terrorists had entered Israel during the attack, the updated report reveals that in fact 6,000 terrorists had entered Israel. Of the infiltrators, 3,800 were Hamas’s elite Nukhba terrorists, and 2,200 were Gazan “civillians.”

The report also says that the border fence between Gaza and Israel was breached in 119 places, and over 4,300 rockets had been fired at Israel on October 7th alone.

Gaza Humanitarian Efforts Updates:

Amidst concerns of a Polio outbreak in Gaza, the IDF, together with humanitarian aid organizations, is coordinating a vaccination campaign with will begin on Sunday, with the aim of vaccination hundreds of thousand of children across Gaza over the course of the week.

Since the beginning of the war, 282,126 vials of polio vaccine, sufficient for 2,821,260 people, have entered the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom Crossing. Additionally, in the past month, vaccines for 1,081,250 people have been brought in for the campaign.

Reports that there will be a ceasefire during the vaccination campaign are false. To support the campaign, the IDF is securing a humanitarian passageway for the vaccinators to travel through.

Northern Front Updates:

Hezbollah in Lebanon continued firing mortars, rockets, anti-tank missiles, and attack drones on Israel’s far north, including a barrage of around 40 rockets at the Western Galilee.

The IDF continued retaliation with strikes on Hezbollah positions in Southern Lebanon, including a building in which Hezbollah terrorists were spotted.

Judea and Samaria Updates:

The IDF announced the name of a hero who fell in battle in Jenin:

Staff Sgt. Elkana Navon, 20, from Petah Tikva

Elkana was killed during a gun battle with two prominent members of Hamas in Jenin, three others were wounded in the incident. The terrorists were eliminated.

The IDF is operating heavily in Judea and Samaria, with 23 battalions in the area (compared to just 7 currently in Gaza). This comes as terror groups in the areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority have exponentially strengthened, with a significant arsenal of weapons and explosives. Iran is seen to be making strong efforts to strengthen their proxies in Judea and Samaria, seeing as Hamas and the PIJ are failing in Gaza. Weapons are smuggled in via the Jordanian border, with which Israel has very weak security. Israel’s peace treaty with Jordan does not allow for a proper wall or surveillance systems for security, nor a heavy security presence along its length.

The IDF completed the operations in Tulkarem and Far’a on Friday, and is now largely focused on the Jenin area. Since the start of the operation, at least 26 armed terrorists were eliminated, and 30 were arrested.

On Friday, the IDF eliminated Wissam Hazem, the commander of Hamas’s military wing in Jenin. Hazem was spotted in a car, and Undercover Border Police quickly shot and eliminated him. Two other terrorists who were in the car fled, and were then eliminated in a drone strike.

Amidst fierce gun battles in Jenin, troops also neutralized dozens of explosive devices who terrorists had planted along the roads. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi visited Jenin for an assessment, and is quoted saying, “We are dismantling the terrorism that comes from the refugee camps in Judea and Samaria.”

Two major bombing attacks were averted late Friday night, in the Gush Etzion area.

In the first incident, a car exploded at a gas station near the Gush Etzion junction. IDF troops arrived at the scene, where the terrorist who drove in the car attempted to attack them. The terrorist was eliminated. A soldier and reservist were lightly injured. The car was found to have been packed with makeshift explosive devices.

In the second incident, a Palestinian terrorist rammed a car into a guard at the entrance to Karmei Tzur, lightly injuring the guard. The terrorist then drove into the community, where another local security officer pursued him, and rammed his vehicle into the terrorist’s. The terrorist’s car then exploded, and the security officer shot the terrorist dead. The officer was lightly wounded from the crash. The car was found to be packed with makeshift explosives in the same way as the first one.

The IDF and Shin Bet believe the attacks were coordinated, with the two terrorists setting out together from the Chevron (Hebron) area. In the aftermath, the IDF detained six Palestinians suspected of involvement in the attacks and have encircled Chevron as they continue to search for additional suspects. The Muslim side of Ma’arat Hamachpela (the Cave of the Patriarchs) was briefly closed amidst the searches. The IDF located and demolished a bomb-making lab in Chevron this morning and declared that the threat of further car bombs in the area has ended.

Houthi & Iraqi War Front Updates:

In the past 24 hours, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces destroyed one Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) and one uncrewed surface vessel (USV) in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

The Houthis now seem to have gained a level of control over parts of the Red Sea, with international groups needing to ask for permission from the terror group to tow the bombed out Greek Sounion oil tanker, which poses a major environmental risk to the sea.

Iran & Proxies Attack Updates:

Iranian media reported “A huge fire has engulfed one of the halls of Tehran International Exhibition Center, north of the Iranian capital. Authorities say the fire was caused by a fault in the electrical connections of the cooling system.”

It is unknown if this was an accident, or a strategic attack on a significant Iranian military asset.