🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 236, 2023 - May 29, 2024 🎗️

  

🎗️Day 236 that 125 of our hostages in Hamas captivity
**There is nothing more important than getting them home! NOTHING!**

“I’ve never met them,

But I miss them. 

I’ve never met them,

but I think of them every second. 

I’ve never met them,

but they are my family. 

BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!”

There is no victory until all of the hostages are home!

‎אין נצחון עד שכל החטופים בבית

From today, I will be sending one update daily unless there are critical issues

Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements

*9:10am- north- rockets- Shtula

*1:00pm- north- rockets- Mevo’ot Hermon

*1:55pm- north- hostile aircraft intrusion-Kfar Giladi, Beit Hillel, Metulla, Kfar Yuval, Golan Heights, Upper Galilee 

*3:00pm- north - hostile aircraft intrusion - Ramot Naftali, Dishon, Malkia, Yiftach, Ramat Yuval

*3:15pm- north -hostile aircraft intrusion - Dishon, Ramot Naftali, , Malkia, Yiftach, Mevo'ot Hermon  -- The Iron Dome air defense system shot down two drones that entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon 

**The army announced the death of 3 soldiers killed in battle in Rafah in Gaza. They were killed by an explosion in a booby trapped tunnel shaft inside a booby trapped building. The building collapsed, killing the three and injuring 6 other soldiers and officers. 

-First Sergeant Amir Galilov, 20 from Shimshit

-First Sergeant,Ido Appel 21 from Tzofar

-First Sergeant Ori Bar Or, 21 from Midreshet Ben Gurion

May their memories be a blessing 

Hostage Updates 

• Today, I took my daughter to her college in Sderot (she hasn't returned to live there since October 7) and while she was in her class, I returned to the site of the Nova Music Festival where Hamas barbaric terrorists killed 264 innocent souls, kidnapped 44 and savagely raped and tortured unknown amounts of young women. I was there a few months ago with my brother which was very difficult but we both felt the need to go, pay respects to those who perished and bear witness. While we still have 125 hostages held by those barbarians, many of them taken from Nova, I felt the need to go again.

Benzion Hasid's family placed a banner with his favorite saying and one that I have said to my daughters growing up
"Life isn't all about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain"

The Re'em Flag - This presentation was created at the site of the Re'rm parking lot where the Super Nova Festival was held of October 7, 2023.

To the memory of the 364 murdered and whose families had the privilege to love during their lives and forever and as a moral commandment that calls for the immediate release of all of the hostages held in Gaza, including the 40 who were kidnapped from among the festival goers.

Each one of them, a colorful and special butterfly who must be released to freedom immediately.

In the center of the presentation, there is a Magen David and Eternal Light as a scream of pain from the heart of the entire nation and a signal to the strength of resilience of Am Yisrael.

This banner has the names of all who were killed at Nova and at the bottom it is written

"This land that we are standing on forever stained with the blood of angels. Our hallowed brothers and sisters were murdered by the powers of abominated darkness across the fence.

We will never forget the 394 (no one knows the exact number) souls who willed us their legacy to dance. 
May their souls be forever bound in the bond of everlasting light.

Gaza 

• IDF tanks seen reaching central Rafah, as troops operate along key Philadelphi Route: Military says it located tunnels, weapons, and killed terrorists overnight along Gaza-Egypt border; UNRWA says one million Palestinians have fled southern city. Israeli tanks reached the center of Rafah for the first time on Tuesday, witnesses said, as the military pressed its incursion into Gaza’s southernmost city despite mounting international opposition to the operation.

  The tanks were spotted near Al-Awda mosque, a central Rafah landmark, the witnesses told Reuters. The Israeli military said its forces continued to operate in the Rafah area without commenting on reported advances into the city center. Footage from Al Jazeera posted to social media purported to show the tanks advancing into Rafah.
  
  Earlier Wednesday, a soldier of the Multidomain Unit, also known as the Ghost Unit, was seriously injured in northern Gaza, the IDF said.  The military released footage showing an airstrike against an operative with an RPG in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya. The IDF said the operative was spotted by troops of the 636th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit before a strike was carried out.

