War Day 479: Lebanese Gave Hezbollah U.S. Intel, Hamas Commander Eliminated

War Summary, Day 479: Hamas gives numbers of hostages to be released, more information about hostages conditions, and Agam’s efforts to keep Shabbat in captivity, forum of IDF combat reservists raise alarm about Netzarim Corridor opening, Trump still pushing Egypt and Jordan to take Gazans, Lebanese Army officials used U.S. intelligence to assist Hezbollah, and Hamas’s Tulkarm commander eliminated.

Mrs. Bruria Efune

90 held captive in Gaza.
35 hostages confirmed murdered held in Gaza.
124 living hostages rescued.
41 hostage bodies rescued.
1,815 Israelis killed.
411 fallen soldiers and police in the battle in Gaza.
87 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
15 fallen soldiers and police in Judea & Samaria.
30,683 estimated projectiles fired at Israel.
80,000 Israelis displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Top Headlines:

– Hamas gives numbers of hostages to be released: 18 alive, 8 killed.
– Bibas family refuses to give up hope
– More information about hostages conditions, and Agam’s efforts to keep Shabbat in captivity
– Two roads of Netzarim Corridor opened
– Hamas terrorists continue to approach IDF positions in Gaza
– Forum of IDF combat reservists raise alarm about Netzarim Corridor opening
– Trump still pushing Egypt and Jordan to take Gazans
– Operation Iron Walls expands to Tulkarm
– Hamas’s Tulkarm commander eliminated
– Hezbollah approaches IDF positions in Southern Lebanon
– Lebanese Army officials used U.S. intelligence to assist Hezbollah

Hostages:

In addition to agreeing to release three hostages on Thursday, last night Hamas told Israel how many of the remaining 26 hostages to be released in phase one are alive. They only told numbers, and not names. 18 are alive, and 8 were killed. The numbers line up with Israeli intelligence assessments.

Family members of hostages were updated, and told what Israel estimates—although nothing can be said with certainty.

In response to public speculation, the family of Shiri and Yarden Bibas gave a statement: “Until we have absolute certainty, our hope remains. One year and two months after Hamas claimed Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir were killed, we continue waiting for clarity and holding on to the hope of their return.”

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad released a cruel propaganda video of hostage Arbel Yehud, who is expected to be released on Thursday together with Agam Berger and one other hostage. In the video, Arbel says that the date is January 25th.

There is speculation that the third hostage who will be released on Thursday will be Keith Siegel, who is 65, and reportedly in very poor health.

More information is coming out from the seven hostages who have been released so far, describing horrific conditions and treatment from Hamas. Some of the female hostages were held all alone in Hamas tunnels for eight months straight, before seeing another human face. They were starved and beaten. Daniella Gilboa was shot by the terrorists on October 7th, and they left the bullet in her leg, untreated. In the days before the hostages release, their conditions improved, and they were allowed to shower, change clothes for the first time, and received better food.

In an interview, the father of Liri Elbag, who was freed on Shabbat, said, “Liri told me, ‘Abba, there are two million terrorists there, make no mistake. I sat with 8 and 4-year-old children who were cursing the Jews.'”

During the release “ceremony” of the four female IDF soldiers, Hamas had instructed them to deliver a speech on stage, which the terrorists had written for them. Hamas wanted to display an image of IDF soldiers cowering in fear. The four got up on stage, and not only refused to give the speech, but stood confidently, smiling and waving to the world.

Before Liri, Daniella, Naama, and Karina were freed, their friend Agam braided their hair for them, in what the girls say “felt like she was giving us a piece of her strength to carry with us.” The friends say that Agam kept her faith strong over the last fourteen months; she prayed frequently, and now matter how famished she was when she received food, she always paused to recite the blessing first. She was also very careful to keep Shabbat the entire time, and at the risk of further abuse, she refused to cook for the terrorists on Shabbat.

Agam was initially supposed to be freed this Shabbat. Her mother, Merav, was very concerned about maintaining her Shabbat observance, and emphasized that she did not want anyone taking photos of Agam’s release, or doing anything which wasn’t medically necessary and could be a desecration of Shabbat. In the end, Agam will be released two days earlier, on Thursday. As Agam kept Shabbat, Shabbat will now keep her.

Gaza:

At 7:00 a.m., the coastal road and Salah a-Din road at the Netzarim Corridor were opened for crossing between the north and south of Gaza.

Hamas terrorists and their supporters continue to approach IDF positions in and around Gaza. IDF troops in various areas fired warning shots for them to back off.
In Central Gaza, a group of suspicious vehicles were moving north in an area not approved for passage, in an attempt to avoid inspection. An IAF aircraft fired shots to repel them.
In Northern Gaza, a Hamas terrorist in a tractor tried breaking down the fence around the Netzarim Corridor. After he failed to heed warnings, he was eliminated by IDF troops.

IDF troops evacuated most of the Netzarim Corridor, and handed it over to two private American security companies: Safe Reach Solutions, and UG Solutions, both of which primarily employ guards with military backgrounds. (There is also supposed to be an Egyptian company, approved by Egyptian intelligence, but I haven’t found the information.)

People crossing on foot do not meet any security inspections. Only vehicles are inspected. The security is designed only to limit large weapons, such as rockets, from being moved into Northern Gaza. It’s expected that Hamas will move a large amount of smaller weapons and ammunition into the area.

