π️Lonny's War Update- October 238, 2023 - May 31, 2024 π️
π️Day 238 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!ΧΧΧ Χ Χ¦ΧΧΧ Χ’Χ Χ©ΧΧ ΧΧΧΧΧ€ΧΧ ΧΧΧΧͺ
Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements
*11:30pm last night- north- rockets Ramot Naftali*11:50am- north - rockets Metulla- rockets exploded in the Upper Galilee- Hizbollah claims they attacked the Biranit Army Base with Burkan Missiles (Burkan
rocket is a simple one in terms of its structure and operation, with a maximum
range of 10 km and the ability to carry a maximum load of up to 500 kg of
explosive material. Developed by Hezbollah with Iranian assistance. The
short range of the rocket does not allow for kinetic interception, for example
with Iron Dome.)*12:15pm- north- hostile aircraft intrusion - Shaal, Kela*1:25pm- north- hostile aircraft intrusion -Golan and Upper Galilee*4:00pm- north- rockets Maayan Baruch*6:00pm - Naim Kassem, Secretary General of Hizbollah announced that in the coming hours, Israel would feel the power of Hizbollah and a few minutes later, it began*6:10pm - north - rockets Acre- Iron Dome shot down - video at least 15 rockets wwere launched at Acre and northern areas within a very short time*6:30pm- north - hostile aircraft Western Galilee - The IDF shot down a UAV that crossed from Lebanon*6:42pm- north - non stop alerts in the north, maalot Tashiha and Western Galilee - Iron Dome intercept over Maalot, Carmiel, Kfar SajurFour people were evacuated to the hospital following the shooting to the north: Magen David Adom evacuated four people to the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya. A 26-year-old man was slightly injured by broken glass from a car, a 66-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman were slightly injured on the way to a protected area, and a 43-year-old man suffered shock.
**the army announced the death of two soldiers killed in battle in Gaza-Reserves Staff Sergeant Adar Gavriel, 24, from Caesarea.-Sergeant Yehonatan Elias, 20, from Jerusalem
May their memories be a blessing
Hostage Updates
-Sergeant Yehonatan Elias, 20, from Jerusalem
May their memories be a blessing
Hostage Updates
- Today is Shiri and Yarden Bibis' 6th anniversary. Shiri and her 2 beautiful red head boys were kidnapped to Gaza and Yarden was kidnapped separately.
- My brother's interview about the hostages and Gaza war on Sky News Australia
- Hamas publishes propaganda video featuring voice of hostage Noa Argamani:Hamas has published a new propaganda video featuring the voice of Israeli hostages Noa Argamani urging the country to bring about her release after what she says has been over 237 days in captivity.
In the recording, which was approved for publication by the Argamani family, Noa calls for her release: "Hello, I am the prisoner... in the captivity of Hamas. I have been in captivity for more than 237 days and I don't know how long I will stay here." It should be emphasized that Noa's name was censored in the recording, but the headquarters of the families of the hostages confirmed that it was her speaking.Noa, while being kidnapped to Gaza - Likud MK accuses hostage’s brother of exploiting plight of the abducted for political gain: Likud MK Hanoch Milwidsky accuses Dani Elgarat of exploiting the plight of his brother Itzik who is being held hostage in Gaza for political gain. Appearing on a Kan public broadcaster panel along with Elgarat, Milwidsky says the hostage’s brother is wrongly smearing the Israeli government abroad.
“You’re engaging in politics on the backs of the hostages,” Elgarat tells Milwidsky in response. “No, you’re the one engaging in politics on the backs of the hostages. You’re exploiting the horrible human tragedy of the hostages, you’re exploiting the situation of your brother and you’re advancing a political agenda. That’s exactly what you’re doing,” Milwidsky responds as the Kan anchors try to calm the sides down. Link Inshoildnt be, but I am constantly surprised by how low and despicable these politicians can go. They have no shame, no restraint, no empathy and no moral compass. They need to be out of power and hopefully, out of public office entirely as soon as possible. We need people who can feel and understand the pain of the people, the needs of the population and the nation and will do their utmost for those purposes and not act in their own personal or petty party politics
- 'They're shooting at me': Eden Yerushalmi's emergency call before Oct. 7 abduction: Family of 24-year-old bartender, still in captivity, tells story and shares chilling recordings from the hours after Supernova music festival in push for hostage release deal
The family of Eden Yerushalmi, held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, released recordings on Thursday of the desperate calls she made while hiding in shrubs near Kibbutz Re’im prior to her abduction.
