War Day 463: IAF strikes Yemen, Trump Envoy Pushing for Deal

War Summary, Day 463: Four fallen heroes, Trump’s envoy pushing for a deal now, the body of hostage Hamza Ziyadne found, Katz demands IDF give a definitive plan to defeat Hamas, IDF hits small targets of Hezbollah ceasefire violations, and the IAF strikes Yemen.

By Mrs. Bruria Efune

98 held captive in Gaza.
37 hostages confirmed murdered held in Gaza.
117 living hostages rescued.
40 hostage bodies rescued.
1,808 Israelis killed.
406 fallen soldiers and police in the battle in Gaza.
87 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
14 fallen soldiers and police in Judea & Samaria.
30,683 estimated projectiles fired at Israel.
88,000 Israelis displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Top Headlines:

• Body of hostage Hamza Ziyadne found
• Reports that deal may be very close
• Trump’s envoy pushing for a deal now
• Four fallen heroes
• Katz demands IDF give definitive plan to defeat Hamas
• IDF hits small targets of Hezbollah ceasefire violations
• IDF strikes Yemen

Hostages:

The IDF announced that they found and identified the body of hostage Hamza Ziyadne, 22, in the same tunnel in Rafah where his father, Youssef’s body had been found last week. Hamza, from the Bedouin city of Rahat, leaves behind a wife and two children. He was taken hostage along with his father and two younger siblings from Kibbutz Holit, where they worked. All four were alive when taken hostage, the two younger siblings were returned in November 2023.

It appears that Youssef and Hamza were killed around one year ago, yet the cause is still undetermined.

Late this evening, Netanyahu sent a high-level delegation to Qatar to continue hostage-ceasefire negotiations, including the heads of the Mossad, Shin Bet, and Major General Nitzan Alon. This is being labeled as a significant indication that there’s a high likelihood of a deal coming very soon. However, Hamas still hasn’t given Israel a list of hostages which will be released in the first stage of a deal.

The deal being discussed is still not one tat brings all the hostages home.

Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, visited Israel today to discuss the hostage negotiations with Netanyahu. Witkoff had been in Qatar taking part in negotiations. According to Al-Arabiya, a Saudi channel, Witkoff expressed to Netanyahu that Trump is interested in a deal happening before he takes office on January 20.

Gaza:

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

Sgt. Maj. (res.) Alexander Fedorenko, 37, from Bat Yam
Staff Sgt. Danila Diakov, 21, from Maale Adumim
Sgt. Yahav Maayan, 19, from Modiin
Sgt. Eliav Astuker, 19, from Ashdod

The four were killed in Beit Hanoun by a powerful explosive device (IED) set off by Hamas terrorists, followed by Hamas gunfire. The troops were traveling in open non-armored vehicles, along a road in an area that was considered to have already been thoroughly cleared of Hamas, and somewhat safe. As Hamas loses fighting power, they have increasingly turned to use of IEDs, which are easy to hide in urban cities and dirt roads. These are proving to be extremely deadly for IDF forces.

On Shabbat, Hamas launched a rocket from Southern Gaza towards the Kerem Shalom area. The rocket was intercepted by air defenses.

In Jabaliya, troops with an FPV drone spotted three armed terrorists heading towards them, hiding in a building. The troops eliminated the terrorists both with gunfire and through calling in a drone strike. Inside the building, the troops found a tunnel shaft which the terrorists had been using.

In another incident, the IDF identified a group of terrorists based in the former Halawa School building, in Jabaliya. Despite a mandatory evacuation order for Jabaliya, some civilians were reported to be sheltering in the school building. The IDF took numerous steps to mitigate harm to civilians, and used a precision strike to take out the terrorists.

Battles of smaller scale also took place in other parts of Gaza, including in Rafah.

Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the IDF to present him with a plan for the “complete defeat of Hamas in Gaza,” if there is no hostage deal by January 20th, when Trump takes office as U.S. president. Currently, there is a heavy fear that Israel is being drawn into a war of attrition in Gaza, with no end in sight, and heavy IDF losses. Katz emphasized that Hamas must be completely defeated in order to avoid that reality.

There have been a few issues blocking the IDF from acting forcibly, including humanitarian aid, fear of losing international support and therefore internationally purchased ammunition, and harming the hostages by nearing their locations—which are primarily in Central Gaza. Katz told the IDF to make a plan, and then specify the issues that make it difficult to carry out, and “leave it to the political echelon to make the necessary decisions.”

