War Summary, Day 692: Witkoff says war expected to end by 2026, Hamas tunnel ambush prevented, E3 begin mechanism for snapback sanctions against Iran, major Israeli strike in Yemen may have eliminated top Houthi military leadership, mysterious IDF operation reported near Damascus, and once again: drone smuggling weapons from Egypt to Israel intercepted.

By Mrs. Bruria Efune

Weekend Summary

50 held captive in Gaza.
28 hostages confirmed murdered held in Gaza.
148 living hostages rescued.
57 hostage bodies rescued.
1,917 Israelis killed.
460 fallen soldiers and police in the battle in Gaza.
88 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
18 fallen soldiers and police in Judea & Samaria.
32,374 estimated projectiles fired at Israel.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Top Headlines:

– Witkoff: war expected to end by 2026.
– Preparations for deeper advance into Gaza City
– Tunnel ambush prevented.
– IDF reveals significant tunnels destroyed in central Gaza, near Israel’s border.
– Investigation into Nasser Hospital incident: 12 terrorists amongst the dead, in a Hamas surveillance position.
– Israel building more humanitarian distribution centers in southern Gaza
– Hamas terrorists leave Gaza City, while preventing civilians from doing the same.
– Foreign Ministry demands the IPC retract falsified report.
– E3 begin mechanism for snapback sanctions against Iran.
– Houthis attack Israel with missile and UAV – both intercepted.
– Major Israeli strike in Yemen – may have eliminated top Houthi military leadership.
– Daylight operation in Ramallah thwarts terror funding
– UN ends UNIFIL’s mission in Lebanon after 2026.
– Mysterious IDF operation reported near Damascus.
– Again: drone smuggling weapons from Egypt to Israel intercepted.
– France wants to build an embassy in Ramallah, recognize right of return for UNRWA Palestinians
– Israel may respond by applying sovereignty in parts of Judea and Samaria
– Netanyahu recognizes Armenian genocide for first time

Hostages:

There does not appear to be any meaningful progress in hostage negotiations.

Following U.S. President Trump’s earlier statement about the Gaza war ending in 2-3 weeks, Envoy Steve Witkoff said that the war is expected to end by 2026. (Maybe Trump meant to say 3-4 months?)

The U.S. and Israel are discussing methods of installing an outside government in Gaza. This is planned to happen either by force of war, or a hypothetical hostage deal in which Hamas agrees to give up their weapons.

Gaza:

Thank G-d, there have been no fallen heroes in recent days.

On Wednesday, the IDF confirmed that an airstrike eliminated Mahmoud Al-Assud. The terrorist commanded Hamas’s general security in the Western Gaza area.

Four IDF divisions are operating in Gaza: Division 162 in Jabaliya and the outskirts of Gaza City; Division 99 in eastern Gaza City; Division 36 in Khan Younis, and the Gaza Division (143) in southern and central Gaza.

The troops have primarily been eliminating handfuls of terrorists each day, destroying empty buildings used by Hamas (which is 95% of buildings in Gaza), and finding and destroying hundreds of tunnels and tunnel shafts.

Divisions 162 and 99 are preparing for the IDF to move deeper into Gaza City. They’re clearing out the eastern neighborhoods, and paving a clear path around the Salah a-Din road, which cuts through central Gaza City from North to South.

Remember: Hamas terrorists rarely carry weapons on them, and don’t wear uniforms in combat. Instead, they keep weapons stored throughout many buildings and hidden locations all around the city. When they need a weapon, they locate a cache, shoot from the windows, then drop the weapon before running to the next cache. This way they can act like an unarmed civilian, and prevent the IDF from shooting at them.

IDF soldiers therefore search for weapons caches, and destroy any building containing them, in order to keep the terrorists unarmed.

The troops have been innovating, and developed several improved methods for destroying buildings, which are both faster and safer. Some new methods include using FPV drones that can drop explosives on targets from a distance.

Instead of the old method of abandoning areas after capturing, troops now establish small outposts to guard every captured area of Gaza.

Earlier this week, four terrorists jumped out of a tunnel in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, aiming to ambush a nearby IDF outpost. Thank G-d, two alert reservists spotted the terrorists and returned fire, thwarting the attack. At least two terrorists were eliminated, and the rest fled through the tunnel.

Troops searched the tunnel, and found it to be a large and recently renovated space, still heavily used by Hamas.

The Gaza Division has been working together with Yahalom to find and destroy the many tunnels in the area within one kilometer of Israel’s border. (Based on my own sources, most of the tunnels they find are not being reported to the public, which I assume is due to their frightening proximity to the border.)

