War Summary, Day 333: The American Department of Justice intends to file charges against senior members of the Hamas leadership for their involvement in the kidnapping and murder of American citizens, the IDF found explosives attached to a baby carriage in Tulkarm, and Israel begins the process of taking over aid distribution in Gaza in an effort to cut Hamas out of the process.
By Mrs. Bruria Efune
War Summary, Day 333:
101 held captive in Gaza.
35 hostages confirmed murdered held in Gaza.
117 living hostages rescued.
37 hostage bodies rescued.
1,643 Israelis killed.
344 fallen soldiers and police in the battle in Gaza.
21 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
13 fallen soldiers and police in Judea & Samaria.
20,830 estimated rockets fired at Israel.
88,000 Israelis displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.
Top Headlines:
- Continued controversy over the Philadelphi Corridor
- U.S. and mediators preparing final offer
- Notorious terrorist eliminated in Gaza City
- Strategic tunnel destroyed in Northern Gaza
- Fires in the north
- Two terrorists eliminated in Tulkarem gun battle
- American Department of Justice to file charges against Hamas leaders
- Britain defends decision to suspend arms licenses to Israel
Hostage Updates:
The public debate over the hostage deal and whether to concede on the Philadelphi Corridor continued. Pointedly, everyone agrees on the urgency to bring the hostages home, and defeat Hamas. The argument is over the most effective method.
Following Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech yesterday about the importance of holding the Philadelphi Corridor, former security cabinet members, Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot held a press conference in rebuttal. The two knesset members and former IDF generals had joined a unity government at the start of the war, but left it in early June, over disagreements with Netanyahu. The primary points of their speech were that:
- Netanyahu is torpedoing a hostage deal for his political survival—because Itamar Ben Gvir has threatened to remove his party from the coalition, and collapse the government, if a deal is made releasing significant terrorists from prison and returning the Gaza-Egypt border to Hamas control.
- Israel can take back the Philadelphi Corridor after evacuating, if needed. And if Netanyahu thinks he can’t withstand international pressure not to take it back, he should resign.
- There are new technologies that can be installed to monitor the Philadelphi Corridor, and prevent tunnels from being dug underneath.
- Netanyahu is not doing enough to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons, or stopping Hezbollah fire in the north, so that evacuees can return home.
In response to Gantz and Eisenkot, the Prime MInister’s office released a statement: “The reality speaks for itself. Since Gantz and his party resigned from the government, Israel has eliminated the Hamas Chief of Staff and the Hezbollah Chief of Staff, attacked the Houthis, captured the Philadelphi Corridor—Hamas’s armament pipeline—and carried out a preemptive strike against Hezbollah that thwarted its malicious plan and destroyed thousands of rockets aimed at the Galilee. Whoever does not contribute to the victory and the return of our hostages, it is better not to interfere.”
While points 2-4 are weak arguments, and easily refutable (international pressure can prevent Israel from having the weapons needed to take the corridor back, the new technologies will easily be removed by Hamas, and Netanyahu is following the same diplomatic policy on the north and Iran as Gantz outspokenly preferred when he was in the coalition), the first point is the real core of the issue—whether it is true or not, many Israelis, even those who agree with Netanyahu’s negotiation stance, have difficulty trusting that Netanyahu isn’t acting out of concern for his own political survival.
Meanwhile, despite Israel’s huge concessions on the terrorist releases and evacuation of the Netzarim Corridor, Hamas is continuing to get away with blaming the lack of deal to release the hostages on Israel, and specifically on Netanyahu. Osama Hamdan, a Hamas leader who is staying abroad, told Al-Jazeera this evening: “There is nothing new about the deal and we are only referring to what we receive from the intermediaries. The US did not put appropriate pressure on Netanyahu and his government and did not do what was required of it. Our position regarding the Philadelphia Corridor is clear, and that is that we reject any version of the presence of the occupation in the region.”
This comes as the U.S., with Egypt and Qatar, are preparing a final “take it or leave it” proposal, in which they will put the blame on whoever says no.
For the first time since October 7th, the UN Security Council will hold an official discussion on the issue of the hostages, following the demand of Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon.
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.
A recent IDF airstrike on a Hamas compound near Gaza City’s al-Ahli hospital, eliminated notorious Nukhba company commander, Ahmed Fawzi Nasser Muhammad Wadiyya, along with 7 other Hamas terrorists from the Daraj-Tuffah Battalion.
