War Day 379: Drone Hits Netanyahu’s Home, US Leaks Intel

War Summary, Day 376-379: Hezbollah drones target Netanyahu’s home, Hezbollah continues firing 200 rockets daily, airstrikes resume in Beirut, a Lebanese town thanks the IDF for removing Hezbollah, Netanyahu offers immunity to Gazans helping return hostages, 31 of Hamas’s top 54 leaders killed, Hamas hides their next leader’s identity, and U.S. leaks Israel’s preparation for an Iran strike.

By Mrs. Bruria Efune

101 held captive in Gaza.
36 hostages confirmed murdered held in Gaza.
117 living hostages rescued.
37 hostage bodies rescued.
1,694 Israelis killed.
357 fallen soldiers and police in the battle in Gaza.
51 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
14 fallen soldiers and police in Judea & Samaria.
27,450 estimated projectiles fired at Israel.
88,000 Israelis displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Hostages:

– After Sinwar’s elimination, Netanyahu offered immunity and a free pass out of Gaza to anyone who brings hostages home—and death to anyone who harms them.

– Former Sodastream CEO, Daniel Birnbaum offered $100,000 to any Gazan who brings a hostage alive before October 24th.

– Many think that a hostage deal is more attainable now that Sinwar is gone, since he was the main one against it. Others suspect this not to be the case, since Qatar was equally trying to sabotage agreements (I think this is correct).

– Israel might use Sinwar’s body in negotiations.

Gaza:

– Two heroes fell in battle in Northern Gaza today:

Staff Sgt. Ofir Berkovich, 20, from Modi’in

Sgt. Elishai Young, 19, from Dimona.

– On Wednesday, Sinwar was killed in the Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah. Troops spotted him and two bodyguards after they left a tunnel in attempt to flee to the humanitarian zone.

– Valuable intelligence, including maps, were found on Sinwar’s body.

– The commander of Hamas’s Tel Sultan Battalion, Mahmoud Hamdan, was one of the guards who were eliminated ahead of Sinwar.

– The IDF released footage of Sinwar bringing his family into a tunnel under Khan Younis on the eve of October 6th, 2023.

– An intense operation is ongoing in Jabaliya, Northern Gaza, with an unusually large number of troops. Despite violent Hamas efforts to keep civillians in the area, hundreds have finally begun to evacuate today, under IDF protection. Several terrorists have surrendered as well.

– 31 out of Hamas’s top 54 leadership are eliminated. An estimated minimum of 21,000 Hamas militants are eliminated (out of 35,000). 3,000 are captured, and at least 5,000 are severely injured.

– Hamas will keep the identity of its next leader secret. The military leader will likely be Mohammad Sinwar, the brother of Yahya Sinwar, who has been directing the military alongside him during the war.

– At the US’s demand, the IDF’s COGAT division has increased humanitarian aid into Gaza, including into the mandatory evacuation zones in Northern Gaza, where they delivered two trucks of aid directly to the Hamas terrorists they are trying to eliminate. They are also facilitating the booster shot phase of the children’s polio vaccination campaign.

Lebanon:

– Hezbollah fired between 200-100 rockets and drones per day recently. The largest cities under fire were Tzfat and Haifa. Despite threatening escalation, this has been a decline.

– The IDF announced the names of five heroes who fell in battle in Southern Lebanon, all reservists:

Staff Sergeant Yakov Hillel, 21

Staff Sergeant Yehudah Dror Yahalom, 21

Staff Sergeant Elyashiv Eitan Wieder, 22

Captain Elad Siman Tov, 23

Major Ofek Bachar, 24

Sgt. Maj. Yishai Netanel Greenbaum, 38

– One civilian was killed today (Shabbat), after a direct hit in Acre. 9 others were injured from shrapnel in various attacks in Northern Israel.

– Israel is improving its drone detection abilities, and has more significant improvements about to be rolled out. To counter this, Hezbollah has started sending the drones on routes over the Mediterranean Sea.

– On Friday night, Hezbollah launched three drones towards Caesarea, likely all to the same target: Bibi Netanyahu’s family home. Two were intercepted, and one hit, causing minor damage. The Netanyahu family were not home at the time.

– Netanyahu labeled it as an Iranian-proxy assassination attempt on him and his wife, says Iran and its proxies will pay for all attempts to harm Israel.

– The IDF returned to airstrikes in Beirut today, targeting several Hezbollah weapons depots and a command center in the Dahiyeh district. Evacuation warnings were given first.

– A conservative estimate of over 1,500 Hezbollah terrorists eliminated since the start of the war.

– Troops continue to advance in Southern Lebanon, locating and destroying Hezbollah infrastructure. In some areas there are fierce battles, in most Hezbollah has already run away. In the Maronite town of Rmeish, residents were relieved at the IDF’s arrival and asked them to stay and protect them from Hezbollah.

– The IDF demolished 4 Hezbollah tunnels and over 50 tunnel shafts in Southern Lebanon, including a complex tunnel with several staging rooms, belonging to the Radwan forces.

– UNIFIL admitted to seeing Hezbollah dig tunnels near UNIFIL posts, but says they didn’t interfere because it was on private property.

– On Thursday, a German Navy ship shot down a drone off the coast of Lebanon, which was headed to Israel.

Other Iranian Regime Proxies:

– Drones from Syria were intercepted on Friday night and after Shabbat.

– On Friday night, a drone from the Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq crashed into the northern Golan Heights, causing no injuries.

– After Shabbat, a drone from Iraq was intercepted near Eilat.

Iran:

– As expected, the US leaked documents on Israel’s preparations for the Iran attack, proving again that they cannot be trusted with sensitive information.

– The drone attack on Netanyahu’s home could lead Israel to escalate the attack on Iran.

Netanyahu has developed a new habit in recent weeks. He now ends many of his public addresses with the phrase “Together, we will fight, and with G-d’s help, together, we will win.”

Historically, Netanyahu has been cautious about publicly mentioning G-d’s help, especially in a military context. This is a big deal coming from him, and may be a result of the undeniable miracles seen throughout the war, especially as of late.