War Summary, Day 582: Surrendered Hamas terrorists give away vital tunnel information, fake news reports claim Trump preparing to announce a Palestinian State, crackdown on stone throwers, Lebanon cracking down on Hezbollah smuggling in Beirut Airport, Houthis fire at Tel Aviv area (THAAD fails again, Arrow succeeds), and resistance group in Iran reveals unknown nuclear weapons development site.
By Mrs. Bruria Efune
59 held captive in Gaza.
35 hostages confirmed murdered held in Gaza.
147 living hostages rescued.
49 hostage bodies rescued.
1,838 Israelis killed.
422 fallen soldiers and police in the battle in Gaza.
88 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
18 fallen soldiers and police in Judea & Samaria.
30,720 estimated projectiles fired at Israel.
10,000 Israelis estimated remain displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.
Top Headlines:
– Two fallen heroes
– Terrorists operate from within humanitarian aid storage centers
– Fierce battles in Jenina neighborhood of Rafah, Hamas’s last stance in the city
– Division 36 preparing to expand position
– Surrendered terrorists gave away vital tunnel information
– Reports of Trump preparing to announce a Palestinian State from very dubious source
– 55 wanted terrorists arrested in Judea and Samaria including one planning an imminent attack
– Head of PIJ in Jenin eliminated
– Crackdown on stone throwers
– Lebanon actually cracking down on Hezbollah smuggling in Beirut Airport
– Houthis fire at Tel Aviv area, THAAD fails again, Arrow succeeds
– Drama ahead of U.S. nuclear negotiations with Iran on Sunday
– U.S. threatens end of talks if no progress
– Iran wants to retain nuclear ability, Trump reportedly won’t allow it
– Resistance group in Iran reveals unknown nuclear weapons development site
– U.S. Ambassador says reports of fallout are false
Hostages:
Hamas released a horrific propaganda video showing two hostages. These videos are psychological terrorism and designed to weaken Israel’s negotiation stance. Instead of sharing the details or the video, I ask that readers pray for safety of the hostages, and the IDF’s success in bringing them home.
Gaza:
On Friday, the IDF announced the names of two heroes who fell in battle in Gaza:
Sgt. Yishai Elyakim Urbach, 20, from Zikhron Ya’akov
Staff Sgt. Yam Frid, 21, from Sal’it
Yishai Urbach was killed in the Jenina neighborhood in Rafah, after Hamas terrorists fired an RPG at the building where the troops were stationed. The building partially collapsed on the troops. Two other soldiers were injured, one seriously and the other moderately.
Yam Frid was killed when an explosive devise hit the APC he was riding, also in Jenina, Rafah. Four other soldiers were injured, three of them seriously.
The IDF struck 60 terror targets in the last 24 hours, and another 60 in the prior day. Targets included terrorists, military buildings, weapons depots, and more.
On Friday, an airstrike targeted a building where several Hamas terrorists were operating, in Jabalia, Northern Gaza. The IDF says it took care to mitigate civilian harm, by using a precision strike aerial surveillance, and other intelligence. Gazan media says the strike hit an UNRWA aid supply center. Coincidentally, Hamas recently released a video of terrorists hiding in an humanitarian aid storage center, using it for cover while firing at IDF troops. I don’t know if the video is from the same site that the Friday strike hit.
Division 252 is still operating in the expanded buffer zone in Northern Gaza, where they eliminated two terrorists who were approaching them today.
Division 36 is operating in Rafah and the Morag Corridor. Today they attacked and destroyed a booby-trapped building from where a squad of Hamas terrorists were operating and posing a threat to the troops in the Morag Corridor.
Within Division 36, Golani forces (known for taking the brunt of the war, but never backing down) are operating in the Jenina neighborhood of Rafah. This has proven to be the toughest battle in the last couple of months, and is seen as Hamas’s last major holdout in Rafah. Four soldiers have been killed in Jenina in the last week.
The division will soon be expanding their position.
The Gaza Division (143) is also operating the parts of Rafah, and other areas in Southern Gaza, including the outskirts of Khan Younis, where they are expanding the buffer zone. They have been destroying Hamas infrastructure above and below ground (more on that later..).
Two Hamas terrorists who recently surrendered in Rafah gave the Shin Bet significant intelligence about tunnels in the Shabourah neighborhood of Rafah. These tunnels were being used as a residence by key Hamas terrorists. IDF troops used the intelligence to locate the tunnels, which was about a kilometer long, and 25 meters deep. The tunnel infrastructure included living rooms, toilets, a kitchenette, swing doors, and several exit shafts. After investigating the area, the forces destroyed the infrastructure.
During the operation, the forces raided several additional terrorist infrastructures in the area, where they located weapons and military equipment. All weapons were destroyed.
Judea & Samaria:
Media filled with fast reports that U.S. President Trump plans to announce recognition of a Palestinian State while at the Gulf-U.S. Summit in Saudi Arabia.