  A second airstrike was carried out a short while later after a second operative was identified in the area, the military added.

  Troops in Jabaliya have come under massive RPG fire amid the latest operation there in recent weeks.

  The military additionally said troops located and demolished several tunnel shafts and dozens of rocket launchers, and also located a weapons cache adjacent to a mosque.  link

• The Israeli military says it has established “operational control” over the entire so-called Philadelphi Corridor — which runs for a total of 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) all along the Gaza-Egypt border. IDF troops are physically located in most of the corridor. There is a small section near the coast where ground forces are not present, but the IDF says it controls the area with surveillance and firepower.

  Along the corridor, adjacent to Rafah, the IDF has located so far some 20 tunnels that cross into Egypt. Hamas has been known to use such tunnels to smuggle weapons into Gaza. The IDF believes Hamas can now no longer smuggle in weapons from Egypt, as the military controls the area.

  Some of the tunnels were already known to the IDF, and others were discovered for the first time. Some have already been demolished, and Israel has also been updating Egypt on the developments.  Another 82 tunnel shafts have been located in the Philadelphi Corridor area, according to the military.

  Dozens of rocket launchers were also discovered along the corridor, some only a dozen meters from the Egypt border. The IDF believes Hamas positioned the rocket launchers along the corridor in an attempt to prevent Israel from striking them, thinking Israel would fear overshooting into Egypt.

• The military releases footage showing an airstrike against an RPG-wielding operative in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya.

  The IDF says the operative was spotted by troops of the 636th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit before a strike was carried out. A second airstrike was carried out a short while later after a second operative was identified in the area, the military adds.

  Troops in Jabaliya have come under massive RPG fire amid the latest operation there in recent weeks.

  Separately, troops located and demolished several tunnel shafts and dozens of rocket launchers, and located a weapons cache adjacent to a mosque, the IDF adds. 

  

  

  
  

• Hundreds of millions of shekels stolen from a bank in Gaza, document reveals: How Hamas planned the heist

  A document written by a Hamas senior official proves that the terror organization stole over 400 million shekels from banks across the Strip due to its economic distress. Over the span of just a few days, the terrorists broke into branches, stole enormous sums at gunpoint and fled. In order to ensure their survival, the terrorists are stealing money not only from the central bank, but also from innocent civilians.

• The Attack in Rafah: The IDF and Shin Bet Eliminated the Head of the West Bank Headquarters and Another Senior Hamas Official. The IDF confirms that in an attack in Rafah, carried out in cooperation with the Shin Bet security service, the terrorist Yassin Rabia, head of the West Bank headquarters of the Hamas terror organization, and the terrorist Khalid Najar, another senior official in the West Bank headquarters, were eliminated. The attack was carried out in the Tel al-Saltan area in northwestern Rafah and was based on precise intelligence. Hamas' West Bank headquarters is responsible for directing, funding, and supporting the carrying out of attacks in the West Bank and inside Israel.  The terrorist Yassin Rabia ran all the military branches of Hamas' West Bank headquarters, was involved in transferring funds for terror purposes, and directed Hamas operatives' attacks in the West Bank. In the past, Yassin carried out several deadly attacks, including attacks in 2001 and 2002 in which IDF soldiers were killed. The terrorist Khalid Najar, a senior West Bank headquarters official, directed shooting attacks and other terrorist plots in the West Bank, and was involved in transferring funds intended for Hamas' terror activities in the Gaza Strip. In the past, Najar carried out several attacks in which Israeli civilians were murdered and additional soldiers were killed and injured
  
  

• The bombs Israel used in Sunday’s strike near Rafah that killed dozens of Palestinians were GBU-39s, a US-manufactured munition, according to investigations by CNN and by The New York Times.

  Both outlets analyze debris from the bomb visible on local footage, including identification numbers and the tail actuation system, to identify the munitions.

