War Summary, Day 642: Mixed messages, ceasefire in Gaza may be announced in days, Hamas attempted to kidnap a soldier, IDF surrounds Beit Hanoun with artillery, Tunnel problems, GHF begins new aid delivery pilot, Report: Netanyahu wants to use force to topple Iranian regime, Houthis sink ships, Terrorists arrested in Judea & Samaria, and IDF forces are operating in Southern Lebanon.

By Mrs. Bruria Efune

50 held captive in Gaza.
28 hostages confirmed murdered held in Gaza.
148 living hostages rescued.
57 hostage bodies rescued.
1,904 Israelis killed.
450 fallen soldiers and police in the battle in Gaza.
88 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
18 fallen soldiers and police in Judea & Samaria.
32,350 estimated projectiles fired at Israel.
5,000 Israelis estimated remain displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Top Headlines:

Mixed messages, ceasefire in Gaza may be announced in days
Hamas attempted to kidnap a soldier
IDF surrounds Beit Hanoun with artillery
Tunnel problems
GHF begins new aid delivery pilot
Report: Netanyahu wants to use force to topple Iranian regime
Houthis sink ships
Terrorists arrested in Judea & Samaria
IDF forces are operating in Southern Lebanon

Hostages:

There are mixed messages as to whether negotiations for a hostage-ceasefire deal are progressing or not.

On Fox News today, Prime Minister Netanyahu said: “We are talking about a 60-day ceasefire, during which half of the hostages alive and half of the dead will be returned to Israel by the monsters of Hams. I think there is a good chance that we will achieve this ceasefire, as well as achieve the goals that I set from the beginning.”

In the Oval Office, U.S. President Trump told reporters, “We’re getting very close to a deal on Gaza.”

Since Netanyahu plans to return to Israel on Thursday, it seems unlikely that a deal is imminent—since if that was the case, he would stay an extra day to allow Trump to announce it in a joint press conference. If a deal will be made, it will most likely be in more than a few days.

One of Hamas’s main demands is a guarantee that the deal will lead to a complete ceasefire. Saudi sources (as reported by Israel Hayom and TIO) claim that the Trump administration assured Hamas’s negotiators that they will not allow Israel to continue the war after the initial 60-day ceasefire—but won’t put it in writing. (This report should be taken with some skepticism, since no other sources back it up.)

According to News 12 and 13, Israel is backing down and will agree to withdraw from parts of the Morag Corridor, which cuts of Rafah from the rest of Gaza. News 12 says this comes after the Qataris told Witkoff that Hamas won’t agree to any deal unless the IDF withdraws from these areas. Israel was then pressured to redraw the withdrawal map.

Meanwhile, Kan News reports Netanyahu saying, “I’m fully coordinated with President Trump. We want a hostage deal, but not at any price.”

Gaza:

The IDF announced the name of a hero who fell in battle in Gaza:

Master Sgt. (res.) Avraham Azulay, 25, from Yitzhar

Avraham was serving as a bulldozer operator in Khan Younis, when a terrorist squad suddenly emerged from a hidden tunnel shaft. The terrorists attempted to abduct Avraham, but he fought back, so the terrorists shot and killed him, and then attempted to take his body. IDF forces fired at the terrorists, hitting several of them, and thwarted the abduction.

**

Over the past 24 hours, the Air Force struck over 100 terrorist targets throughout the Gaza Strip. Among the targets were terrorists, booby-trapped buildings, weapons storage facilities, anti-tank missile launch positions, combat tunnels, and more terrorist infrastructure.

In Northernmost Gaza, the IDF sent the Givati Brigade’s combat team, from Division 162 to join the forces of Division 99 in the battle to destroy Beit Hanoun. The IDF published photos of tanks surrounding the city. The IDF will need to destroy Beit Hanoun, which contains extensive tunnel networks where dozens of terrorists have been holding out, and many booby-trapped buildings.

In Gaza City, the 98th Division is operating in the Shejaiya, Zaytoun, and Daraj & Tuffah neighborhoods. The troops eliminated terrorist cells, destroyed a cache of mines and explosives which they found hidden in a civilian building, and destroyed a weapons storage facility and other Hamas infrastructure.

Division 36 continued with difficult battles in Khan Younis, where they eliminated several terrorists.

