War Summary, Day 669: Hamas refusing to release the hostages for anything short of a full IDF surrender of Gaza to Hamas, Netanyahu leaning towards a full occupation of Gaza, Hamas is stealing almost all UN trucks of aid, mystery explosion in Iran missile factory, troops arrest and eliminate terrorists who fled Jenin, and the UK plans to recognize the Western Wall and Temple Mount as ‘Palestinian territory’ disconnected from the Jewish people.

By Mrs. Bruria Efune

50 held captive in Gaza.
28 hostages confirmed murdered held in Gaza.
148 living hostages rescued.
57 hostage bodies rescued.
1,916 Israelis killed.
459 fallen soldiers and police in the battle in Gaza.
88 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
18 fallen soldiers and police in Judea & Samaria.
32,361 estimated projectiles fired at Israel.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Top Headlines:

– Hamas refusing to release the hostages for anything short of a full IDF surrender of Gaza to Hamas
– Netanyahu leaning towards a full occupation of Gaza
– The plan might begin only with Gaza City
– 2 kilometer long tunnel found and destroyed under Khan Younis
– Aid continues to pour into Gaza at unprecedented levels
– Hamas is stealing almost all UN trucks of aid
– Israel to spend over $1 billion on aid for Gaza
– Mystery explosion in Iran missile factory
– Missile from the Houthis
– Troops arrest and eliminate terrorists who fled Jenin
– Busy Hezbollah terrorist eliminated Lebanon
– Lebanon PM intends to call for Hezbollah to disarm, Hezbollah does not plan to do so
– The UK plans to recognize the Western Wall and Temple Mount as… Palestinian territory disconnected from the Jewish people.

Hostages:

Once again, there is a lot of anonymous sources, rumors, and speculation as to the next steps. It could take some time until we see how it all actually unfolds.

On Monday, Amit Segal and several other journalists quoted a “source in the Prime Minister’s office” which is usually code for an intentional leak from PM Netanyahu’s top advisors.

The source said: “We’re going to occupy the [Gaza] strip. The decision has been made. Hamas won’t release more hostages without total surrender, and we won’t surrender. If we don’t act now, the hostages will starve to death and Gaza will remain under Hamas’ control.”

He added: “There will be operations even in areas where hostages are being held. If the chief of staff doesn’t agree, he should resign.”

In summary, this implies that:

– The security establishment has come to the conclusion that Hamas will not agree to release the hostages for anything other than full surrender of Gaza to Hamas (including the supplies to rebuild Hamas’s tunnel-filled Gaza).
– Israel will soon begin operations to occupy and control all of Gaza. Note, this is not the same thing as annexation.
– Netanyahu chose the method of taking over every area of Gaza over the method of encircling and starving out Hamas from areas with hostages.
– Netanyahu believes that the encircling method will take too long, and the hostages might not survive the torture and starvation during that time.
– The IDF chief of staff preferred the encircling method (possibly hoping it would force a deal) and there are rumors that he is against the full occupation method.

As with all leaks, there are often several layers of ulterior motives behind them. Amit Segal suggests that this might just be another attempt at pressuring Hamas into agreeing to a hostage deal.

When a reporter asked U.S. President Trump about the possibility of the IDF beginning a full occupation of Gaza, he responded: “I really can’t say. It is going to be pretty much up to Israel.”

Gaza:

Thank G-d the IDF did not announce any fallen heroes!

The IDF is still at an in-between stage, waiting for the political echelon to make a decision. The full cabinet is yet to meet and vote.

A smaller meeting of top security officials and Netanyahu discussed the next steps, and reviewed several options for plans from the IDF. News reports (N12, Ynet, Kan) indicated that Netanyahu is leaning towards a full occupation of Gaza, entering the remaining 25% of Gaza which is still under Hamas control. There are hints that Netanyahu might start just with the rest of Gaza City, and reassess from there.

The remaining 25% includes:

– Most of Gaza City, particularly the sides closest to the coast. The IDF previously operated in almost all of Gaza City, but left the infrastructure and many tunnels still standing, allowing Hamas to easily return and retake control. Nearly a million Gazans are in Gaza City now, having returned during the previous ceasefire deal. There is suspicion that some hostages were moved to Gaza City recently.
– Central Gaza—specifically the “camps” area and Deir al-Balah. The IDF has barely touched these areas, save a few small operations, though they are currently operating in Deir al-Balah at a micro level. This area has turned into Hamas’s main stronghold. Most hostages are suspected to be here.

Four Divisions of IDF forces are active in Gaza. There is very little advancement, and mainly a focus on destroying Hamas infrastructure in places already under IDF control. A lot of recent operation has been underground, in tunnels. The troops thoroughly search every tunnel before destroying them.

Division 99 is in northern Gaza, including eastern neighborhoods of old Gaza City.

Division 162 is split, with some still operating in Beit Hanoun to destroy whatever is left of the city, and others operating in Central Gaza at a micro level—including small operations in Deir al-Balah today.

Division 36 is operating in Khan Younis, where they recently found and destroyed a tunnel which was 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) long, and ran under the southern section of the city.