  According to the NYT report, American officials have urged Israel to use GBU-39s, as they can help reduce civilian casualties.

  The IDF said yesterday that it used two bombs with 17 kg of explosives, the smallest its jets have. That figure matches the specifications of the GBU-39. link This confirms the early reports of the IDF

Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah

• An airstrike was carried out in the area of ​​the city of Homs, Syria, according to Israeli media citing Syrian media. The Syrians claim it was an Israeli strike

West Bank

• Residents of the Emek Hefer Regional Council woke up this morning (Wednesday) to the sounds of gunfire from Tulkarem. Against the backdrop of recent security events, some of them are already defining themselves as residents of the "Gaza Envelope around Gush Dan". Maya Sarig, a resident of Yad Hanna, one of the kibbutzim in the council, told N12 about the moments of fear: "We woke up in panic in the morning. We heard a very close whistle and then there was a knock on the metal shutter."

  "There had already been bursts of gunfire in the area, but today it sounded super close, right next to us. Immediately after the volley ended, we heard the whistle, and closed the shutters in case of more shooting," Maya added. "After a few minutes we went out to the garden, found a bullet on the deck, and then called the security forces." "The feeling that our home has become a target for terrorists... This morning it sounded really close. We were sure they were shooting at our house, and it's starting to feel like we're really exposed to the terrorists' fire. If at one point there was a feeling that Highway 6 kept us away from the shooting, that no longer exists. We don't have the emergency response team that was here in recent months. It's scary to leave the child alone."

  Benny Ziproot, the community coordinator of Bat Hefer who is a member of the national community coordinators' organization of the Histadrut, commented on the shooting: "When we shouted that the writing was on the wall, everyone ignored us. Now even the residents of Bat Hefer have begun to suffer from direct terrorism against them. As long as they don't regulate the status of the community coordinators and all security personnel, we will continue to see millions of Israeli citizens living under a terrorist regime. It's time for Minister Gallant to wake up before people die in vain. As a former military man, we have no doubt that Gallant can work in our place guarding 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and get paid 6,000 shekels for it. The day when Israeli citizens die from 'innocent' shooting is closer than ever."

  Amitai Yefrah, Secretary General of the Moshavim Movement and Chairman of the Federation of Israeli Farmers, also reacted: "October 7th can absolutely happen here in the center of the country and in the Sharon communities. The State of Israel must wake up here and now and prepare for the tangible threat at the national level. Along the frontline with Tulkarem, farmers are working the land up to the last furrow and many families are in existential danger."

  "In recent weeks, hundreds of terrorists from Tulkarem have been firing on the communities of Emek Hefer," Yefrah added. "The terrorists are flying drones in the area to gather intelligence and just this week, dozens of infiltrators were caught entering Bat Hefer. A few weeks ago, I toured the area and called on the state to act on the issue and reinforce the security forces, the army and the emergency response teams in the area. These are communities located near Netanya and in the center of the country. The State of Israel must deal with this immediately. It is inconceivable that hundreds of families are at real risk of their lives on a daily basis. Together with Galit Shaul, the head of the Emek Hefer Regional Council, I call for taking the necessary steps immediately before it is too late. Security and army forces must be significantly increased in the area on a permanent basis, more measures must be added to the existing obstacle east of the wall, and most importantly, a buffer zone must be established beyond the wall to prevent approach to the frontline."

  The IDF Spokesperson responded to the claim of residents in Yad Hanna that bullets from today's shooting from Tulkarem hit their community: "Bullets were found at the site. Upon inspection, it became clear that they were not related to this morning's shooting from the direction of Tulkarem."  link  Hamas video 
  The communities of Emek Hefer are extremely close to Tulkarem which has become a stronghold of Hamas in the West Bank. The situation for the residents is too reminiscent of October 7. The Hamas terrorists are showing boldness and seem to be without worry of retaliation (see in the video- link above). The Defense Ministry has been reducing the Emergency Squads in many areas of the country that they have declared 'are not on the front lines', which is a ridiculous statement and calculation. It seems that they learned nothing from October 7.
  

