War Day 470: Hamas Violates Hostage Deal, Israel May Strike Iran’s Nuclear Site

War Summary, Day 470: Cabinet approves hostage-ceasefire deal, Hamas already violating the terms—has not yet released first three names, 1,904 terrorists to be released, read about some of them, Reports that Israel will replace the IDF Chief of Staff, and Europe expects Israel to attack Iran’s nuclear plant soon.

By Mrs. Bruria Efune

98 held captive in Gaza.
36 hostages confirmed murdered held in Gaza.
117 living hostages rescued.
40 hostage bodies rescued.
1,814 Israelis killed.
411 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:

  • Cabinet approves hostage-ceasefire deal
  • Hamas already violating the terms—has not yet released first three names
  • Conflicting messages about whether Israel can or will return to war
  • 1,904 terrorists to be released, read about some of them
  • IDF has already begun withdrawing in Gaza
  • Reports that Israel will replace the IDF Chief of Staff
  • Terror attack in Tel Aviv
  • Sirens from Houthi missiles in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Eilat areas
  • Europe expects Israel to attack Iran’s nuclear plant soon

Hostages:

Late Friday night, the Israeli government cabinet voted in the hostage-ceasefire deal. Before Shabbat began, several Haredi ministers went home, but left instructions for the cabinet secretary with their vote. Other religious members of the cabinet stayed, citing the risk to human life at stake. The vote passed with 24 ministers for it, 8 against, and 1 absent.

Ministers who voted against the deal: David Amsalem and Amichai Chikli from Netanyahu’s own Likud party (with Shlomi Karhi absent). Itamar Ben Gvir, Yitzhak Wasserlauf and Amichai Eliyahu from Otzma Yehudit. Betzalel Smotrich, Orit Struck, and Ofer Sofer from Religious Zionists. Otzma Yehudit says they will resign from the government on Sunday over the deal. Religious Zionist say they will stay for now, based on promises from Netanyahu about a return to war with more strength and decisiveness.

The ceasefire is supposed to take effect at 8:30 AM on Sunday. The first three hostages are to be released on Sunday, and the remaining 33 will be released in groups each Shabbat, until the end of the six weeks. An estimated 25 hostages are thought to be alive.

Hamas was supposed to deliver the names of the three hostages to be released tomorrow before 8:00 p.m., but as of 1:00 a.m., they still have not. Netanyahu threatened that Israel will not begin until Hamas holds up their side of the deal (although the IDF already started withdrawing). Qatar insists that it’s just a complicated situation.

The IDF has begun preparations to receive the hostages, with medical and psychological support on hand for initial treatment. It is estimated that it will take two hours from the moment the Red Cross hands the hostages over to the IDF, until the hostages arrive at the hospital to meet their families. The IDF asks that the public respect the privacy of the hostages and their families, and refrain from spreading false rumors.

The hostages who are returned alive will be exchanged for the freedom of terrorists from Israeli prisons, with a value set for each “category” of hostage:

  • For each of the women, children, and elderly returned alive, 30 terrorists will be released
  • For all 9 ill and injured hostages, 110 terrorists will be released
  • For each of the five female IDF soldiers, 50 terrorists will be released
  • For Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who have been held hostage in Gaza for over a decade, 30 terrorists will be released for each of them, plus 47 terrorists who were released in the 2011 Shalit deal and were re-arrested for returning to terrorism.

An additional 1,167 terrorists will be released in exchange for the hostages who were killed in captivity, and whose bodies are returned. These are Hamas terrorist combatants who were captured in Gaza after October 8th, but did not enter Israel on October 7th or participate in the planning of the attack.

Whether or not this is the end of the war remains unknown, with conflicting stories being told at all turns. While Netanyahu insists that Israel can return to war if the ceasefire is broken, and strongly hints that there will be no second phase, the mediating parties—especially the U.S., maintain that they want all three phases to go through, and for the ceasefire to last.

