War Day 81: Hostage’s Bloody Car Found In Gaza, 2 IDF Soldiers Killed

War Summary, Day Eighty One: In Beit Lahia, at the Indonesian Hospital, the IDF found a car belonging to Samar Talalka, an Israeli hostage; the IDF announced two soldiers killed in battle; and the IDF eliminated Reza Mousawi, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officer in an Israeli airstrike in Damascus.

By Mrs. Bruria Efune

War Summary, Day Eighty One:

128 held captive in Gaza.
110 hostages freed.
11 hostage bodies rescued.
32 hostages confirmed murdered in Gaza.
1,300+ Israelis murdered.
159 fallen soldiers since entering Gaza.
8,000 injured.
11,590 rockets fired at Israel.
187,533 Israelis displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Hostage Updates:

There appears to be no progress in negotiations to release hostages, as Hamas continues to demand a complete ceasefire—something the IDF won’t do without a Hamas surrender.

Al-Jazeera reports that the leader of Hamas’s terror activities in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, recently sent a long message to the head of the political bureau of the terrorist organization. Ismail Haniyeh commented, “We will not surrender to Israel’s conditions.”

Gaza Front Updates:

Hamas fired five rounds of rockets at Gaza Envelope communities, and one at Ashkelon. No physical injuries were reported.

The IDF announced the names of two heroes who fell in battle in Gaza:
Master Sgt. (res.) Nitai Meisels, 30, from Rehovot.
Sgt. Rani Tamir, 20, from Ganei Am.

Prime Minister Netanyahu told the Likud faction meeting, “I just returned from visiting Gaza, where I met a reserve brigade in the field. Everyone asked me only one thing: that we not stop and continue to the end. In the newspapers and in the studios they say that we are stopping. They also said that we will stop after the first outline for liberating hostages – and we continued. We don’t stop, we continue to fight and we deepen the fighting in the coming days. It will be a long fight and it is not close to ending. We need patience, cohesion, unity, and determination in the mission.”

Netanyahu also mentioned that he is looking for countries who will accept Gaza civilians who want to evacuate voluntarily.

In Gaza, IDF troops continue to receive backup from both the Air Force and the Navy. The Navy uses their position from the west of Gaza to fire at Hamas targets along the coast.

In Northern Gaza the IDF is battling Hamas’s Daraj-Tuffah battalion, which is believed to be the terror group’s last one standing in the area. Following intelligence leads, the IDF raided two schools in the Daraj and Tuffah neighborhoods, where they eliminated several Hamas terrorists, and captured many more, who were brought to Israel for questioning. In the buildings the soldiers found dozens of explosive devices, assault rifles, and suicide belts. In one building women and children were being held by Hamas as human shields. The IDF rescued them, and gave them food and drink.

In Beit Lahia, at the Indonesian Hospital, the IDF found a car belonging to Samar Talalka, an Israeli hostage, and a Hamas pickup truck containing weapons used on October 7th. The car also had blood stains, which were identified as belonging to another hostage. This isn’t the first finding at the hospital pointing to its use as a Hamas terror base. A massive tunnel network recently discovered in Jabalia had sections that reached under the Indonesian Hospital, and during the fighting in the area, several of Hamas’s elite Nukhba forces were seen inside the hospital.

In the Southern Gaza, in the city of Khan Younis, troops are gaining operational control over the main routes in the area, as they surround the city. The Kiryati Brigade raided and then destroyed a weapons manufacturing plant and concrete factory in Khan Younis, which Hamas used for building tunnels. The brigade gas identified and destroyed more than 100 Hamas sites in the area in recent weeks.

Gaza Humanitarian Efforts Updates:

218 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza were inspected and transferred to the Gaza Strip today.

80,000 vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella, donated by UNICEF, and facilitated by the IDF, have arrived in the Gaza Strip Yesterday.

Northern Front Updates:

Hezbollah fired a steady stream of rockets and missiles at IDF positions along the Lebanon border, as well as at several civilian communities, such as Menara, Avivim, and Misgav Am. Direct hits on homes were made, but no injuries were reported. Most civilians have been evacuated from these communities for 80 days now.

The IDF carried out strikes on Hezbollah positions, including military buildings and terror infrastructure. During one such strike, Hezbollah launched a surface-to-air missile at an Israeli military aircraft, but missed.

This morning, Hezbollah announced the 126th terrorist from their ranks who was eliminated by the IDF in southern Lebanon. The IDF estimates a higher number.

According to Iranian reports, Reza Mousawi, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officer was eliminated in and Israeli airstrike in Damascus.

Mousawi was responsible for coordinating a military alliance between Iran and Syria, and was believed to be heavily involved in Iranian IRGC efforts to supply weapons to proxies in the area, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

The IRGC vowed that “Israel will pay for this crime.” Many additional roads in the north remain closed.

Judea and Samaria Updates:

Since the beginning of the war, the IDF arrested approximately 2,450 wanted person throughout Judea and Samaria, 1,210 of whom are associated with Hamas.

Last night, the IDF, Shin Bet, and Magav soldiers arrested 11 wanted persons throughout Judea and Samaria, and confiscated several weapons and explosive devices.

IIn Burqa, in the West Sachem (Nablus) region, Palestinians reported IDF announcements, which read: “The fate of Burqa will be like the fate of Gaza if you continue to throw explosives”, it was also written that the forces would remain to destroy terrorism.

International Updates:

The head of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. In a post he uploaded to his X/Twitter account, he wrote, among other things, that the hospitals in northern Gaza “need an immediate supply of food and water to ensure the health and stability of the population.” He also said that the organization’s teams visited the hospitals in recent days and delivered equipment, but this is not enough. According to him, Shifa Hospital used to be the largest in Gaza – but now it can only provide residents with “first aid”.

Nowhere in his message did Ghebreyesus call for the hostages to be released.

Israel’s ambassador to the US, Mike Herzog, addressed the concern that arose in recent days following reports of American pressure and said that: “The Biden administration shares the goal of fighting to defeat Hamas. They have questions and concerns but they are not trying to stop the fighting, just checking what the next steps are. The Americans are completely in the picture.”

Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eli Cohen, announced that Israel will be taking steps to respond to the UN’s “hypocrisy” against Israel. He wrote:

“I instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs not to extend the visa of one of the organization’s employees in Israel, and to deny the visa request of another employee. The conduct of the UN since October 7th is a disgrace to the organization and the international community. This disgrace began with the Secretary-General who legitimized war crimes and crimes against humanity, continued with the Human Rights Commissioner who publishes unsubstantiated blood libels, and with UN Women, an organization that for two months ignored the acts of violence committed against Israeli women.
We will stop working with those who cooperate with the Hamas terrorist organization’s propaganda.”

General Updates:

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that all reservists will receive the special bonus for reserve service of over 60 days, and not just the commanders, as was the case until now.