War Summary, Day Ninety Seven: The IDF says that the two Al Jazeera journalists who were killed in an airstrike on Sunday, were active members of Gaza terror groups, the IDF is giving strong signs of preparation for a full war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and a tunnel was found where hostages had been held recently for a long amount of time.
By Mrs. Bruria Efune
War Summary, Day Ninety Seven:
132 held captive in Gaza.
110 hostages freed.
11 hostage bodies rescued.
33 hostages confirmed murdered in Gaza.
1,300+ Israelis murdered.
186 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:
There are a lot of rumors about new ongoing talks about a hostage release deal being brokered by Qatar, including the possibility of a ceasefire with the exile of Hamas leaders from Gaza. Israel denies most rumors, and says only that there are “movements” in the talks.
Gaza Front Updates:
Hamas fired into Israel once today, at Kibbutz Nachal Oz in the Gaza Envelope.
The IDF announced the name of one hero who fell in battle in Gaza:
Sgt. First Class (res.) Elkana Newlander, 24, from Efrat
The IDF says that the two Al Jazeera journalists who were killed in an airstrike on Sunday, were in fact active members of Gaza terror groups. The two were eliminated while in a car In Rafah, Southern Gaza, while a third terrorist in the car was operating a drone.
The IDF produced evidence found in Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) documents.
Journalist Hamza Wael Dahdouh, who is the son of a more famous Al Jazeera journalist, was a member of the PIJ, and served as a deputy commander in the Zeitoun Battalion’s rocket firing force, and was a member of Islamic Jihad’s electronic engineering unit. Journalist Mustafa Thuria was a member of Hamas’s Gaza City Brigade, and served as a deputy squad commander in one of the battalions.
This incident, which sparked international outrage, is more evidence that Hamas doesn’t only use civilians as human shields, but hides behind civilian roles to gain immunity. The journalists join a long line of Gaza medical professionals and hospital administrators who also turned out to be active terrorists.
The IDF announced completion of the operation in Khuza’a, which is in Southern Gaza, just outside Khan Younis. The operation attacked the Hamas branch that massacred Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7th.
During the operation, the IDF eliminated numerous Hamas terrorists, demolished 40 Hamas tunnel shafts and major underground networks, and destroyed hundreds of Hamas sites, including rocket launchers, observation posts, and caches of weapons. Most of Hamas’s infrastructure in Khuza’a was hidden inside schools and other public buildings.
The intense battles are continuing in Khan Younis, where the IDF is searching for the hostages and the chief terrorists who are hiding underground. The terrorists are moving the hostages around in an attempt to flee the IDF. The IDF found one tunnel where the hostages had been held recently for a long amount of time, which showed extremely inhumane conditions.
In the past day, troops eliminated many Hamas terrorists, struck 150 terror targets, and uncovered 15 tunnel shafts.
The Air Force is also attacking targets all the way south, in Rafah.
The Lebanese newspaper “Al-Akhbar” reported that Israel allegedly carried out “intelligence operations of special forces in the Sinai Peninsula, Sudan and Libya.” This is based on estimates that Hamas may try to move hostages and officials out of Gaza, and even lead them to Iran or Lebanon. According to the report, Egypt clarified that it has no indication that Hamas is operating on the Egyptian side of the border and expressed a willingness to cooperate in checking information.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a press conference and post on Twitter, “I want to make a few points absolutely clear: Israel has no intention of permanently occupying Gaza or displacing its civilian population. Israel is fighting Hamas terrorists, not the Palestinian population, and we are doing so in full compliance with international law.”
According to inside sources, the first point was only made under US pressure. Several Knesset members of Netanyahu’s Likud party protested this statement.
Gaza Humanitarian Efforts Updates:
208 humanitarian aid trucks were inspected and transferred to the Gaza Strip today.