In a video speech delivered this evening, Netanyahu said that President Trump will support a return to war, if need be. “He welcomed the agreement,” Netanyahu said of Trump. “And he rightly emphasized that the first stage of the agreement is a temporary ceasefire. That’s what he said – “a temporary ceasefire.””

Netanyahu expressed that Israel is holding onto significant assets that can be used to barter for the remaining hostages, and achieve “all of the war’s objectives.” He added again, “Both President Trump and President Biden have fully supported Israel’s right to return to combat, should Israel conclude that negotiations on Phase II are futile. I appreciate President Trump’s decision to remove all remaining restrictions on the supply of essential weapons and munitions to the State of Israel.”

The Prime Minister says he also held onto three principles in the negotiations, of which Hamas had not agreed to in previous negotiations:

  1. Israel maintains the ability to return to war, if need be. (Note: only up until the second phase.)
  2. More hostages are being released alive in the first phase than agreed to in previous negotiations.
  3. Israel will maintain the security buffer zone and Philadelphi Corridor, with a slight increase in troops, to be able to block Hamas from smuggling weapons in or smuggling hostages out to the Sinai. (Note: only up until the second phase.)

YNet reported that Israel secured a letter from Biden which confirms Israel’s right to resume military operations in Gaza, along with an incentives package offered by Trump in exchange for agreeing to the ceasefire.

In a phone interview today, Trump spoke to NBC News about the ceasefire, and said, “Well, we’re going to see very soon, and it better hold.” He added that he told Netanyahu, “Just keep doing what you have to do. You have to have — this [war] has to end. We want it to end, but to keep doing what has to be done.”

Barak Ravid of Axios reported that Trump’s National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, met on Shabbat in Washington with families of American hostages, and emphasized that the Trump administration is committed to implementing all the phases of the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.

Terrorists Being Released:

In the first phase of the deal, Israel is expected to release 1,904 terrorists from prison. Of them, 1,167 are Hamas terrorist combatants who were captured at war after October 7th, and will be returned to Gaza.
737 are terrorists primarily from Judea and Samaria (88 are from Gaza), of which 228 have directly murdered people and will be deported to a third country, and 487 will be returned to their families. Most of these terrorists belong to Hamas and Fatah, but some belong to the PIJ, ISIS, and other terror groups.

It is unclear whether the terrorists who are deported will be allowed to return after three years.

In a previous cabinet meeting, Shin Bet Chief, Ronen Bar, cited statistics about the 1,027 terrorists released in the Gilad Shalit deal in 2011. 82% of the released terrorists are known to have returned to terrorism—including 50% of those exiled abroad. 12% actively participated in violent terror activity. If the statistics remain the same for the terrorists released in this deal, then 228 will participate in violent terror activity within the next 12 years, which is likely to cause far more deaths than 33.

The Shin Bet Chief also said that the released terrorists will further weaken the governing Palestinian Authority in parts of Judea and Samaria in favor of Hamas and other more violent terror groups, and that in Gaza, Hamas will use the ceasefire to rebuild its governing and military capabilities.

Ronen Bar did not deny that the deal could cause far more innocent deaths, but insisted that the deal is “the moral choice.”

Israeli military correspondent, Doron Kodesh, reviewed the list of terrorists who are expected to be released, describing it as “an unbearable list, long, and filled with the blood of Israeli civilians and soldiers.” Here is a sampling of some, as described by Kadosh:

