War Day 537: Gaza Protests Hamas, Houthis Fail Missile Launch

War Summary, Day 537: Egyptian ceasefire proposals fail, Netanyahu confirms policy of taking land until hostages are released, Gazan protests against Hamas grow, reports of extended Netzarim Corridor takeover, Hamas Spokesman eliminated, pilot program relocates 100 Gazans to Indonesia, Stone-throwing terrorist eliminated, Houthis fail at missile launch again, and China wants to negotiate for 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.
30,690 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:

– Egyptian ceasefire proposals failed
– Netanyahu confirms policy of taking land until hostages are released
– Gazan protests against Hamas grow
– Hamas rockets launched at border communities, Be’er Sheva area
– Significant evacuation warnings for Gaza City
– Reports of extended Netzarim Corridor takeover
– Hamas Spokesman eliminated
– Pilot program relocates 100 Gazans to Indonesia
– Stone-throwing terrorist eliminated
– 20 terrorists arrested in Judea & Samaria
– Houthis fail at missile launch, again
– China wants to negotiate for Iran
– Tragedy: Soldier collapsed after training session

Hostages:

Egyptian sources told Al Arabi Al Jadid (a London-based pan-Arab news outlet) that all the recent Egyptian proposals for a hostage release / ceasefire deal have failed.

Israel is still focusing on slowly turning up the pressure on Hamas in Gaza in order to force them to agree to the Witkoff framework (which will still only release half the hostages). Expect at least a few more weeks before the war turns into a large-scale operation, while the IDF hopes that the pressure might first bring some hostages home.

In a speech this morning, Netanyahu publicly confirmed the rumored new policy for the first time: that Israel will take territory in Gaza if Hamas refuses to release the hostages. “As long as Hamas continues to refuse to release our hostages, the more powerful our pressure on them will be. I say to Hamas: That includes seizing territory and includes other things I cannot detail here.”

The pressure on Hamas comes from four main areas:

1. The expansion of the buffer zone, around Gaza’s edges. Here Hamas is losing land, which Israel is threatening to hold onto forever. To Hamas, loss of land is worse than death, even thousands of deaths.

2. Targeted airstrikes, specifically assassinations of Senior Hamas leaders and field commanders. Hamas’s heads in Gaza are being cut off, one by one, just like in Lebanon. The lack of internal leadership sews chaos and fear.

3. No more humanitarian aid. It’s estimated that within two months, Gaza will run out of food, water, and fuel.

4. Civilian uprisings. The people of Gaza are growing tired of a failed war. At the start of the ceasefire, they celebrated victory. Then the left the humanitarian zone and saw the immense destruction caused by Hamas’s war. After six weeks of tryin got rebuild their lives, and hope that it was over, the people’s dreams were crushed. Now they’re mad at Hamas, and pressuring them to end it.

It’s still too soon to know if the civilian protests will affect any change. Today, the protests spread an expanded throughout Gaza, including in cities where Hamas still maintains a strong presence. Some protests had over a thousand attendees. But Hamas did not yet try to silence them with violence—they tried pleas, and made sure that Al Jazeera and other media outlets pointed their cameras away.

It’s important to note that Gazans are not a homogenous people. There are various organizers behind the protests, each with different goals. The Fatah political party appear to be a significant player, and since they are the ruling party of the Palestinian Authority, their aim is to be granted control of Gaza in place of Hamas.

The protesters are calling for Hamas to leave, and end the war. But, for the vast majority of protesters, the reasoning is not that terrorism is bad, or October 7th was a bad thing to do. They just don’t like the life that war has given them.

Some aren’t even calling for an end to the war, they just call for Hamas to leave, because they believe that a different group might do a better job at destroying Israel.

Though a few faces have been spotted in the crowds of Gazans who were known to want a sort of peace with Israel, and suffered heavy consequences for it in the past.

The question now is whether Hamas is able to subdue the protests, or if they will fall to pressure to release more hostages in exchange for a ceasefire, or even leave Gaza.

Gaza:

Hamas launched rockets at Israel twice today.

At noon, two rockets were fired at Israeli border communities: Alumim, Zimrat, Shuva, Kfar Maimon and Tushia. One rocket was intercepted, and the other landed in an orchard, where it dug a deep hole, but caused no harm. The landing was a mere 100 meters from a preschool which was packed with kids.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) took responsibility for the launch. The IDF responded quickly, and destroyed the launch sites with air strikes. An evacuation order was issued for the area where the rocket was launched from, in three Gaza City neighborhoods: Zeitoun, Tel al-Hawa, and Sheikh Ijlin.

Later, at 9 p.m., the PIJ launched another rocket towards the Hatzerim Air Force base, on the outskirts of Be’er Sheva. A loud interception was seen over the city, but sirens were only sounded in Hatzerim. (The IDF has a risk-assessment policy to determine whether alarms should be activated. If the risk of injuries from the rocket or shrapnel are lower than that of accidental injuries caused by running to shelter, the siren is not activated. In this case, the interception was at the city’s edge, it was only one rocket, and it was a time when most people are at home.)

The IDF swiftly issued an evacuation order for the area where the rocket was launched from, expanding the previous order for much of Gaza City.