  
  
  

Politics and the Region

• War cabinet observer MK Gadi Eisenkot accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of having failed Israel on matters of both security and economy in an address at the annual Meir Dagan conference at the Netanya Academic College.
  In particular, Eisenkot, the number two to Benny Gantz in the National Unity party, criticizes Netanyahu for creating and pushing the “airy slogan of ‘total victory'” against Hamas and says that a war against terrorism is one of endurance, rather than speed.
  Israel, he says, has taken the tactical matter of Rafiah, with three or four [Hamas] battalions, and turned it into a global hub and such a complex story. If we had [dealt with Rafah] at the right moment, with the right timing and with the right forces, it would have been a [relatively minor] tactical event.
  “Anyone who says that we’ll disband three battalions in Rafah and after that be able to bring back the hostages is sowing false illusions,” he says. “This is a much more complex event. The truth is that it will take three to five years to stabilize [Gaza], and then many more years to establish another government.”
  He says it is clear that the government that was in power on October 7 “failed utterly” and that the massacre carried out by Hamas that day marked “the greatest failure since the establishment of the state.”
  He says the return of the hostages is both “the highest moral imperative of the state, which failed in the defense of its citizens, and a paramount strategic obligation.”
  He also criticizes Netanyahu for failing to achieve the promises he made in his 2022 election campaign — primarily to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia and to strengthen Israel’s economy.
  One of Netanyahu’s main election promises was “the pursuit of peace with Saudi Arabia,” Eisenkot says, adding that “it seemed like we were a step away from a peace agreement.”
  “Today it seems quite far away, both because of what happened here, and also as a result of Israel’s decisions regarding the order of priority for its national interests.”
  “I think that peace with Saudi Arabia and a new hierarchy in the Middle East is a distinct Israeli interest,” Eisenkot says, explaining that it would work to counter the nuclear threat from Iran, something he also accuses Netanyahu of failing to achieve.
  Finally, on the economy, he says that despite Netanyahu’s promises, “it is completely clear that the trends are negative, and the predicted future is not encouraging.”
  Eisenkot makes clear that National Unity will leave the emergency war coalition in the near future, as Gantz has threatened. He says “our influence has been reduced” and that narrow political factors have become factors in coalition decisions.
  He suggests that he and two other ministers are misrepresented as “three traitors who want to stop the war: Gantz, [Defense Minister Yoav] Gallant, helped by [IDF hostage talks negotiator] Nitzan Alon, when inside the [war cabinet] room, the decision [on a possible framework for a hostage deal] was unanimous.”
  “Have a little more patience,” Eisenkot says. “General elections are required between September and December.”
  “It is very important that the intensive operation in Gaza end within weeks, that an agreed date be set for elections as early as possible… It will be a choice between the approach of Itamar Ben Gvir, the most influential minister on the prime minister, and the approach of the current Knesset majority.
  “To me, it’s clear that this government must be replaced.”
  He hopes for a reorientation of Israeli politics to enable the representation of “the 80 percent of the Zionist majority that believes in a Jewish, democratic and liberal state.”
  He also says that a state commission of inquiry into “everything related to October 7” must be established. It should investigate “the past 10-year period, including my term as IDF chief of staff… checking deeply into the conception” that led to Israel’s failure to thwart the Hamas massacre.  link  Gadi Eisencott is a very highly respected person. he excelled as Chief of General Staff and has been known to be a 'mensch' in the position and in life. He is not a jaded politician and I believe that his only interest in politics is the same as all his years in the army, to do what is needed for the benefit of the country. With this speech, he is sending the strongest signal that the National Unity Party's exit from this horrible government is just around the corner and they will do all that is necessary to bring about elections. It is what the country wants and what it needs. 

• A pro-Israel AI-generated image that was created to combat a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel campaign on social media has been removed from Instagram without explanation, Channel 12 reports. The image was created and spread online after a similar pro-Palestinian AI-generated image reading “All eyes on Rafah” was shared tens of millions of times across social media in recent days.