The IDF reports that in the last month, the troops destroyed two tunnels with large underground bunkers in the Central Gaza area. One of the tunnels was complete with sleeping quarters, food, weapons, and additional services used by Hamas’ military wing terrorists. The tunnel was sealed with concrete. Another tunnel, which was hundreds of meters long, was destroyed with explosives.

The Gaza Division has also been working hard to remove all terrorists from the kilometer strip along the border, to make a safe buffer zone. Along significant portions of the zone, they’ve dug deep trenches and built mounds of dirt all along the zone, in addition to a second layer of fences, making it very difficult to pass through.

Division 36 is continuing operations in Khan Younis, still mostly focused on the area around the Magen Oz Corridor, which connects the eastern and western parts of the city. The troops have already destroyed well over 2,000 buildings in Khan Younis, all of which were used by Hamas.

The Navy is also deeply involved in operations, and recently guided the Air Force to strike two buildings belonging to Hamas’s Navy.

**

After IDF investigations into the incident, we now have much more information on the Monday strikes on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Here’s some important information:

– The troops spotted a surveillance camera on the hospital, which was monitoring their movement. The camera was in an area of the hospital known to be used by Hamas. It was apparent that Hamas was using the camera to direct terrorists against IDF positions.
– An open window was also seen right next to the camera, indicating the possibility of snipers shooting at troops from the hospital window.
– Due to the sensitivity of the situation, the troops called the division commander, and received permission to fire. Two shells were fired at the camera. When it was unclear if the target was destroyed, two more were fired.
– The troops were correct in their assessment. 10 Hamas terrorists were eliminated—including one who participated in the October 7th massacre, and two more Islamic Jihad terrorists were eliminated. Only 7 of the 19 deaths were unidentified (i24 News). As always: Hamas used the hospital as a human shield.

Remember: This is the same Nasser Hospital in which Hamas held 12 hostages in the beginning of the war. It is also the same hospital at which the Doctors Without Borders staff left 20 aid workers to die in the courtyard after Hamas tortured them because they worked with the American Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

Humanitarian Aid:

On Wednesday, like most days lately:

– Close to 270 humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings.
– 340 trucks were collected and distributed by the UN and international organizations. At least 80% of the trucks were hijacked by Hamas and other gangs, to then be sold for a profit in Gaza.
The contents of hundreds of trucks are still awaiting collection on the Gazan side of the crossings.
– An undisclosed number of tankers of UN fuel entered for “the operation of essential humanitarian systems.”
– 325 children in need of medical treatment and caregivers, as well as Gazans with dual citizenship, exited Gaza through the Kerem Shalom Crossing to the Allenby Bridge Crossing.
– Close to 4,500 patients and caregivers exited Gaza through the Kerem Shalom Crossing in recent months.
– The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distributed over 1.5 million meals worth of food today, making a total of 142 million meals to day.

There are currently four GHF distribution centers in Gaza—three in southern Gaza, and one in Gaza City. The IDF is currently building two new and improved distribution centers for the GHF, and will close a smaller one in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood in southern Gaza. This means that there will soon be five distribution centers, with much greater distribution capabilities.

**

The IDF is working hard to encourage civilians in Gaza City to evacuate, and move to the established humanitarian zones in southern Gaza. According to reports inside Gaza, Hamas is trying to get people to stay, and is blocking some roads out. However, several Hamas members have already moved themselves and their families to Nuseirat in Central Gaza.

IDF Arabic Spokesperson Avichay Adraee has taken to social media to combat false rumors spread by Hamas. He emphasized that there is plenty space for everyone in Gaza City, and shared maps of locations where Gazans can take their families and receive large housing tents. He added that the encampments will have running water and much greater access to free humanitarian aid, and medical assistance.

Commander of the IDF’s COGAT Division, Major General Ghassan Alian, repeated the same, and told residents of Gaza City that the IDF will ensure safe passage to the south.

**

Israel’s Foreign Ministry (MFA) is demanding that the IPC immediately scrap their falsified report which declared famine in Gaza. Israel is threatening to turn to donor countries with a request to halt funding to the IPC.

MFA Director General Eden Bar Tal held a press conference on Wednesday, in which he completely debunked the report, and exposed the IPC’s manipulations of data to serve their own goals. (The full video can be found on YouTube with a quick Google search.)

Two examples:

1. The IPC standard is to report famine when there are 188 cases of death from famine per day. Even by Hamas reported data, there is only 6 deaths per day (and these are from disease-related malnutrition, with no evidence of connection to famine). In order to reach their goal, the IPC falsified 182 death cases per day.
2. After a survey of 15,749 didn’t produce the data the IPC was looking for, they cherry picked the data of 7,519 children from within the original cohort, thus raising the percentages they needed.