The source of the rumors came from a quote in a Post article, attributed to a “Gulf diplomatic source, who declined to be named or disclose his position” as quoted by Media Line. The source allegedly told Media Line that he suspects that the U.S. president “will issue a declaration regarding the State of Palestine and American recognition of it, and that there will be the establishment of a Palestinian state without the presence of Hamas.”
No reputable sources have backed this claim.
Over the last week, security forces eliminated 3 terrorists, arrested 55 wanted terrorists, and confiscated 10 illegal weapons and additional ammunition. Four terrorists were arrested for throwing rocks and molotov cocktails at drivers in the Gush Etziyon area.
Elite security forces eliminated Nur Bitawi, the head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Jenin. Butawi established terror infrastructure and planned imminent terror attacks. He was previously involved in directing, financing, and carrying out attacks against Israeli citizens and security forces, and maintained ties with Hamas in Gaza and abroad. He also paid and recruited terrorists, and led the production of explosives, and their planting in the Jenin area.
He was eliminated after intelligence tracked him fleeing Jenin for Shechem (Nablus). Troops surrounded the house he was hiding in, and eliminated him, along with another terrorist.
In another operation, elite forces arrested a terrorist in the village of Ramon, who was planning to carry out an attack in the near future, and was involved in manufacturing explosives. The forces surrounded the house where the terrorist was hiding along with another terrorist. The two terrorists opened fire at the troops. The troops then “identified vulnerabilities” and succeeded in arresting the terrorists alive.
Other terrorists fired at the troops during the operation. Thank G-d, no troops were harmed.
Lebanon:
The Lebanese government is making an effort to stop Hezbollah’s weapons smuggling. The Wall Street Journal reported that dozens of Beirut airport staffers who were suspected of being affiliated with Hezbollah have been removed. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam says that smugglers have been arrested, and existing laws are finally being enforced.
Ground crews told the WSJ that they are no longer being told by their superiors to exempt some planes and passengers from searches, and that no flights have arrived from Iran since February. A “senior official” said that the state is installing new surveillance tech that will use artificial intelligence to track and prevent weapons smuggling.
The new Lebanese Prime Minister says that his government is “doing better on smuggling the first time in the contemporary history of Lebanon.”
Iran and Hezbollah also lost most of their smuggling route through Syria, making it now very difficult for them to rebuild Hezbollah. Weapons are still being smuggled, but at a much slower rate than previously.
Yemen:
At 4:30 pm on Friday, sirens were activated in most of Central Israel, from Netanya to Rechovot, due to a ballistic missile launch from the Houthis in Yemen.
The missile was successfully intercepted by Israel’s Arrow air defense systems. Defense sources told the Times of Israel that the American THAAD air defense system also deployed, but missed for the second time this week (no official forum published this).
Defense Minister Israel Katz again threatened, “The Houthis continue to launch the Iranian missiles at Israel. As we promised, we will respond strongly in Yemen and anywhere else necessary.”
Iran:
There is a lot of drama and speculation ahead of planned nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran this Sunday.
The U.S. warned that if the Sunday talks aren’t productive, they won’t continue.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Israel’s Channel 14 News that Trump is most likely not going to allow Iran any nuclear capabilities. In his words, “With President Trump, you should always take the strongest statement as the most likely one. If I were Iran, I’d believe him when he says, ‘You are not going to have nuclear capabilities’ — and that’s a statement he’s made repeatedly. He even used the term ‘dismantlement.’ So the president is acting very consistently on this issue.”
White House Envoy Steve Witkoff told Breitbart similar, saying the deal will be nothing like the previous JCPOA, explaining, “They cannot have enrichment, they cannot have centrifuges, they cannot have anything that allows them to build a weapon.”
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said today that Tehran will not back down if the United States’ goal is to deprive Tehran of their “nuclear rights.”
To add to the drama, on Thursday night, Fox News published satellite images that they received from an underground Iranian resistance group, showing a nuclear weapons development site which they claim is unknown to the U.S. or former JCPOA inspectors. The resistance group claims that the Iranian regime is being dishonest in talks, and is hiding their most important production facilities, which prove that Iran has no intention to enrich uranium for civilian use.
Israel is in close communication with the U.S. over the negotiations. Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer met on Wednesday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss Israel’s concerns. On Thursday he had several meetings in the White House, including one with Trump.
Other:
The U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has been doing media rounds in an effort to dispel speculation and rumors of a fallout between Israel and the U.S. (or more specifically between Trump and Netanyahu).
On X (Twitter), Huckabee retweeted a post from blogger Hillel Fuld, and added, “Because I follow Hillel Fuld, I will jump in to ease some minds. All the nonsense about President Trump & PM Netanyahu is from “sources” who don’t put their name on it. I will put mine. The partnership is STRONG. What’s broken is credibility of fake news.”
This update is sponsored by Anonymous, in honor of her sister Yehudis’s Beautiful Neshama.
A huge thank you to Mrs. Bruria Efune for a superb reporting job!!