  In response to the pro-Palestinian campaign, Benjamin Jamon created a similar image, also with the use of AI, which reads: “Where were your eyes on October 7?” The image features a depiction of a Hamas soldier standing over an infant with red hair, implied to be Kfir Bibas, who was nine months old when he was taken hostage with his mother and brother on October 7. 

  

  

  
  

  
  

• The United Torah Judaism party issues an ultimatum to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, warning that if hundreds of millions of shekels aren’t transferred by this coming Saturday to increase the salaries of teachers in Haredi schools, its members will quit their roles in the government and as chairs of Knesset committees.

  The ultra-Orthodox party claims that despite many recent conversations on the matter, all the funds for Haredi priorities are being withheld. It says it has held an emergency meeting on the matter.

  A party statement says its No. 2, MK Moshe Gafni, has sent a message to Netanyahu — backed by the rest of the party — saying he won’t be able to continue serving as chairman of the Knesset’s Finance Committee if the matter isn’t resolved by June 1.

  The office of UTJ lawmaker Yisrael Eichler adds that not only Gafni would resign if the demand goes unfulfilled — Yaakov Asher and Eichler will resign as heads of the Interior Committee and the Welfare Committee, respectively, and ministers Yitzhak Goldknopf and Meir Porush, as well as deputy minister Uri Maklev, “won’t be able to continue in their roles.”  link  This is Netanyahu's greatest threat to his government at this time. Due to the lack of a law granting the Haredim an exemption from the army, the government is not allowed to give the funds that they were giving before and added hundreds of millions more shekels in their last budget. 

• A Ben-Gurion-esque Decision is Needed Again:  
  The Jewish and Zionist heritage of the State of Israel clearly instructs us what decision a leader of David Ben-Gurion's stature would make at this difficult time, in order to ensure a bright future for our children and grandchildren. If the Israeli leadership does not choose this, the people of Israel must demand it. Former IDF Intelligence Chief Amos Yadlin, Opinion

76 years ago, the State of Israel was at war against seven Arab countries that sought to destroy it upon its establishment. 76 years after David Ben-Gurion decisively declared the establishment of the State of Israel, thereby realizing the Zionist vision in the face of dangers and strategic threats, the people of Israel and its leadership stand at another historic crossroads. While sons and daughters, elderly and wounded are being held captive in Gaza after being abducted from their beds, and with the government paralyzed and unable to make strategic decisions for many months now, empty and detached promises of "decisive victory" continue to be heard. On the other hand, there is another path at the end of which Israel can emerge from the national disaster it has found itself in, into a space of "strategic depth and advantage." Even today, in 2024, leadership is needed to make tough decisions - to do what is good for the state, and not what promises political survival. On the last Independence Day, the State of Israel did not have a leader to extricate it from the protracted war that is not achieving the goals set for it in October, and is exacting heavy political, security and economic prices with each passing day. The prolongation of the war may delay investigative committees, elections and the start of national healing, but it is driving Israel into political isolation, the International Court of Justice in The Hague, an economic crisis, and its transformation from a "startup nation" to a Third World country. The founding fathers knew that Israel needs to wage short wars, relying on its crushing strength, and not long wars that challenge its limited endurance. The campaign against Hamas is a decades-long one, with decades still ahead of it. A strong and sovereign Israel will be able to ensure that our children live without the threat of Hamas. The IDF has dismantled Hamas' ability to function as an active military force, to the extent that it cannot carry out a large-scale ground offensive like the one in October, its rocket firing capabilities are limited, and damage to its military infrastructure will make it difficult to recover. The goal now is to ensure that Hamas does not rebuild its capabilities, that its resources as a military and governing organization dry up, and that an alternative government emerges in the Gaza Strip that will prevent the re-emergence of Hamas.