  1. Ahmad Barghouti, close aide and cousin of Marwan Barghouti who was sentenced to 13 life sentences for leading a “killing machine” that sent attacks in which 12 Israelis were murdered – including the suicide bombing at the Seafood Market restaurant in Tel Aviv.
  2. Members of Hamas’s Silwan Cell: Wael Qassem (cell leader), Wassam Abbasi, Mohammed Odeh, responsible for attacks in which 35 Israelis were murdered – including the attack at Moment Cafe in Jerusalem where 11 Israelis were killed, the attack at Spidel Club in Rishon LeZion where 15 Israelis were killed, and the attack at the Frank Sinatra cafeteria at Hebrew University where 9 Israelis were killed.
  3. Zakaria Zubeidi – former commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades in Jenin, who was responsible for a series of attacks, including the attack at the Likud branch in Beit She’an where 6 Israelis were murdered. He was also one of the terrorists who escaped from Gilboa Prison in 2021. Because he wasn’t convicted of murder but other offenses, Zubeidi won’t be deported abroad and is expected to be released back to Samaria.
  4. Abdullah Sharbati, Majdi Za’atari and Samer Al-Atrash, members of the cell responsible for a series of attacks on bus lines 2 and 14 in Jerusalem in 2003, in one of which 23 Israelis were murdered, including 7 children, and sent the suicide bombing on line 6 in French Hill where 7 Israelis were killed and 20 wounded. They planned many additional attacks.
  5. Mohammed Amoudi, who sent the suicide bomber for the attack at the “Rosh Ha’ir” shawarma stand in Tel Aviv in 2006 where 11 people were murdered.
  6. Mohammed Abu Warda, who sent suicide bombers for attacks on line 18 in Jerusalem in 1996, attacks in which 45 Israelis were murdered. He is serving 48 life sentences in Israeli prison.
  7. Mahmoud Atallah, a life prisoner who murdered a Palestinian woman, and during his stay in security prison, was accused of raping a female guard in Gilboa Prison. He won’t be deported but will be released to Judea & Samaria.
  8. Nur Jaber – terrorist responsible for the murder of 16 Israelis: sent suicide attacks on the Worshipers’ Route in Hebron in 2002 where 12 Israelis were murdered including Brigade Commander Dror Weinberg, and the attack in Otniel in 2002 where 4 Israelis were murdered.
  9. Sami Jaradat, one of the terrorists responsible for the attack at Maxim restaurant in Haifa in 2003, where 21 Israelis were murdered.
  10. Ali Safuri, a senior Islamic Jihad terrorist responsible for the murder of 9 Israelis and wounding of more than 100 in a series of attacks: the car bombing at Hadera Central Station where 45 Israelis were wounded, the shooting attack at the Hadera market where 4 Israelis were murdered, the suicide bombing at the Check Post junction where 29 civilians were wounded and many other attacks.
  11. Omar Al-Zaben, one of the leaders of the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, responsible for a long series of attacks in which 27 Israelis were murdered, and sentenced to 27 life sentences in Israeli prison.
  12. Ramadan Mashahra – one of the terrorists involved in the suicide bombing in Jerusalem’s Gilo neighborhood in 2002 where 19 Israeli civilians were murdered.
  13. Shadi Amouri, one of the planners of the car bombing at Megiddo Junction in 2002 where 17 Israelis were murdered.
  14. Thabet Mardawi, a senior Islamic Jihad member responsible for a series of attacks during the Second Intifada in which 21 Israelis were murdered and close to 200 were wounded. Responsible for more than 12 attacks, mostly severe suicide bombings at the Binyamina train station, Kibbutz Shluhot, and on bus lines 823 in the Afula and Wadi Ara areas. Captured by the IDF during Operation Defensive Shield.

This is just a small sampling. In comparison, one of the “less notorious” terrorists being released, which Doron Kadosh didn’t mention, is Khalil Jabarin, who murdered the Israel-American hero, Ari Fuld, in 2018.

Thousands of family members of victims killed by terrorists, and victims who were injured by terrorists, are now dealing with the knowledge that the terrorist is being let free.

Gaza:

Thank G-d, no IDF heroes fell in battle today.

Schools near the Gaza border will be opening late tomorrow, in case Hamas decides to fire barrages of rockets right before the ceasefire goes into effect—something they have done in the hour before all ceasefire agreements to date. Air defenses will remain on high alert even once the ceasefire begins.

The IDF has already begin to withdraw from some areas in Gaza, and redeploy to the buffer zone. Extra troops will be stationed all along the border. Reservists are not being sent home yet, in case Hamas violates the ceasefire agreement.