IDF positions in Gaza are currently: The buffer zone surrounding Gaza’s perimeter; parts of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun in Northernmost Gaza; the Netzarim Corridor which splits the north of Gaza from the south and center; small suburbs of Khan Younis in Central Gaza; the Tel Sultan and Shaboura neighborhoods of Rafah, in Southernmost Gaza; and the Philadelphi Corridor, which runs along Gaza’s border with Egypt. Aside from the Netzarim Corridor, these areas all connect to the buffer zone.

There are unconfirmed reports that the IDF expanded its hold on the Netzarim Corridor. Until now they only took back half of it, but now reports say the IDF reached the coast, and began blocking northbound traffic.

Since the end of the ceasefire last week, the IDF hit 430 targets in Gaza. Another round of heavy airstrikes begun tonight, including many in Central Gaza, which appear to have high-profile targets.

There are early reports that the IDF eliminated a senior target in a late night airstrike:

• Photos show Abdel Latif al-Kanoa, the Hamas spokesman, eliminated in an airstrike in Jabaliya, Northern Gaza.

This morning, Defense Minister Katz warned Gazans to obey evacuation warnings, and encouraged them to continue protesting Hamas: “Gaza residents, the IDF will soon operate with intensity in additional areas in Gaza and you will be required to evacuate for your protection from the combat zones. The plans are ready and approved. Hamas is risking your life and will make you lose your homes and more and more land that will be added to the Israeli defense array. Learn from the residents of Beit Lahiiya, as they did, you should also demand the removal of Hamas from Gaza and the immediate release of all Israeli hostages. This is the only way to stop the war.”

According to a Post report, U.S. intelligence recently concluded that Hamas remains a significant security threat to Israel, albeit with degraded capabilities.

A pilot program launched yesterday relocated 100 Gazans to Indonesia, where they will work in construction. If it goes well, thousands more will be brought to join them.

The Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health recently released what they claim to be a full list of all Gazans who died since the start of the war. While there are many names censored, especially in the fighting-age categories, and the list can not be taken as entirely truthful, it does appear to give somewhat of a realistic picture. Note that the list is not only of those killed, but of all deaths during this time period—including deaths by old age, illness, in birth, or accidental.

A data-compilation by @levanonisrael on X, demonstrated a civilian to combatant ratio between 2:1 and even 1:1. This is taking into consideration that Hamas recruits combatants from age 16 (even 15 sometimes), and subtracting the percentage of typical annual deaths in pre-war Gaza.

This is a significantly lower number than any urban warfare in history.

Judea & Samaria:

IDF observation soldiers noticed a masked terrorist about throw large stones at civilian vehicles on a Samaria highway. Soldiers in the area immediately eliminated the threat. The IDF is taking a strong stance against stone throwers, in order to reduce the likelihood of escalation and fatal incidents.

In overnight counterterrorism operations throughout Judea and Samaria, troops arrested 20 wanted terrorists, and confiscated two weapons and a grenade.

Lebanon:

In the last week, the IDF carried out over 40 airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in Southern Lebanon—most in response to the rocket fired on Metula.

Reports in Lebanon say an IDF airstrike targeted a vehicle in Southern Lebanon, eliminating one.

In response to rumors, the Lebanese PM (and former ICJ Judge) Nawaf Salam declared that “no one in Lebanon wants to normalize with Israel.”

This morning, the IDF launched the largest military exercise since the start of the war, with two full divisions. The exercise stimulated a full attack on the Northern front, hitting all bases and outposts in Israel and over the border.

Syria:

The IDF struck 18 targets in Syria over the last week, in an effort to keep the new Syrian regime from building a military presence on Israel’s border.

Yemen:

For the second time in a row (and perhaps the 6th time since the end of the ceasefire), a failed ballistic missile launch was detected, fired by the Houthis.

The U.S. has been carrying out daily heavy strikes against the Houthis in Yemen since last weekend. Recent targets included Houthi military shelters, headquarters, and communication centers liked to Iran. Several Houthi leaders and commanders are reported to have been eliminated as well, though identities are unverified. There are hints that the Houthis are beginning to crack, or at least lose operational abilities.

Iran:

Ma’ariv reported that China wants to mediate an agreement between the U.S. and Iran. The message was reportedly conveyed to Israel through a third country. It’s questionable whether this is realistic, since the U.S. does not trust China or see them as a good-faith partner. According to a recently published US intelligence report “China poses the most comprehensive and powerful military threat to national security.”

Other:

In the last week, 14 launches were intercepted by Israeli air defenses, including six interceptions of surface-to-surface missiles launched from Yemen, three rockets launched from Lebanon, and five additional rockets launched from the Gaza Strip.

Tragically, a young soldier collapsed and died following an intensive Krav Maga training session. The IDF is investigating the incident, and has suspended the Krav Maga training until the cause is found. The soldier is named as Sergeant Yosef Chaim Zvi Serlin, 19, from Jerusalem

Following the High Court ruling, today PM Netanyahu interviewed four candidates for the position of Shin Bet director. The known candidates are mainstream choices, and obvious successors, such as the deputy of the current chief. If an obvious successor is chosen, the Supreme Court will likely be quicker to drop the hiring freeze, since conflict of interest claims will no longer be relevant.

Sponsored anonymously in honor of our daughter, granddaughter, niece, & great niece-Esti Cohen’s -recent Bas Mitzvah. With heartfelt prayers for the safe return of all the hostages, and safety of all of Israel.

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