“I’m here amid all of the shooting in the south. I need you to help me! I’m alone, and I’m hiding in the bushes,” Yerushalmi is heard telling the emergency police hotline operator, who tried to send an SMS message to ascertain the caller’s location. Throughout the call, which was aired Thursday by Channel 12, Eden tells the operator to be quiet as gunmen approach her hiding spot. Gunfire and voices can be heard in the background of the call. At one point the operator asks her if she’s alone, and Eden replies, “Yes. But that’s it. They’re going to kill me. I’m dead.”
Along with the recording, Channel 12 aired footage of an interview with Yerushalmi’s mother and two sisters, who spoke of their own calls with their daughter and sister during the four hours she was on the run from the terrorists who rampaged the Supernova festival. “Mom, they’re shooting at me, they’re shooting at me!” her mother, Sarit Yerushalmi, recalls her daughter telling her over the phone at 7:30 a.m. on October 7. “They’re shooting at me. I love you.” Channel 12 also aired a recording of the call Sarit made to the emergency hotline that morning. “My daughter just called me. She’s at the party in the south, and they’re shooting at them,” she tells the operator. “Please, save them. There are a lot of kids there. Dear God!”
Some 364 partygoers were murdered and over 40 were kidnapped into Gaza on October 7 when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists burst across the border into Israel by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 252 hostages, mostly civilians, many amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.
Yerushalmi was working at the party as a bartender. When the attack began, she called her older sister, Shani, who stayed on the phone with her for hours, along with their younger sister, May.
Burnt cars are left behind at the site of the attack three days earlier by Palestinian terrorists on the Supernova desert music near Kibbutz Re’im in the Negev desert in southern Israel, on October 10, 2023. (Jack Guez/AFP)
“At first Eden hid in a car. She told us that she pretended to be dead,” Shani said in the interview. After some time, she worked up the courage to run for cover and hid from the terrorists behind a shrub. “Stay with me, please, I beg you,” she tells the operator during her separate call to police. “Find me, okay?”
Eden was on the phone with her sister Shani when she was eventually taken hostage. “She said that they were getting closer to her, and at that point we could hear them approaching, and then she whispered, ‘Shani, they caught me,'” she recalled. “And that’s how it ended, after almost four hours on the line.” Eden’s mother spoke of the family’s fears for her condition after almost eight months in captivity. “We’re very concerned. It’s no secret… We’ve heard that women there have been subjected to sexual harassment, and women can get pregnant,” Sarit told Channel 12.
A United Nations report published in March found “clear and convincing” evidence that hostages were raped while being held in Gaza, and that those currently held captive are still facing such abuse. Hostages released from captivity in a November hostage deal have also testified that Israeli women held captive in Gaza are being subjected to regular sexual abuse.
Yerushalmi’s family said that they decided to air the recordings to pressure decision-makers to work for the release of the hostages still held in Gaza.
It is believed that 125 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza — not all of them alive — after 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released prior to that. Three hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 19 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military.
The IDF has confirmed the deaths of 37 of those still held by Hamas, citing new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza. One more person is listed as missing since October 7, and their fate is still unknown.
Hamas is also holding the bodies of fallen IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin since 2014, as well as two Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who are both thought to be alive after entering the Strip of their own accord in 2014 and 2015 respectively. link
The family of Eden Yerushalmi, held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, released recordings on Thursday of the desperate calls she made while hiding in shrubs near Kibbutz Re’im prior to her abduction.
“I’m here amid all of the shooting in the south. I need you to help me! I’m alone, and I’m hiding in the bushes,” Yerushalmi is heard telling the emergency police hotline operator, who tried to send an SMS message to ascertain the caller’s location. Throughout the call, which was aired Thursday by Channel 12, Eden tells the operator to be quiet as gunmen approach her hiding spot. Gunfire and voices can be heard in the background of the call. At one point the operator asks her if she’s alone, and Eden replies, “Yes. But that’s it. They’re going to kill me. I’m dead.”
Along with the recording, Channel 12 aired footage of an interview with Yerushalmi’s mother and two sisters, who spoke of their own calls with their daughter and sister during the four hours she was on the run from the terrorists who rampaged the Supernova festival. “Mom, they’re shooting at me, they’re shooting at me!” her mother, Sarit Yerushalmi, recalls her daughter telling her over the phone at 7:30 a.m. on October 7. “They’re shooting at me. I love you.” Channel 12 also aired a recording of the call Sarit made to the emergency hotline that morning. “My daughter just called me. She’s at the party in the south, and they’re shooting at them,” she tells the operator. “Please, save them. There are a lot of kids there. Dear God!”
Some 364 partygoers were murdered and over 40 were kidnapped into Gaza on October 7 when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists burst across the border into Israel by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 252 hostages, mostly civilians, many amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.
