War Day 348: IDF Chief Warns of More Surprises, Strong Signs of Imminent Ground Entry

War Summary, Day 348: Hundreds of Hezbollah walkie-talkies explode across Lebanon, IDF chief says more surprises to come, Iran evacuates blinded ambassador and 90 more terrorists, four fallen heroes in Gaza and several injured, reserve generals and ministers push for the “General’s Plan” in Gaza, Gallant says center of gravity is shifting to the north, and strong signs of imminent ground maneuver in Lebanon as 98th Division is rerouted.

By Mrs. Bruria Efune

101 held captive in Gaza.
35 hostages confirmed murdered held in Gaza.
117 living hostages rescued.
37 hostage bodies rescued.
1,650 Israelis killed.
350 fallen soldiers and police in the battle in Gaza.
23 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
14 fallen soldiers and police in Judea & Samaria.
24,500 estimated rockets fired at Israel.
88,000 Israelis displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Top Headlines:

• U.S. says negotiations making progress
• Egypt says won’t allow Israel in the Philadelphi Corridor
• Four fallen heroes in Gaza, several injured
• Reserve generals and ministers push for the “General’s Plan” in Gaza
• Hundreds of Hezbollah walkie-talkies explode across Lebanon
• IRGC terrorists in Syria also injured
• Iran evacuates blinded ambassador and 90 more terrorists
• IDF chief says more surprises to come
• Strong signs of imminent ground maneuver in Lebanon as 98th Division is rerouted
• Gallant says center of gravity is shifting to the north
• UN General Assembly passes resolution for unilateral IDF withdrawal from “Palestinian areas”

Hostage Updates:

U.S. Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, spoke with Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Galant, discussing the situation in Gaza and Lebanon. According to the Pentagon spokesman, Austin maintains the position that a hostage-ceasefire deal and diplomatic solution with Lebanon are needed in order to bring calm to the region.

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited Cairo for negotiations, and said that progress has been made on an agreement, and that “out of 18 clauses, 15 clauses have been agreed upon.”

Meanwhile, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Eati released a statement that “Egypt won’t accept any change to the rules from before October 7th, regarding security on the border with Gaza [Philadelphia Corridor] and the operations of the Rafah crossing from the Palestinian side.” In other words, they won’t agree to Israel maintaining a presence there.

Gaza Front Updates:

Hamas did not successfully fired any rockets into Israel today.

The IDF announced the names of four heroes who fell in battle in Gaza:

Cpt. Daniel Mimon Toaff, 23, from Moreshet
Staff Sgt. Agam Naim, 20, from Mishmarot
Staff Sgt. Amit Bakri, 21, from Yoshivia
Staff Sgt. Dotan Shimon, 21, from Elazar

Agam Naim was a combat paramedic, and the first female soldier to fall in battle in Gaza.

In the same incident in which the above soldiers fell, three other soldiers were seriously injures, and two moderately injured. Another soldier was seriously injured in a separate incident.

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 carried out several large airstrikes targeting Hamas terrorists and infrastructure in Gaza. Among the targets was a Hamas command room embedded inside the Ibn Al-Haytham School in Gaza City. The IDF used a precision strike and took measures to avoid harming the civilians who were sheltering in other parts of the building.

On-ground combat is ongoing in several areas, primarily in Rafah and areas around the Netzarim Corridor.

There’s an ongoing campaign pushing for the “General’s Plan” to be implemented in Gaza. The General’s Plan was written by Maj. Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland, and supported by a group of reserve Major-Generals, and various security experts. Today the Reserve Commanders and Combat Soldiers Forum presented a letter, which was signed by 27 ministers and members of Knesset, calling on the security cabinet to implement the plan. Joining the calls today was October 7th hero and Israel Prize winner, Menachem Kalmenson, who addressed the Security Committee in an appeal to implement the plan.

The plan is split into four stages:

1. Call for a mandatory evacuation of all civilians from Northern Gaza, making it clear that anyone who stays will be considered a terrorist. Civilians must all move south of the Netzarim Corridor.
2. Initiate a siege on Northern Gaza, pronouncing it a closed military zone.
3. Prevent any deliveries of aid to Northern Gaza, while conducting operations to thoroughly cleanse the area of Hamas and PIJ terrorists through intense military pressure.
4. Repeat a similar procedure in other areas of Gaza.

Gaza Humanitarian Efforts Updates:

On Monday:

182 trucks carrying humanitarian goods were transferred to Gaza, 146 through the Kerem Shalom Crossing to Southern and Central Gaza, and 36 via the Erez Crossing to Northern Gaza.

139 trucks were collected from the Gazan side of Kerem Shalom.
Approximately 470 trucks worth of aid are waiting in total for collection, 460 of which are the UN’s responsibility.

6 gas and 4 fuel tankers designated for the operation of essential infrastructure in Gaza, entered Gaza at the request of UN aid organizations.

Northern Front Updates:

The drone which woke up Israelis in Tiberias and the surrounding region at 4:30 a.m., was launched from Iraq, by Iranian-backed militia. Hezbollah in Lebanon fired over 30 rockets into Israel today, primarily at Kiryat Shemona. No injuries were reported.