The Gaza Division (143) is operating in Rafah, Khan Younis, and other areas throughout the Gaza Strip, with a heavy focus on searching for the bodies of murdered hostages, and securing the buffer zone.

In addition, the Navy has carried out strikes targeting Hamas terrorists in southern Gaza.

For emphasis: Based on what I’m hearing from troops in Gaza, there are way more tunnels being found and destroyed than what is being reported.

Humanitarian Aid:

On Monday:

– Over 300 trucks entered Gaza, awaiting collection and distribution, along with hundreds of others still queued for UN pickup.
– Close to 250 trucks were collected and distributed by the UN and international organizations.
– Tankers of UN fuel entered for “the operation of essential humanitarian systems,” though the IDF doesn’t say how many.
– 110 pallets of humanitarian aid were dropped over Gaza.

Since the start of the airdrop operations, 785 pallets of aid were dropped into Gaza. These pallets are dropped by the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Germany, Belgium, and France. According to research by Channel 14, the IDF is not searching the packages being dropped, but is relying on an American commitment to ensure that inspections are carried out. Channel 14 raises questions as to whether any search is happening at all, or if “volunteers” in these countries are sneaking in supplies which can be used to create weapons and explosives.

Separate from UN aid and air drops, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distributed 1.8 million meals (which is about the daily average), totaling 108 million meals distributed to date, without allowing Hamas to steal them.

A shocking 88% of UN aid deliveries are stolen en route, mostly by Hamas. In most instances, the IDF sees the terrorists take over the trucks, but can’t do anything about it. This is because the UN refused topics up and deliver any of the aid until the IDF guaranteed that it won’t operate in the full 25% of Gaza under Hamas control during aid delivery hours—essentially allowing Hamas free movement to steal the aid during daylight hours, without risk of elimination.

***

The government cabinet, under international pressure, decided to expand humanitarian aid delivery operations. As part of the new plan, a select number of approved local merchants will be allowed to purchase and import basic food products, baby food, fruits and vegetables, and hygiene supplies for resale.

Trump said today that his main focus at the moment is on getting food to people in Gaza, “telling reporters: Israel is going to help with that in terms of distribution, and also money. The Arab states are going to help us with that in terms of the money, and possibly distribution.”

Reports indicate that the Israeli government is preparing to allocate 3 billion shekels to humanitarian aid—in addition to the 700 million already invested in the aid project. That’s a total of well over $1B USD into aid which is mostly going to Hamas to hijack, resell, and profit.

***

Remember the picture from the Times cover, showing Gazans desperately holding out bowls begging for food? It was staged by a pro Hamas photographer. Photo evidence has been produced by The Bild…

Iran:

Iranians are still reporting mysterious explosions every few days. Today, Iranians on social media reported a major blast at an IRGC missile facility in Shiraz, southern Iran.

Yemen:

On Monday night, the Air Force intercepted a ballistic missile launched towards Israel by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen. Sirens were activated in parts of Central Israel.

Judea & Samaria:

In a major operation on Sunday night, Israeli special forces from the Duvdevan Unit, Yamam, and the Shin Bet targeted a terrorist cell which had fled the Jenin refugee camp in recent months. One armed terrorist was killed while resisting arrest in the village of Mirka, and another was captured in Kabatiya along with two aides. Weapons, including M16 and M4 rifles, were seized during the raids across Judea and Samaria.

On Monday night, the Paratroopers unit and Border Police operated in Barta’a, Samaria (a town right on the Green Line). The forces searched over 50 buildings, where they located and confiscated combat equipment, hundreds of thousands of shekels of terror funds, and arrested two suspects in possession of them.

Simultaneously, IDF forces operated in several villages across Judea and Samaria and searched hundreds of buildings. Five wanted suspects were arrested.

Lebanon:

On Monday, an IDF air strike eliminated a Hezbollah terrorist who was attempting to rebuild Hezbollah infrastructure in Southern Lebanon.

**

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced today that he has directed the Lebanese Army to begin drafting a plan to bring all paramilitary forces and heavy weaponry under full state control by the end of the year. The plan, due to be submitted by September 1st, would require dismantling Hezbollah’s armed wing, the Jihad Council. Despite this, Hezbollah has made clear its refusal to disarm. The Lebanese Cabinet is set to begin discussions on a related U.S. proposal this Thursday.

Other:

The British government plans to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state by September — and may end up officially recognizing Judaism’s holiest sites, including the Western Wall and Temple Mount in Jerusalem, as part of that Palestinian state.

These sites are at the heart of Jewish identity and history. But under the “1967 lines” that the UK appears to be using, they fall within territory that was under Jordanian control between 1948 and 1967 — a time when Jews were expelled from the Old City and barred from their holy places.

In the past, UK support for a Palestinian state was always theoretical and dependent on a negotiated peace and shared Jerusalem. Now, by moving ahead without Israel’s agreement, Britain is risking a major diplomatic crisis — and potentially endorsing the erasure of Jewish sovereignty from its most sacred sites.

In simple terms: Britain is about to declare that Judaism’s holiest places don’t belong to the Jewish people.