Yerushalmi was working at the party as a bartender. When the attack began, she called her older sister, Shani, who stayed on the phone with her for hours, along with their younger sister, May.
Burnt cars are left behind at the site of the attack three days earlier by Palestinian terrorists on the Supernova desert music near Kibbutz Re’im in the Negev desert in southern Israel, on October 10, 2023. (Jack Guez/AFP)
“At first Eden hid in a car. She told us that she pretended to be dead,” Shani said in the interview. After some time, she worked up the courage to run for cover and hid from the terrorists behind a shrub. “Stay with me, please, I beg you,” she tells the operator during her separate call to police. “Find me, okay?”
Eden was on the phone with her sister Shani when she was eventually taken hostage. “She said that they were getting closer to her, and at that point we could hear them approaching, and then she whispered, ‘Shani, they caught me,'” she recalled. “And that’s how it ended, after almost four hours on the line.” Eden’s mother spoke of the family’s fears for her condition after almost eight months in captivity. “We’re very concerned. It’s no secret… We’ve heard that women there have been subjected to sexual harassment, and women can get pregnant,” Sarit told Channel 12.
A United Nations report published in March found “clear and convincing” evidence that hostages were raped while being held in Gaza, and that those currently held captive are still facing such abuse. Hostages released from captivity in a November hostage deal have also testified that Israeli women held captive in Gaza are being subjected to regular sexual abuse.
Yerushalmi’s family said that they decided to air the recordings to pressure decision-makers to work for the release of the hostages still held in Gaza.
It is believed that 125 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza — not all of them alive — after 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released prior to that. Three hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 19 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military.
The IDF has confirmed the deaths of 37 of those still held by Hamas, citing new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza. One more person is listed as missing since October 7, and their fate is still unknown.
Hamas is also holding the bodies of fallen IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin since 2014, as well as two Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who are both thought to be alive after entering the Strip of their own accord in 2014 and 2015 respectively. link
- The Hostages and Missing Families Forum accuses the government of intentionally deciding to “sacrifice the hostages,” slamming comments made by Likud MK Hanoch Milwidsky and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi insulting the relatives of hostages.
They have decided “to withdraw from a fundamental moral principle according to which Israel will never leave anyone behind, and prefer to continue the fighting over achieving the main goal of freeing the hostages who were abandoned by the government,” the forum says in a statement.
“The hostages, and the entire State of Israel, have been taken hostage by those who choose political interests over their national duties,” the statement reads.
On Thursday, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi reportedly said that the current government will not agree to end its war against Hamas in exchange for the release of all the remaining hostages held by the terror group, during a meeting with relatives.
Hanegbi was also said to snap at relatives who criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Appearing on the Kan public broadcaster, Likud MK Hanoch Milwidsky accused Dani Elgarat of exploiting the plight of his brother Itzik who is being held hostage in Gaza for political gain. Link Multiple right wing Knesset members and the Likud party have made a concentrated effort over the last months to try to turn public opinion against the Families of the Hostages and their supporters and equate them with the left wing and the protesters who demonstrated against the judicial revolution that the government tried to pass. The families of the hostages and the hostages themselves are not a political party, ideology or wing. They come from the entire spectrum of the Israeli political system as well as religious diversity. Trying to paint them otherwise is a moral disgrace and an effort to remove blame and responsibility from the government and in particular from Netanyahu. In many ways they have succeeded in this perverse mission. There have been attacks (both verbal and physical) on the family members by right wing bullies and counter protests calling the families enemies of the state, saying that their family members deserve to be killed and not released by Hamas and that the families should join them in Gaza. Last week, as we were walking to the weekly Saturday night demonstration by the Prime Minister's residence, a haredi man called us Hamasniks, equating us with the barbarians who perpetrated the atrocities on October 7 and a few minutes later, we passed an American who was giving everyone who passed the finger from both hands and calling out "f_ _ k you all!" From the unity that was felt by the entire nation for the months following Black Saturday, too many have reverted to the horrendous divisions that the government brought upon us for years, the divisions of Us and Them. If you are not with us, you are the enemy.
- "The people and public need to know what these girls are going through. We must not forget."
They have decided “to withdraw from a fundamental moral principle according to which Israel will never leave anyone behind, and prefer to continue the fighting over achieving the main goal of freeing the hostages who were abandoned by the government,” the forum says in a statement.
“The hostages, and the entire State of Israel, have been taken hostage by those who choose political interests over their national duties,” the statement reads.
On Thursday, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi reportedly said that the current government will not agree to end its war against Hamas in exchange for the release of all the remaining hostages held by the terror group, during a meeting with relatives.