The IDF carried out a large number of airstrikes in Southern Lebanon.

After the beeper explosions yesterday, this afternoon hundreds of Hezbollah walkie-talkie exploded, with even larger blasts than yesterday’s fiasco. The radios exploded at at least two funerals for yesterday’s Hezbollah terrorists, and in other parts across Lebanon, causing widespread panic and paranoia of any electric device connected to Hezbollah. Videos of apartments in Lebanon exploding quickly spread across social media, as people scrambled to figure out what it was that was exploding.

The Civil Defense in Lebanon reported putting out fires in 60 houses.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry announced 450 wounded in the walkie-talkie explosions, and 20 killed. The total injured since yesterday is now reported to be above 3,000. It’s widely suspected that the number of dead Hezbollah terrorists is much higher than being reported. In addition, the Saudi Al-Hadath reports of 150 Islamist Iran Revolutionary Guard Crops (IRGC) stationed in Syria injured, and 19 killed in beeper explosions. The IRGC denies this.

Iran sent a plane to evacuate over 90 injured terrorists from Lebanon for treatment in Iran, including the Iranian Minister, who reportedly lost his eyesight.

According to a Reuters source, the exploding walkie-talkies were purchased 5 months ago, in the same shipment as the beepers. Hezbollah terrorists were instructed to turn off all electronic communication devices. Amidst unverified reports of home solar panels exploding, solar companies instructed Lebanese homeowners to disconnect the panels from the batteries. In Syria, the Assad regime instructed all military and security officials to stop using any mobile communication devices, and only rely on landlines.

Digging in to Hezbollah’s fresh wave of paranoia, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi visited the Northern Command, and released a video statement warning, “We have many capabilities that we have not yet activated… we have seen some of these things, it seems to me that we are well prepared and we are preparing these plans going forward. The rule is that every time we work at a certain stage, the next two stages are ready to go forward strongly. At each stage the price for Hezbollah should be high.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also delivered a short and to the point statement: “We will return the residents of the north to their homes safely.”

While the U.S. pushed for a diplomatic solution, and hopes that the explosions will lead Hezbollah to rethink their attacks on Israel, Hezbollah is more likely to feel the need to defend their honor, and pull off whatever large attack they can, possibly with help from Iran—although it could take them time to get organized. Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah is expected to speak tomorrow at 5:30 p.m., Israel time (unless his microphone blows up).

Hezbollah senior official, Hisham Safi al-Din, already chimed that the terror group is inevitably facing a “new phase” and “punishment will inevitably come.”

Amongst signs of an imminent ground operation, the IDF’s 98th Division has been rerouted from planned operations in Gaza, and is now being deployed to the north. The 98th Division is considered to be a special forces, and lead the battles in the most intense parts of Gaza—they will now join the 36th Division under the Northern Command.

News 12 reported that the Israeli cabinet authorized the Prime Minister and Defense Minister to order military action against Hezbollah, including steps that may lead to a larger war.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that the the war is entering a new phase, stating: “The center of gravity is shifting to the north, to where we are diverting resources and forces. We are at the onset of a new phase in the war, it requires courage, determination and perseverance from us.”

The chief of the IDF Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, who has been long pushing for a larger offensive against Lebanon, stated: “The mission is clear, we are determined to change the security reality as soon as possible. The commitment of the commanders and the troops here is complete, with peak readiness for any task that will be required.”

A ceremony honoring the fallen soldiers of the Golan Brigade, which was supposed to be held this evening, was postponed by the IDF “in accordance with an assessment of the situation.” This is likely because the Defense Minister and the Chief of the Northern Command, who were supposed to speak at the event, were in nonstop meetings about Lebanon, and unable to attend.

On a separate note, it was cleared for publication that the intended target of last year’s bombing attack at the Yaron Park in Tel Aviv, was former defense minister and IDF chief of staff, Moshe Ya’alon. Nobody was injured in the blast.

International Updates:

Secretary General of the UN António Guterres posted on X (Twitter) “I’m deeply alarmed by reports that a large number of communication devices exploded across Lebanon & Syria, killing at least 11 people, including children, and injuring thousands. All actors must exercise maximum restraint to avert any further escalation.”

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution demanding that Israel entirely pull out of all “Palestinian areas” within a year, and called for an embargo on any arms that Israel might use in said areas.

The resolution was sponsored by the “State of Palestine” and 29 other countries, mostly Muslim nations. (The UAE is the only Arab country that has recognized Israel and declined to sponsor the resolution, however they still voted in favor.)

124 countries supported the measure, 14 opposed it, and 43 abstained.

Amongst those opposed were the U.S., Argentina, Czechia, Pacific island nations, Paraguay and Malawi. Amongst those abstained were Canada, Australia, Ukraine, the UK, Germany, and Italy.

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs put out a statement decrying the proposal, and adding that “The General Assembly decision bolsters and strengthens the Hamas terrorist organization and the Iranian terrorist state that stands behind it. The resolution sends a message that terrorism pays off and yields international resolutions. The decision only encourages Hamas’ rejectionism with regards to the deal for the release of the hostages and a ceasefire and further distances the possibility of reaching such a deal.”

VIDEO – A powerful explosion seen from an apartment in Lebanon