War Day 95: Rockets Reach Tel Aviv, Ofra Shooting Suspects Arrested

War Summary, Day Ninety Five: Hamas fired long-range rockets towards the Tel Aviv area, the IDF’s counter-terrorism unit arrested three Palestinians suspected of involvement in the shooting attack near Ofra yesterday, the IDF “started a new and less intense phase of combat.”

By Mrs. Bruria Efune

War Summary, Day Ninety Five:

132 held captive in Gaza.
110 hostages freed.
11 hostage bodies rescued.
33 hostages confirmed murdered in Gaza.
1,300+ Israelis murdered.
176 fallen soldiers in the battle in Gaza.
5 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
2 fallen soldiers in Judea & Samaria.
8,000 injured.
12,700 rockets fired at Israel.
187,533 Israelis displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Hostage Updates:

Qatari newspaper “Al-Arabi Al-Jadid” reports that an Israeli security delegation will arrive in Cairo to renew talks on an agreement to release hostages.

Gaza Front Updates:

For the first time in about a week, Hamas fired long-range rockets towards the Tel Aviv area. Another large barrage was fired at the Sderot area. No impacts or injuries were reported.

Today the IDF did not release names of soldiers who fell in battle.

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari confirmed in an interview with the New York Times that the IDF “started a new and less intense phase of combat.” According to Hagari, the new phase will include fewer ground forces and airstrikes. “The war changed a phase, but the transition will not be accompanied by a ceremony,” said Hagari.

War Cabinet ministers, including Prime Minister Netanyahu, emphasized that the war is not ending, and will still continue for many months ahead.

Meanwhile, in a speech, US President Biden said he is “Secretly working with the Israeli government on a significant withdrawal of forces from Gaza.”

Overnight, the IDF carried out heavy strikes on around 30 significant terror targets in Khan Younis, Southern Gaza, ahead of operational expansion in the city. Targets included terror tunnels, weapons depots, and other Hamas infrastructure.

On ground, throughout the day, IDF troops located additional terror targets, and terrorist squads, and called in airstrikes to destroy or eliminate them.

The battles in Khan Younis are extremely intense. Hamas terror leaders are being closed in on by the IDF, and are sending their forces to carry out heavy attacks against IDF soldiers, as a last line of defense.

There are reports of a heavy attack on IDF troops operating in the south, information is not yet released for publication.

Gaza Humanitarian Efforts Updates:

202 humanitarian aid trucks were inspected and transferred to the Gaza Strip today.

Yesterday, 4 tankers of cooking gas designated for the operation of essential infrastructure in Gaza, entered the Gaza Strip.

Following coordination and facilitation, a new field hospital in southern Gaza, operated by the International Medical Corps (IMC) has begun operating and accepting patients. With the capacity of 50 beds and a personnel of 200, the field hospital provides surgical care for trauma, physical rehabilitation, emergency obstetric and newborn care, advanced mental health services and more. Additional field hospitals are in the process, expected to be operational in the coming days.

Northern Front Updates:

Hezbollah fired several heavy drone and missile attacks on Northern Israel today. Anti-tank missile fell in the middle of the city of Kiryat Shemona, with no air-raid siren warning—no injuries were reported. Another anti-tank missile hit a home in Shtula, lightly injuring a civilians, and one landed in Mount Dov, and lightly injured an IDF soldier. Anti-tank missiles frequently evade the air-raid warning systems.

A commander of the Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force, Wissam al-Tawil, was eliminated in an alleged Israeli airstrike in Lebanon. Al-Tawil’s death is seen as a significant blow to Hezbollah’s forces.

In Syria, the IDF announced the elimination of Hassan Akasha, a senior Hamas official responsible for launching rockets from Syria into Northern Israel.

The IDF struck many Hezbollah sites in Lebanon, including a military compound and rocket launcher. The IDF’s actions in the north remain defensive, amidst hints that Israel is preparing for all-out war with Hezbollah.

Reuters news agency reported according to sources in Syria that Israel carried out an unexpected wave of deadly attacks in Syria against trucks, facilities, and people involved in Iran’s ammunition supply line to its militias in the region. The sources, including a senior Syrian intelligence official, said that Israel changed strategy following the October 7 attack, and intensified the airstrikes and does not exercise caution regarding possible damage to Hezbollah terrorists.

The head of Hezbollah’s executive council, Seyed Hisham Safi al-Din, said that “the attack on the Meron base was just the beginning of the response to the Zionist regime’s attack in South Beirut.” The senior official of the organization, who is considered Nasrallah’s number two, said that further reactions from Hezbollah are expected, and that all Israeli positions are potential targets for missiles. He also claimed that “none of the Zionist bases are beyond the range of Hezbollah’s missiles.”

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant commented on the situation in northern Israel: “The priority is not to go to war with Hezbollah. [However] eighty thousand people should be able to return to their homes in peace. If an agreement is not negotiated that would allow this, Israel will not shy away from military action. We are ready to sacrifice. They see what is happening in Gaza. They know we can copy and paste to Beirut.”

Judea and Samaria Updates:

Overnight, the IDF’s counter-terrorism unit arrested three Palestinians suspected of involvement in the shooting attack near Ofra yesterday, in which Amar Mansour, a 33-year-old Arab-Israeli father of two was killed, and a 42-year old Palestinian woman was seriously wounded.

During an IDF counter-terrorism arrest and raid in the Palestinian town of Iktaba, several armed terrorists tried to escape, and an exchange of fire broke out. Three terrorists were eliminated.

The IDF, Shin Bet and Border Police soldiers arrested 17 wanted persons throughout Judea and Samaria and confiscated many weapons overnight.

IDF forces are currently operating in Tulkarm, Palestinian media reports three terrorists killed.

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahamad Abbas met in Cairo with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. The two leaders discussed the situation and developments in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian News Agency “Wafa” reported that Abbas emphasized in the conversation that he completely rejects expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and spoke of the necessity to ensure the cessation of the war in the Gaza Strip. He also stated that “the only solution to all the escalation that is taking place in the region is a political solution that will bring an end to the occupation of the land of the Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.”

A sophisticated Hamas chemical lab for weapon production located deep underground in a terror tunnel. The expertise needed for this operation and the amount of resources are mind-blowing.