Katz also note that no international body will agree to manage civilian life in Gaza until Hamas is completely defeated, and therefore, any political issues related to governance are not relevant at this point.

Several government coalition members are waiting until January 21st, and reportedly, might threaten to collapse the government if the war in Gaza doesn’t begin to take a more definitive approach.

Judea & Samaria:

The Fatah Movement, which governs the Palestinian Authority (PA), put out a statement declaring that they will not allow Hamas to use the PA-controlled areas to ruin the lives of its residents, like they did in Gaza, by carrying out attacks against Israel. This is ironic, considering that the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, which is Fatah’s own military wing, has been behind some recent terror attacks, and was a significant player in the Second Intifada. Fatah’s emblem still calls for terrorism against Israel.

Lebanon:

On Friday, the IDF spotted Hezbollah terrorists loading up a vehicle with weapons in Tayr Debba, close to Tyre in Southern Lebanon. The IDF targeted the vehicle with a drone strike. Two terrorists were eliminated in the strike.

On Shabbat, the IDF carried out another airstrike after Hezbollah terrorists were seen exiting a building in Kounine, Southern Lebanon, which was known to be a Hezbollah command center.

On Shabbat afternoon, the IDF carried out a drone strike against three suspects who were spotted on the Lebanese side of Mount Dov, approaching Israel.

After the IDF completed withdrawal from the Western sector of Southern Lebanon, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) announced that they completed deployment to the nine border villages in the area. The LAF is working in coordination with UNIFIL and the committee supervising the ceasefire agreement. Civilians were instructed not to return to their villages yet, and instead to wait while the LAF works to clear any unexploded ordinances that may have been left behind.

The Lebanese “Al-Akhbar” channel, which is affiliated with Hezbollah and not entirely reliable, reported that the US President’s envoy to the Middle East, Amos Hochstein, informed Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati that IDF forces will withdraw from the south of the country by January 26 at the latest, at the end of the 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. This is unquestionably something that Hochstein wants, but it’s unclear if the IDF will be ready by that point, since the LAF is barely doing its part to remove Hezbollah from Southern Lebanon.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman invited the new Lebanese President ,Joseph Aoun, for an official visit to Saudi Arabia. The Lebanese president will soon visit the kingdom. The Saudis worked together with the U.S. to push for Aoun’s election.

Yemen:

On Friday, the IDF bombed Houthi targets in Yemen. Over 50 munitions were used to hit three main targets: the Hezyaz power plant near Sanaa, and infrastructure at the Hodeidah and Ras Isa ports on the western coast of Yemen. The IDF says that the power plans was a central source of energy for the Houthi terrorist regime’s military activities. Over 20 aircraft, including fighter jets, refuelers, and spy planes, took part in the operation, which was 2,000km from Israel.

The strikes were reported to be far more accurate than in previous operations, as Israel has gathered improved intelligence on Houthi military sites.

While flying over Yemen, Israeli pilots spotted a ballistic missile prepared for launch. The pilots targeted and destroyed the missile and launch site. (That missile likely would have woken up millions of Israelis late Friday night.)

The Israeli strikes came shortly after U.S.-led coalition strikes north of Sanaa. While the attacks weren’t a joint sortie, they were closely coordinated.

Syria:

The new Syrian government announced today that its intelligence apparatus succeeded in thwarting an ISIS cell attack on the tomb of a Shiite saint in Damascus. Several people involved in the attempted attack were arrested in the operation. The intelligence apparatus emphasized that they “will confront any attempt to harm the Syrian people in all its forms.”

Other:

A Palestinian-European conference in Denmark cancelled the attendance of the Hind Rajab Foundation at the last minute, due to recent publications about the association of the founders with Hezbollah and other terror groups. Reportedly, some of the panel guests refused to sit with representatives of the Hind Rajab Foundation. This is the foundation that’s been attempting to get IDF soldiers arrested while traveling abroad.

In memory of our Bubby לאה שבע בת שלמה ע’’ה sponsored by Leona Green’s great & grandchildren.

VIDEO

Israeli Air Force fighter jets on the way to strike Houthi targets in Yemen, nearly 2,000 km from Israel, with aerial refueling captured mid-mission.