Iran:

The UK, France, and Germany have triggered the 30-day process to reimpose global sanctions (“snapback”) on Iran under the 2015 JCPOA deal, following Iran’s violations.

Ayatollah Khamenei has yet to show willingness to compromise, but he still has 30 days to reach a new deal or interim agreement to prevent the harsh sanctions. Tehran is expected to attempt to negotiate such an agreement—which could be painful for them but would at least buy time.

Yemen:

Early Wednesday morning, before anyone wanted to be awake, the Houthis launched a missile towards Israel, triggering sirens in the extended Jerusalem and Hebron areas. The missile was intercepted.

On Thursday, a Houthi UAV (attack drone) was intercepted over southwestern Israel, in the corner where the Israel-Egypt-Gaza borders meet.

**

The Israeli Air Force carried out a major attack against the Houthis, in Sana’a, Yemen.

The attack was launched after intelligence was received about a gathering of senior Houthi figures from both the political and military ranks.

The Houthi military Chief of Staff and Minister of Defense are thought to have both been in the room, along with other prominent officials.

The IDF has not yet confirmed the eliminations. Defense Minister Israel Katz hinted as to the targets, saying, “As we warned, after the plague of darkness comes the plague of the firstborn.”

Locals reported extremely loud and heavy explosions, more significant than usual. Minimal footage emerged, as locals were threatened against sharing evidence online.

Some speculate that if the attack was successful, it can give an opening for the Houthi’s rivals in the southern Yemen government to attack.

Judea & Samaria:

In a daylight operation, Israeli security forces raided a money exchange business in the heart of Ramallah, that transferred terror funds to Hamas terrorists. Hundreds of thousands of shekels that were laundered for terror funds were seized.

During the operation, five wanted individuals suspected of terror activity were arrested and transferred for further handling by security forces.

Lebanon:

Strikes against Hezbollah activity in southern Lebanon have not stopped.

On Thursday, the IDF carried out a series of airstrikes across southern Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah infrastructures and a launcher, which were in violation of the ceasefire agreement.

**

After almost 50 years with nothing to show, the UN Security Council decided to cancel UNIFIL’s mandate in southern Lebanon.

The mandate was extended for the last time, until December 31, 2026. After that, the UN forces will begin a safe and controlled withdrawal, handing responsibility over to the Lebanese government and army (Israel Hayom).

Syria:

After IDF activity was spotted near Damascus, a Syrian military source told Al-Jazeera (unreliable for details, but for now our only source on this) about a mysterious IDF operation in the Jabal al-Mana area in Kiswah.

According to the source, that the IDF landed four Israeli helicopters at a Syrian military base in the Al-Kiswah area in the suburbs of Damascus, accompanied by a series of airstrikes. Dozens of soldiers with heavy equipment (vehicles?) emerged from the helicopters and conducted a search of the area for more than two hours.

The IDF has not yet disclosed information about the operation, but what we know for sure is that Israel is acting in Syria with two main goals: keep armed terrorists away from Israel’s border, and protect the Druze minority.

Other:

In what now seems to be a weekly occurrence, the IDF again intercepted a drone smuggling weapons from Egypt into Israel. The drone contained four rifles.

**

France’s Emmanuel Macron is doubling down on his plans to recognize a Palestinian state as a consequence for Israel not ending the war in Gaza (and by definition, a reward to Hamas for holding the hostages and refusing to surrender).

Details of this plan emerge, including that France is considering opening an embassy in Ramallah. The plan, drawn up together with Saudi Arabia, also includes a call for the “right of return” for millions of UNRWA-recognized Palestinians to Israel.

Macron’s Middle East advisor, Ofer Bronchtein, told News 12’s Tomer Almagor that a Palestinian state is in Israel’s interests, and that the October 7th massacre “would not have happened if there had been a Palestinian state.”

He also said that the goal is to “prevent Israel from entering Gaza City and escalating the situation.”

In a countermove, Israel’s government is considering applying sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria. Israel Hayom reports that Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer said in talks that “there will be sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, the question is on which part.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu remains publicly reserved about such a move, but his government coalition is voicing widespread support for it.

**

On Wednesday, in an interview with American podcaster Patrick Bet-David, Netanyahu subtly recognized the Armenian Genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire during WWI. This is a big deal for the Armenian community living in Israel, and also hold diplomatic implications.

In an over simplification: Until now, Netanyahu held back from publicly recognizing the Armenian Genocide, in order to avoid a crisis with Turkey. But since October 7th, Turkey’s President Erdogan has pretty much cut off all ties with Israel anyway, so there’s not really anything to protect anymore.

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