War Summary, Day 487: Terror attack in Samaria: two heroes killed, Trump drops bombshell: U.S. to take over Gaza, Gazans to be relocated to other areas, Netanyahu emphasizes three goals of the war, Trump addresses Iran, Saudis, annexing Judea & Samaria, and Hamas still pushing boundaries of buffer zone with two shot.
By Mrs. Bruria Efune
79 held captive in Gaza.
35 hostages confirmed murdered held in Gaza.
135 living hostages rescued.
41 hostage bodies rescued.
1,819 Israelis killed.
411 fallen soldiers and police in the battle in Gaza.
87 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
18 fallen soldiers and police in Judea & Samaria.
30,683 estimated projectiles fired at Israel.
70,000 Israelis displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.
Top Headlines:
– Trump drops bombshell: U.S. to take over Gaza
– Gazans to be relocated to other areas
– Netanyahu emphasizes three goals of the war
– Other issues addressed: Iran, Saudis, annexing Judea & Samaria
– Hamas still pushing boundaries of buffer zone—two shot
– Terror attack in Samaria: two heroes killed
Hostages:
As more information is shared by the hostages, it’s becoming clear that they all have a very challenging road to recovery ahead. Some hostages were held under significantly worse conditions than others, both physically and psychologically. However, they all show a fierce passion for Israel, and determination to move forward.
The five female soldiers released from Hamas captivity were released from the hospital today. News12 reports that they requested to return to their positions in the IDF. The IDF says it’s too soon to decide.
The daughter of Gadi Moses, the 80-year-old kibbutz farmer from Nir Oz, gave an interview today. She said that her father’s first questions when he came back were about what they sowed in the fields, what the season was like, what was ripe, and whether there was enough precipitation for the crops.
Netanyahu & Trump Meet:
Netanyahu and Trump first met the press in the Oval Office, where they took some questions, and then gave a larger press conference with statements. Trump’s speech came with many dramatic statements. Here’s the relevant highlights:
– On Gaza after the war:
Trump stated that Gaza has become a place of death and destruction, and should not be rebuilt by the same people who made it that way. He said that he wants the 1.8 million people of Gaza to be relocated to other areas, in which they’ll be given beautiful housing, and be able to live a good life in peace. Trump said these towns will be built by the wealthy countries nearby who have offered to help. He also said he believes that Egypt and Jordan will end up agreeing to open their borders—although the locations might not only be in those countries.
Trump told reporters that this has to be done, otherwise the same thing (terrorism) will happen again.
Trump sees the rebuilding of Gaza to be something that will take 10-15 years. As to who will rebuild it, Trump said: “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we’ll do a job with it too—we’ll own it, and be responsible for dismantling all the dangerous unexploded bombs and weapons on the site, level it, get rid of all the destroyed buildings. We will create an economic development that will supply an unlimited number of jobs and housing for the people of the area.”
Trump envisions Gaza to be an International space, run by America, and full of “thousands of thousands of jobs, for everyone in the area,” a sort of “Rivera of the Middle East.”
Trump said that he discussed this idea with other leaders, who have given strong support for it.
(According to Amjad Taha, a Mideast Strategic Political Affairs expert from the UAE, the Middle East is cheering for Trump and would much rather an American neighbor in Gaza than Hamas.)
– About the ceasefire:
Trump hopes it will hold, and bring all the hostages home, but says there’s no way to know. If it doesn’t hold, he says the war will be much more intense, to get the hostages home.
Mostly though, he wants the ceasefire to lead to the end, and says: “I’m hopeful that this ceasefire could be the beginning of a larger and more enduring peace that will end the bloodshed for once and for all.”
Netanyahu said: “In Gaza, Israel has three goals: 1. Destroy Hamas’s military and governing capabilities. 2. Secure the release of ALL of our hostages. 3. Ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel.”
Stressing the end goal, Netanyahu framed it: “We will not only win the war, we will win the peace.”
– On a Two-State Solution:
Trump said “You can’t just keep trying, you have to learn from history.”
When asked about support for Israel annexing Judea and Samaria, he said his office is looking into it, and hearing the representatives, many of whom do like the idea. There will be a statement in the issue in around four weeks time.
– On Iran:
Trump will be restoring the maximum pressure policy, and will use sanctions to halt all Iranian oil exports. He is open to Iran agreeing to a deal in which they dismantle efforts to reach a nuclear bomb, and instead chose to be a prospering country.