In Rafah, the Gaza Division (143) is still finding tunnel shafts, and is destroying remaining terrorist infrastructure in the Janina neighborhood.

As you can see—hidden tunnels are still a serious problem in Gaza. The amount of tunnels and shafts is beyond comprehension. While some tunnels were known to the IDF and monitored for a long time, others are still being found, even in areas long-thought to be cleared out.

Humanitarian Aid:

In addition to distributing millions of meals daily at designated sites, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is starting a new program, to deliver food directly to those who cannot stand in line.

A pilot was launched today, in a partnership with al-Amal, a local charity in Gaza. The GHF says it was successful. In the new program, the GHF implements several steps to ensure that the food reaches the civilians in need, and not Hamas.

According to the GHF, here’s how it works:

• Local distribution begins when a community leader contacts GHF, either directly or through an NGO partner. The GHF team vets the community leader, assesses their need and coordinates the delivery of an initial number of boxes of food aid.
• The community leader collects the boxes at a predetermined location and distributes them to known members of their community.
• GHF verifies that all boxes are delivered to people in need using a list of aid recipients supplied by the community leader.

Iran:

According to Reuters, Netanyahu wants to use force to topple the regime in Iran, thus completely ending the threat. Trump, however, prefers the diplomatic route, and wants to negotiate a deal with Iran to halt their nuclear program.

In statements to the media today, Netanyahu said that Israel “will treat Iran’s nuclear program like cancer that needs to be continually monitored.” And, making it clear that all options are open, “I think the Iranians understand that what the U.S. and Israel did once, we could do twice and thrice.”

When asked about the status of the uranium which Iran already enriched to 60%, Netanyahu said: “We think we know where Iran’s enriched uranium is, it is sort of buried underground.”

Yemen:

The Houthi rebels released video footage today (Wednesday) showing their missile attack and the sinking of the cargo ship Eternity C in the Red Sea. This is the second ship they’ve sunk this week.

The attack lasted two days and resulted in at least four crew members killed and 15 still missing. The U.S. Embassy reported that the Houthis killed sailors, prevented rescue efforts, and kidnapped several survivors, calling it proof the group should be considered a terrorist organization.

A senior Houthi official told Al Jazeera that the attack was meant as a message to shipping companies, showing they are serious about enforcing a blockade on Israel.

This marks the deadliest Houthi attack on Red Sea shipping since June 2024.

Judea & Samaria:

Israeli security forces* carried out counterterrorism operations in several areas in Judea and Samaria.

In the village of Al-Yamun, near Jenin, forces arrested a terrorist who was planning to establish a new terror organization in the area.

In the village of Bir al-Basha, forces arrested four armed terrorists, who were holding a combined 6 weapons, of various kinds.

In other areas in Judea, six wanted terrorists were arrested in operations since Monday.

*Operations in Judea and Samaria tend to be carried out by a mix of Israeli security forces, including the IDF, Shin Bet, and Border Police.

Lebanon:

Last night, the IDF struck and eliminated Ali Mazhar, who was responsible for fire management in the Zaharani sector of Hezbollah’s Badr unit, in Southern Lebanon. Hussein had directed numerous attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers. Lately, he was working to restore Hezbollah’s artillery capabilities in southern Lebanon.

**

IDF soldiers of Division 91 operated inside Southern Lebanon, in special targeted operations to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding terror infrastructure along Israel’s border.

In one of the operations in the Jabal Balat mountain range, IDF troops located a compound containing Hezbollah weapons depots and firing positions—which the troops then destroyed.

In another operation, troops located weapons hidden in the Levona area, including a launcher with multiple canisters, a heavy machine gun, and dozens of explosive devices. The forces confiscated and destroyed the equipment and weapons found in the area.

Troops also found an underground structure used to store weapons. An IDF engineering team destroyed it.

Other:

After months of delays, a shipment from the U.S. of dozens of bulldozers for the IDF has finally arrived.

The IDF purchased the Caterpillar D9 bulldozers in 2024, but the Biden administration froze the sale, since the IDF uses the bulldozers to destroy buildings in Gaza. The IDF destroys buildings used by Hamas to store weapons, fire at troops, cover tunnel shafts, or place booby traps.

This order, along with many others, was unfrozen by President Trump when he took office.

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