While the Israeli government and IDF are allowing an unlimited amount of aid into Gaza at America’s request, and putting heavy manpower into inspecting the aid trucks at a speed faster than they arrive, an increasing amount of Israelis are protesting the aid. Earlier this week, families of hostages protested outside the Kerem Shalom inspection site, and continue to protest, saying that the huge amount of aid being allowed into Gaza is a betrayal to the hostages.
Almog Boker, who is a popular news personality and university lecturer from Kibbutz Zikim in the Gaza Envelope, is also ramping up protests against the aid. Today he tweeted:
“Bringing flour trucks into Gaza.
This is how you don’t bring the kidnapped home, this is how you don’t defeat Hamas.
The hostages who were released from Hamas captivity, say that they received a quarter of a pita a day!
The War Cabinet must deliver a resolute message to the Americans: the party is over!
First freeing the hostages, only then humanitarian aid.”
Northern Front Updates:
Hezbollah continued with a wide assortment of attacks on Israel, from anti-tank missiles to explosive drones.
The IDF is giving strong signs of preparation for a full war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and raising the presence of soldiers on the northern border.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi spoke to troops in Gaza, and told them that their accomplishments prove that the IDF can fight in the difficult Lebanon terrain, if need be. In Halevi’s words:
“I see the capabilities here, I know very well that [you] know how to deal with any problem in Gaza, there is not a square kilometer in Gaza that you do not know how to enter and dismantle. After what you have done, there is no village in Lebanon, and there are no fortified areas in Lebanon that you cannot enter and dismantle. We will put you in the necessary places, you will do what is necessary there.”
In the meantime, the IDF’s response to Hezbollah attacks remains measured. The IDF shelled Hezbollah positions along the Lebanon border, and the Air Force struck several Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including a military compound, an observation position, and a command center and rocket launch position.
The Deputy Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Elias Bou Saab, said today that “war is not the solution… We hope that the visit of the American envoy Hochstein will support a step towards achieving stability.” According to the Lebanese official, “one of Israel’s demands is related to the state of stability In the area.” Bou Sa’ev said in a statement to the media: “I want to be clear – the war will not bring the hostages home. We have the same goal, that all the residents of the villages in southern Lebanon will return to their settlements and farms. The solution is diplomatic.”
While several voices in Lebanese parliament have spoken against war, none seem to be able to control Hezbollah’s actions and continued deadly fire into Northern Israel.
Houthi War Fronts Updates:
The US military announced that it had intercepted 21 Houthi missiles and drones launched from Yemen into a shipping lane in the southern Red Sea, which was used by dozens of merchant ships. “18 UAVs, two cruise missiles, and one ballistic missile were intercepted by US and British forces. There were no casualties and no damage was caused.”
The UN Security Council approved a resolution demanding the Houthi terrorists in Yemen stop attacks on international trade routes. The Houthis dismissed the resolution as a “political game.”
Judea and Samaria Updates:
The IDF has been operating in Jenin, to uncover terrorist groups and caches of explosive devices, collect illegal weapons, and arrest wanted persons associated with terror groups.
Sky News in Arabic reports that the meeting between PA Chairman Mahamad Abbas and Blinken, the US Secretary of State, was “tense.” According to reports, Blinken told Abbas that the US supports “real steps” that will advance the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
Video: IDF troops raided the vacation home of Marwan Issa, the deputy head of Hamas’s military. The home, with wide green lawns and a private pool, shows the contrast of life in Gaza for ordinary civilians, compared to Hamas officials.
May God bless Israel. I know you are a newspaper/news gathering company. I would hope, as in this instance you will expose to the world the lies and misrepresentations of the terrorists in gaza. They are not Palestinians the truth is they are gazans. The previous word is a made up word. Made up by the British colonizers in the early twenties. Hamas a terror group hides among them, governs them, rules them really. They enrich themselves at gazan expense. I would enjoy it if you could hit on that fact at every opportunity. I will pray for Israel and for the end to this war. As for hamas, kill them all.