Wadiyya commanded the massacre on the Israeli community of Netiv HaAsarah on October 7th. Wadiyya is known for entering the Taasa family home, killing the father in front of his four children, and then walking into the family kitchen and drinking cola in front of the children he just orphaned.
Another precision airstrike in Gaza City today hit a Hamas command and control room which was embedded in the former Namaa college building. The terrorists had been using the room to command and direct attacks on IDF troops. The IDF exercised caution to avoid harming civilians in the airstrike.
The IDF destroyed a kilometer-long tunnel in Beit Lahiya, Northern Gaza, today. The IDF had known about the tunnel earlier, but only located it in recent weeks. The tunnel had electrical infrastructure and a track for logistics and weapons transportation. A large number of weapons was also found in the tunnel.
Channel 12 News reported that Netanyahu has directed the IDF to begin delivering some of the aid to Gaza civilians, in an initial effort to cut Hamas out of the process. Currently, aid delivery is managed by various humanitarian organizations, but these are often hijacked by Hamas cartel. According to the report, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi expressed concern that delivery of aid may risk harm to IDF troops.
Gaza Humanitarian Efforts Updates:
On the second day of the polio vaccination campaign (Sep. 2), 74,346 children were vaccinated in Central Gaza, bringing the total children vaccinated in Central Gaza to 161,029.
205 trucks carrying humanitarian goods were transferred to Gaza yesterday, 154 through the Kerem Shalom Crossing to Southern and Central Gaza, and 51 via the Erez Crossing to Northern Gaza.
There are still around 455 aid trucks awaiting pick up and distribution within Gaza, 405 of which are the UN’s responsibility (September 2).
6 gas tankers designated for the operation of essential infrastructure in Gaza, entered Gaza yesterday.
24 pallets containing tens of thousands of parcels food aid were airdropped over Gaza yesterday.
12 bakeries are operational (6 in northern Gaza and 6 in central Gaza), producing close to 3 million pita loaves a day.
Northern Front Updates:
Hezbollah in Lebanon continued with heavy rocket, anti-tank missile, and drone fire on Israel’s far north. No injuries were reported, but two wildfires were caused, in Avivim, and near Manara.
The IDF struck Hezbollah targets in Southern Lebanon, including a building in which a group of Hezbollah terrorists were spotted.
Judea and Samaria Updates:
Operation Summer Camps continues into its 9th day. IDF commandos surrounded a building in Danaba (a suburb of Tulkarem), where two wanted terrorists were holed up. After exchanges of fire, the terrorist duo were ultimately eliminated, with no injuries to the IDF soldiers. The terrorists were found with M16 riffles on their bodies.
The IDF Spokesman in Arabic published a photo from Tulkarm showing an explosive device placed in a baby carriage.
International Updates:
The American Department of Justice published that it intends to file charges against senior members of the Hamas leadership for their involvement in the kidnapping and murder of American citizens during the terrorist organization’s attack on Israel on October 7th. The charged terrorists include three Hamas leaders already eliminated by the IDF: Ismail Haniyeh, Marwan Issa, and Mohammed Deif. The other three are Yahya Sinwar, Khaled Meshaal, and Ali Baraka. While Sinwar is under Gaza, and Baraka is in Lebanon, Meshaal is in Qatar-which is a non-NATO U.S. ally, and may be obligated to hand Meshaal over to the U.S. for arrest if a warrant is issued.
On Monday, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced the suspension of 30 of 350 arms licenses to Israel, due to perceived “risk that the equipment might be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law.”
Today, the British Ministry of Defense attempted to defend the decision, with British Defense Secretary John Healey stating that “the suspension of some of the arms export licenses to Israel will not materially affect Israel’s security. We remain absolutely resolute in our commitment to defend Israel.”
While the suspension does not threaten Israel’s arms capability, Israeli defense officials are concerned about copycat actions from other states. Netanyahu responded to Lammy’s statements saying ”Hamas holds 5 British citizens – and you are encouraging them.”
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby was asked about the British suspension, and replied “We will continue to support Israel’s defensive capabilities, and examine reports on its compliance with international humanitarian law. There has not yet been a determination by the US that Israel violated international law during the war.”
Over the last three years, Britain sold £3.1bn of weapons to Qatar, £1.9bn’s worth to Saudi Arabia, and £799m to Turkey—all known human-rights abusers. Israel only purchased £83m worth.
Strategic Hamas tunnel destroyed in Beit Lahiya, Northern Gaza.
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