War Day 531: Hezbollah Weapons Turn Fireworks, US Battering Houthis

War Summary, Day 531: Operations in Gaza focused on pressuring Hamas to release hostages, Hamas fired rockets at Central Israel, IDF on the ground in Gaza in three locations, three top terrorists eliminated including Hamas security head, 70 terrorists arrested in Judea and Samaria, fireworks in Lebanon after Hezbollah weapons site hit, evening sirens in Jerusalem area from the Houthis, U.S. attacking Houthis nonstop, and a high-level meeting between Israel and U.S. is expected next week to discuss Iran.

By Mrs. Bruria Efune

59 held captive in Gaza.
35 hostages confirmed murdered held in Gaza.
147 living hostages rescued.
49 hostage bodies rescued.
1,828 Israelis killed.
413 fallen soldiers and police in the battle in Gaza.
87 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
18 fallen soldiers and police in Judea & Samaria.
30,685 estimated projectiles fired at Israel.
50,000 Israelis estimated displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Top Headlines:

– Hamas showing a shift towards negotiations to release hostages
– Operations in Gaza still primarily focused on pressuring Hamas to release hostages
– Hamas fired rockets to Central Israel
– IDF on ground in Gaza in three locations, soon to enter a fourth
– Three top terrorists eliminated, including Hamas security head
– 70 terrorists arrested in Judea and Samaria
– Fireworks in Lebanon after Hezbollah weapons site hit
– Evening sirens in Jerusalem area from the Houthis
– U.S. attacking Houthis nonstop
– High-level meeting between Israel and U.S. expected next week, to discuss Iran
– Iron Dome improvements

Hostages:

Almog Boker of News 12 reports that mediators are beginning to see a slight shift in flexibility coming from Hamas. Not enough yet to reach a hostage deal, but signs that Hamas is beginning to crack under the pressure.

Israeli defense officials told Walla News that the operations in Gaza are still focused on pushing Hamas to the negotiating table, to give up more hostages. This is not yet a full-scale war.

Gaza:

Hamas fired rockets into Israel for the first time since January.

Around 1:23 p.m., alerts were activated in the Rishon Letzion and Ramat Gan areas in Central Israel. Hamas fired three rockets—two landed in empty areas, and one was intercepted by the Iron dome. A piece of shrapnel landed in the city of Rishon Letzion, but thank G-d, no injuries or damage was reported. (Think of the teachers though… they had to deal with sleepy students who were woken by the Houthis at 4 a.m., and then mid-class, had to run them to the bomb shelter again.)

Hamas is thought to have a very small supply of rockets remaining, and a low ability to launch them. They’ll use the rockets sparingly, whenever they feel is an important time to remind Israel of their existence.

IDF forces have begun ground operations in Gaza, and are now in three locations.

The first operational entry was into Beit Lahia, in the very north of Gaza, near the border with Israel. Before the troops entered, the IDF bombed out the local Hamas infrastructure, including anti-tank missile launch sites and booby traps. The troops in Beit Lahiya are focused on destroying Hamas infrastructure that was set up during the ceasefire as a control center. Hamas had planned to carry out heavy attacks on IDF soldiers along the border from this command center.

The next entry was into the Shaboura neighborhood, which is in the center of Rafah, next to the Philadelphi Corridor, which borders Egypt in the south of Gaza. The IDF never left the Philadelphi Corridor, and still holds a base right near the Shaboura neighborhood.

Troops are also still in the eastern half of the Netzarim Corridor, which they entered a day earlier. The coastal half the the corridor is still open for Gazans to cross through, and the IDF is encouraging Gzans to use it to move south.

Troops might soon enter a fourth location: The IDF gave a final warning to residents of Bani Suheila, a suburb of Khan Younis in mid-southern Gaza, to evacuate before an IDF ground entry.

The IDF also hinted that evacuations will be issued and operations will take place wherever rockets were fired from—a resumption of the policy implemented in the last months before the ceasefire.

In addition to ground entries, the IDF also carried out many targeted airstrikes. While many airstrikes targeted terror infrastructure, a large number were focused specifically on eliminating mid to senior level Hamas and PIJ commanders.

Notable eliminations of the past day include:

• Rashid Jahjouh, head of Hamas’s “General Security Apparatus.” Jahjouh replaced the notorious Sami Odeh in this position, after his elimination in July 2024. Hamas’s General Security Apparatus is responsible for uncovering “collaborators” with Israel, providing security for Senior Hamas officials and assets, and gathering intelligence to help Hamas terrorists plan attacks against Israel (perhaps Hamas’s equivalent of the Shin Bet). Jahjouh was also responsible for propaganda promoting the legitimacy of the Hamas government within Gaza.
• Ayman Asleich, head of the Khan Yunis division of Hamas’s General Security Apparatus.
• Ismail Abd al-Aal, a leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s (PIJ) weapons smuggling network. This terrorist was responsible for most of the PIJ’s weapons smuggling in recent years, organizing the transporting, storing, and smuggling of military equipment and weapons into the Gaza Strip.

Judea & Samaria:

Over the last week, IDF troops arrested 70 wanted terrorists in counterterrorism operations throughout Judea and Samaria. Amongst them were nine terrorists arrested for throwing large stones at Israeli vehicles on civilian roads during the last week.

After an operational assessment in Judea and Samaria yesterday, IDF Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir told troops: “When we talk about defeating Hamas, it is everywhere, including here in Judea and Samaria. Continue with a series of operations to thwart terrorism alongside strong defense.”

Lebanon:

The IDF struck underground Hezbollah military infrastructure in the Beqaa Valley region (which made a spectacular fireworks explosion), and a Hezbollah military site containing rocket launchers in Southern Lebanon. Both were hit after Hezbollah activity was observed working at the sites, in violation of the ceasefire agreement.

According to the Alma Research & Education Center, the Lebanese Army is not only failing at dismantling Hezbollah, but they are actively defending Hezbollah in the crossfire with the Syrian regime.

Yemen:

After a 4 a.m. launch at Central Israel, the Houthis fired another ballistic missile, which activated sirens in the Jerusalem and Modiin areas around 7:30 p.m. Israeli air defenses intercepted the missile before it entered Israeli airspace.

The U.S. asked Israel not to respond to the Houthi attacks, since the U.S. is very busy doing so themselves. The U.S. Central Command has been heavily striking Houthi targets in Yemen every single day for 6 days now, with the goal of completely putting an end to their capabilities. Remember, the Houthis aren’t only attacking Israel, but also blocking the free movement of ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Iran:

According to News 12, Israel and the U.S. are discussing whether to attack Iran before they reach 90% uranium enrichment, or if they can wait until the moments before it happens, and try to reach a diplomatic solution before then.

Next week, Israel is expected to send a high-level delegation to the U.S., for strategic talks about Iran. The delegation will be led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi. WIth them will be various officials from the Mossad, IDF, and Atomic Energy Agency. They will meet US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and other American senior intelligence, defense, and diplomatic officials.

Preparations underway indicate that if Israel does attack Iran, it will be a dramatic event, beyond what people may expect, with the possibility of special forces operating on ground in Iran.

Other:

The Defense Ministry released a video and announced that Israel’s air defenses, particularly the Iron Dome, have gone through significant improvements. The improvements were largely based off experiences in the wars with Gaza and Lebanon, and particularly in the ability to intercept attack drones.

Sponsored by Anonymous, in honor of the brave men and women of the holy IDF. May they be swiftly victorious. May our hostages be returned home quickly. May all find healing and reason to move on from this horrific chapter. May Hashem’s mercy rise and bring peace to all of Israel. And thank you to Bruria for these daily updates.

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