The immediate goal of Israel is the return of the captives, with urgency and top priority. Our moral obligation, as Jews and Israelis, is to bring them home even at the cost of halting the faltering military campaign against Hamas. Ending the war is contingent on the swift return of all captives, and an agreement with the United States that Israel will retain freedom of action to conduct a sustained campaign to prevent the empowerment and rehabilitation of Hamas in the future, and to strangle its sources, including effective closure of the border with Egypt.

A responsible and far-sighted Israeli leader must also stop the fire in Lebanon and strive, militarily and diplomatically, to create operational depth by distancing Hezbollah's threats from the northern border and enabling the return of northern residents to their homes. Here too, Israel must anchor understandings with the United States on action against Hezbollah if it tries to re-establish itself in the border area, and on limiting its arming by Iran. An achievement that would grant Israel strategic depth would be the establishment of a coalition against the threats of Iran and its proxies in the region, led by the United States and with the participation of moderate Arab states, in parallel with advancing normalization with Saudi Arabia. This way, Israel will be able to stand firm in the face of the coming challenges – chief among them a nuclear Iran, with global and regional backing. Iran is still the number one threat to the State of Israel and it would relish seeing the IDF embroiled in an unending campaign in Gaza instead of the Iranian nuclear program and the regional Iranian axis. Establishing a regional coalition is not a step born of weakness, but one that expresses strength, and the Iranian Supreme Leader understands this and is greatly troubled by it.

On October 7th, we experienced a disaster unprecedented in the 76 years of the state's existence. After the strategic "dithering" in recent months, with its military hardships and diplomatic failures, Israel has an opportunity to emerge from disaster onto a new path. The leadership in Israel must not miss the strategic change of direction now required, and risk further deterioration stemming from the prolongation of the war due to failed management of the military campaign. Changing the strategy will allow a better future reality for Israel to take shape. Sinwaar and Deif will not have a good homecoming, nor will the other Hamas leaders, who will receive patient treatment, similar to that of the Munich Olympic massacre perpetrators. The armies of terror will be distanced from the borders and weakened, and the residents of northern and southern Israel will return to live in secure, prosperous and flourishing parts of the country. Iran will not become a nuclear power whose shadow of a bomb will embolden the forces of evil in the region. Israel will seek to reduce the conflict with the Palestinians and promote conditions for its future resolution, and it will do all this as a regional power, alongside its partners and with the United States, our irreplaceable strategic ally, under any president.  

The Jewish and Zionist heritage of the State of Israel clearly instructs us what decision a leader of David Ben-Gurion's stature would make at this difficult time, in order to ensure a bright future for our children and grandchildren. If the Israeli leadership does not choose this, the people of Israel must demand it.

**\>>> Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin is a former IDF Intelligence Chief and President of Mind Israel, Chairman of the Ben-Gurion Heritage Council**

• Israel must do more to protect innocent Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and more must be done to ensure humanitarian aid gets into the enclave and can be safely distributed, says Deputy US Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood.

  “The continued pattern of significant civilian harm resulting from incidents like Sunday’s air strikes undermines Israel’s strategic goals in Gaza,” Wood tells the UN Security Council, reiterating long-held US talking points regarding the war.

• The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen say they have targeted six ships in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, including Marshall Islands-flagged bulker Laax that was damaged after a Houthi missile attack off the coast of Yemen yesterday.
  
  Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reports that Tehran’s sea-launched ballistic missile Ghadr has been made available to Yemen’s Houthis.

  “Iran’s sea-launched ballistic missile, named Ghadr, now has been made available to Yemen’s fighters,” reports Tasnim, which is believed to be affiliated with Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards.

  “Now, the missile… has become a weapon capable of presenting serious challenges to the interests of the United States and its main ally in the region, the Zionist regime,” Tasnim says.

Acronyms and Glossary

COGAT - Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories

ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague

IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague

UAV - Unmanned Aerial vehicle, Drone. Could be used for surveillance and reconnaissance, or be weaponized with missiles or contain explosives for 'suicide' explosion mission

PA - Palestinian Authority - President Mahmud Abbas, aka Abu Mazen

PMO- Prime Minister's Office

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