The IAF has been carrying out heavy airstrikes over the last week, and says it will continue until the ceasefire takes effect at 8:30 a.m., and will be prepared to resume immediately if the Israeli government determines that the ceasefire has been broken.

The IDF published a map of IDF positions in Gaza during the first week of the ceasefire, and warned people in Gaza that approaching the IDF will expose them to danger.

According to the agreement, beginning from the 7th day of the ceasefire, unarmed Gazans will be able to return to the north of Gaza via the coastal road. Those re-entering by foot will not need to go through any security inspection. Vehicles will be inspected by a private company, which is yet to be determined by the mediators and Israel. Starting from the 22nd day, Gazans will also be able to return via the Salah a-Din road, under the same conditions.

Gazans were also warned to stay away from the sea, and from the Philadelphi Corridor or Rafah Crossing without authorization.

Israel Hayom reports that the political echelon has agreed to move to replacing Halevi as chief of staff during the ceasefire, and returning to war with a more aggressive leadership. The top contender for the position is Eyal Zamir, a retired major general, currently serving as Director-General of the Israeli Ministry of Defense.

Judea & Samaria:

Israel is expecting a rise in terror activity following the release of hundreds of violent terrorists to Judea and Samaria. In preparation, the IDF is bordering the local IDF presence with an additional seven companies.

In an assessment this evening, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi instructed staff to increase “counterterrorism efforts through offensive operations and enhanced defensive measures in communities and on main routes.”

Tel Aviv Terror Attack:

A terrorist carried out a stabbing attack in central Tel Aviv, severely injuring a man in his 30s. The man is reported to be hospitalized in serious condition. The terrorist was eliminated by an armed civilian. The terrorist was from Tulkarm, in Samaria, and was in Tel Aviv illegally.

Lebanon:

One week remains until the 60-day phase of the ceasefire ends, and Israel is expected to withdraw from the Lebanese villages bordering Israel.

Yemen:

At 10:18 a.m., the Houthis fired a ballistic missile towards central Israel. Sirens were triggered in a wide area around Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, sending millions to shelter. The missile was intercepted by Israeli air defenses. A large missile fragment fell in a field near Beitar Illit (for some reason, Houthi shrapnel loves this area in and around Beitar and Tzur Hadassah, and is always falling there).

In an intensely delusional statement, the Houthis claimed to have targeted and successfully hit Israel’s Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv.

At 3:39 p.m., another ballistic missile was intercepted over Eilat, with sirens sounding in the small coastal city and nearby towns.

Iran:

Al-Arabiya reports that senior European officials believe that Israel has made the decision to launch an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, sometime after Trump’s inauguration.

In U.S. court proceedings today, Asif Rahman, a CIA analyst who was stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia, admitted in to leaking classified documents which outlined Israel’s preparations for an attack on Iran in October.

Rahman was charged with charged with two counts of sharing sensitive national security information, and faces up to 20 years in prison. However, Rahman was offered and accepted a plea deal of 6.5 years—which could be reduced even further due to his admission of guilt.

Prosecutors argued that Rahman acted out of ideological motives, and is likely to leak additional classified documents.

Other:

The Times of Israel reports that two US officials acknowledged that they didn’t properly vet some of the Israeli residents of Judea and Samaria who they sanctioned last year. One of the results of this was the illegal sanctioning of two Israelis with American citizenship.

Issachar Manne, was sanctioned in July, and Levi Yitzchak Pilant, was sanctioned in August. The two American citizens were identified by the US Treasury Department announcement as “foreign persons.” The sanctions caused them significant financial loss. The two have opened a lawsuit against the US government, suing for the violation of their constitutional rights to due process and equal protection. The Treasury Department and State Department did not respond to repeated requests from the Times of Israel for comment.

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Discussion

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  1. Stop giving in to these anti Semites by giving in your asking for more Lives C”V

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