Tens of thousands of Gazans crossed into Northern Gaza today, and were greeted by a group of waving Hamas terrorists. Video footage shows the crowds ignoring the terrorists, and not returning their waves. The masses soon learned what a Hamas “victory” looks like, when they found two-thirds of the buildings at least partially destroyed.

In some areas, such as Jabaliya, the devastation is far more dramatic. A video circulating on social media shows a Gazan woman arriving in Jabaliya, cursing and shouting: “May Allah burn the heart of Hamas. May Allah destroy them.”

Official Hamas-approved media channels in Gaza made an effort to broadcast an image of victory, and interviewed people who expressed gratitude to Hamas for facilitating their return, in what Hamas described as a “historic moment.” Simultaneously, Hamas’s media office in Gaza announced an urgent need for 135,000 tents and caravans to house those retuning to the Northern Gaza Strip.

In Israel, the Forum of IDF Combat Reservists and Commanders put out a statement decrying the opening of the Netzarim crossings. The forum expressed that it was a dangerous step, in which “the State of Israel is giving up one of the only two strategic assets it has achieved in the current war.”

“In recent decades, the State of Israel has gotten used to paying an exorbitant price of releasing dozens and even hundreds of murderers in exchange for our hostages—which has repeatedly put civilians at risk and increased the phenomenon of kidnappings. But today we are taking this one step further in losing a strategic asset in exchange for a very partial deal.”

The forum explained the strategic importance of the Netzarim Corridor, and the failure of allowing Hamas to repopulate it just as Israel was about to completely clear the area of terrorism. The IDF heroes expressed, “In these days, when our hearts are overflowing with joy over the return of our brothers and sisters from captivity, these serious implications and risks should also be presented to the Israeli public in a proper and fair manner.”

In addition to the release of terrorists, and opening of Northern Gaza, a minimum of 600 trucks of “humanitarian aid” and fuel are being delivered to Gaza daily, for Hamas to distribute. This morning, Israeli children living in the many small communities near Gaza arrived to school 90 minutes late—because they were stuck in traffic behind hundreds of delivery trucks on the way to Gaza.

Meanwhile, President Trump told reporters on his plane tonight, that he spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi about transferring Gazans to Egypt. Trump told reporters, “I want them to live in a place without violence. Gaza has been hell for so many years. They can live in much better and more comfortable areas.”

Both Egypt and Jordan gave official statements on Sunday, strongly opposing the initiative—but Trump seems to think he can change their minds. He told reporters that al-Sisi is his friend, and added, “I’ve helped him a lot and I hope he’ll help us. I think he’ll do it, and the King of Jordan will do it too.”

The Prime Minister of Albania denied rumors that they were also asked to take in Gazans, or that they could even consider the responsibility.

Judea & Samaria:

Operation Iron Walls is ongoing in Jenin, with additional operations now beginning in Tulkarem.

So far, at least 15 terrorists have been eliminated, and over 40 have been arrested.

In a joint operation between the IDF and Shin Bet, an IAF aircraft targeted and eliminated Ihab Abu Atiwi, the head of Hamas in Tulkarem. Atiwi was involved in numerous shooting attacks, including a shooting attack against an Israeli vehicle at the Ramin Junction in July 16, in which three Israeli civilians were injured.

Atiwi had been in hiding, but came out to celebrate the release of terrorists from prison, allowing the IDF to catch him in his car. Atiwi was promoted to be Hamas’s Tulkarem commander just six months ago, after the previous commander, Ashraf Nafeh, was eliminated in an airstrike in July. Nafeh became commander in November 2023, after the terrorist before him was eliminated—making Atiwi the third Tulkarem commander down since October 7th, 2023.

Lebanon:

Hezbollah supporters again approached IDF positions in Southern Lebanon, though in much smaller numbers than yesterday—dozens instead of hundreds. IDF troops fired warning shots to disperse the crowds.

When a vehicle with Hezbollah flags drove towards IDF troops, the troops “operated to remove it.”

In a Sky News interview, a Hezbollah spokesman proudly proclaimed that “we are here we are south of the Litani River!” And boasted about all the homes in the border villages being decorated with Hezbollah flags.

On the flip side, Hezbollah’s new Secretary General, Naim Kasem, admitted in a speech today: “We did not expect to lose so many senior figures, including Nasrallah, so quickly and on such a large scale. (Israel’s) intelligence exposed us. We are currently conducting an investigation to understand what happened. It was a surprising and unusual thing.”

The Times of London gained access to an internal intelligence document, which described how Lebanese Army insiders—including Suhil Bahij Gharb, who is the head of military intelligence for southern Lebanon—helped Hezbollah maintain their weapons and presence on the southern border, even after the ceasefire agreement began. Gharb and dozens of other Lebanese military officials leaked sensitive information from a security control room operated by the United States, France, and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), giving Hezbollah advanced information about IDF raids and patrols, and of course of Lebanese Army raids too. Hezbollah was then able to move around their weapons and stay in Southern Lebanon, despite the terms of the ceasefire agreement.

In other words, not only did the Lebanese Army fail to remove Hezbollah from Southern Lebanon, but they covertly assisted Hezbollah—using intelligence given to them by the U.S., France, and UNIFIL.

Last night, the Trump administration negotiated an extension to the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, giving Israel an extension to stay in Southern Lebanon until February 18th. Shortly before the deadline, PM Netanyahu will visit the White House, and a decision will be made on whether to extend the IDF’s stay in Lebanon, or complete the withdrawal.

Sponsored by Rivka Rochel Goldstein as a zchus for her children and grandchildren.