When asked about striking Iran, both Trump and Netanyahu revert, saying they prefer to stop them without warfare, but the most important thing is that Iran doesn’t get the bomb. This is inline with recent behavior from both Israel and Trump’s team, in which they’ve been avoiding talk about attacking Iran.
Netanyahu said of Trump: “We see eye to eye on Iran—the same Iran that tried to kill us both.”
– On normalization with Saudi Arabia:
Trump said that the Saudis are not demanding a Palestinian State as a condition (Saudi Arabia later issued an official statement denying this: “Our position on the Palestinians is non-negotiable.”)
Netanyahu said “Peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia is not only feasible, but it will happen.”
– On other issues:
Trump announced that the U.S. withdrew from “the antisemitic Human Rights Council,” and withdrew from supporting UNRWA, which he accused of funneling money to Hamas and fostering terrorism.
Trump plans to visit Israel, Gaza, Saudi Arabia, and other areas in the Middle East.
Trump believes that Qatar are trying to help.
Asked about the failures of October 7th, Netanyahu said “An independent commission accepted by the majority of the people will find out exactly what happened. Believe me, people will be very surprised about what it finds.”
Gaza:
As usual, Hamas and other Gazans continued to test the boundaries of the buffer zone and Philadelphi Corridor. IDF troops in several areas fired warning shots to dissuade people from approaching. Three incidents stand out:
In Centra Gaza, a Hamas suspect did not withdraw after troops fired warning shots, and continued to approach IDF positions. IDF soldiers shot him to stop him for walking any closer.
A drone strike hit a car which attempted to cross into Northern Gaza via an unproved route, in order to avoid security inspections. This is the second such incident, in the first incident the driver was later confirmed to be a Hamas terrorist attempting to drive equipment to the north.
A Gazan vessel at sea exceeded the maritime boundary. It returned after warning shots were fired.
While Hamas and other Arab leaders decry Trump’s proposal to deport Gazans, the people in Gaza are begging to leave. One Gazan uploaded a video to social media today saying “all you need to do is open the Rafah crossing—you won’t be able to stamp our passports fast enough!”
Hamas knows this—the deal they negotiated specifically only allows a limited number of injured Gazans to leave via the Rafah crossing each day. Egypt knows this—that’s why they recently built a double reinforced security fence across the Gaza-Egypt border, and brought hundreds of tanks to line the Sinai near Rafah.
Judea & Samaria:
Two IDF reservists were killed in an attack today:
Sgt. Maj. (res.) Ofer Yung, 39, from Tel Aviv
Sgt. Maj. (res.) Avraham Tzvi Tzvika Friedman, 43, from Ein HaNatziv
Eight other soldiers were injured in the attack, including two who are listed in serious condition.
The two soldiers were taken by surprise when they went to open a military checkpoint near Tayasir, just before 6:00 a.m. The terrorist had managed to sneak up on the checkpoint and open fire on them, unseen.
Shortly before 6:00 a.m., the terrorist snuck up on a military checkpoint near Tayasir, reaching the entrance of the watch tower. When the two reservists came to open up the checkpoint, he took them by surprise, and opened fire. He was armed with an M-16 assault riffle and two magazines, and wore a tactical vest.
A close-range gun battle ensued, lasting several minutes. When they terrorist tried to get away, one soldier rolled a grenade at him, and another shot at him, and eliminated him.
Following the attack, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi mounted the loss of the two reservists, and said that lessons were learned and are being implemented. He added that the IDF “will increase the operations to thwart [terror attacks], and expand them to additional areas.”
Operation Iron Wall is still going in full force, with troops carrying out counterterrorism raids in Jenin, Tulkarem, Tubas, and the Tamun areas. Locals reported an airstrike in Tamnun today.
This update is sponsored by an anonymous mom from Manhattan.
VIDEO:
give away part of eretz yisrael to America? its not his to give away, its the inheritance of am yisrael.
is this another version of land for peace?
firstly, it was first in the hands of Hamas, having the US get it instead is an upgrade
Secondly, the Rebbe’s main concern is the security of the lives of the Jews living in Israel, I recently heard that the Rebbe said that if the Military professionals would say from a security perspective that it is wise to give land for piece, then we would be for it, if it is transferred to the USA, then as long as we are in Golus [hopefully not any longer] I think it would add to the security, as the US is much less concerned about world opinion.