Hanegbi was also said to snap at relatives who criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Appearing on the Kan public broadcaster, Likud MK Hanoch Milwidsky accused Dani Elgarat of exploiting the plight of his brother Itzik who is being held hostage in Gaza for political gain. Link Multiple right wing Knesset members and the Likud party have made a concentrated effort over the last months to try to turn public opinion against the Families of the Hostages and their supporters and equate them with the left wing and the protesters who demonstrated against the judicial revolution that the government tried to pass. The families of the hostages and the hostages themselves are not a political party, ideology or wing. They come from the entire spectrum of the Israeli political system as well as religious diversity. Trying to paint them otherwise is a moral disgrace and an effort to remove blame and responsibility from the government and in particular from Netanyahu. In many ways they have succeeded in this perverse mission. There have been attacks (both verbal and physical) on the family members by right wing bullies and counter protests calling the families enemies of the state, saying that their family members deserve to be killed and not released by Hamas and that the families should join them in Gaza. Last week, as we were walking to the weekly Saturday night demonstration by the Prime Minister's residence, a haredi man called us Hamasniks, equating us with the barbarians who perpetrated the atrocities on October 7 and a few minutes later, we passed an American who was giving everyone who passed the finger from both hands and calling out "f_ _ k you all!" From the unity that was felt by the entire nation for the months following Black Saturday, too many have reverted to the horrendous divisions that the government brought upon us for years, the divisions of Us and Them. If you are not with us, you are the enemy.
This week, the father of the captured soldier Karina Arayev was videoed bursting into the Knesset and expressing concern that his daughter became pregnant while in captivity, demanding her return. This morning (Friday), the father addressed the comments, complained following the statements of the Head of the Hostage Families Coordinator - and addressed Karina. "We will not give up on you, do not lose hope."
238 days since 125 captives were taken in Gaza following Hamas' cruel attack on October 7th, including young women. A few weeks ago, the Hostage Families Headquarters released documentation from the moments of the abduction of the female observers at the Nahal Oz outpost, and their parents express concern that they are being sexually assaulted and even became pregnant while in captivity. Earlier this week, Karina Arayev's father Albert was documented in the Knesset pleading: "They are being raped there every day, maybe I have a Hamas grandchild. Return the women, my daughter is like a mother or daughter you would return."
This morning (Friday), he returned on the "Friday Morning" show to the moment he could no longer hold himself back and burst out. "I see myself from the side and see a person in such great distress for so long that he can no longer hold it in his stomach. I didn't know it was being filmed and I'm very desperate," he said.
Karina Aryiev in Hamas captivity 238 days so far and the government has not plan to get her and the other 124 hostages out to freedom
"You hear what the Head of the Security Council said, the platitudes and even the matter of not being sure everyone will return."
"I am very disappointed to hear such things after eight months of war. One of the goals was to get the hostages out, after eight months the Head of the Security Council says there is no contingency plan and that is unacceptable. The State of Israel and the government have not formulated an operational plan to release hostages after eight months and that is unbelievable, I refuse to believe it and hope it is not so."
"It's been eight months, as a father, how do you keep going and where do you get the strength to speak from the heart?"
"The conversations are always respectful and in much lower tones, I knew we were in the cafeteria and it was a corridor conversation. I heard the things being said over and over about there being a bloc in the government that says difficult things, even to parents, and I just exploded."
As mentioned, in his remarks Arayev expressed a fear that the Israeli public has been avoiding dealing with at the start of the war. "It's horrific to think of such a thing, and as was said we reinvent ourselves every day. We search for something to cling to and want to be strong for the returnees," he noted. "We are making every effort to meet people, to influence. We released the video from the bunker because we thought it would advance the issue. The people and the public need to know what these girls are going through, and yesterday we were exposed to a recording of Eden Yerushalmi from October 7 as she dealt with the panic and asked to be found. Where is Israel after eight months, it is unbelievable that there is no contingency plan. Don't you know? Clear out the place."
"You said something difficult, and at first there was a sense of unity. After two months the politicians started talking and things changed."
"Exactly. The people were united, and as soon as the Knesset members started making statements, the divide returned and we went back to October 6th."
"What can we as citizens do to make you feel better?"
"I want the issue of the hostages to not fall off the agenda, there are elderly people there and two more children. There are women in captivity for eight months already and it's something that has fallen off the agenda. We must not forget what they are going through there."
"What would you like to say to Karina?"
"My daughter, I love you very much. We are waiting and doing everything to bring you back and everyone with you. Do not lose hope, the country and we will not give up on you, we will do everything for the government to fight and return you." link
Gaza
The IDF confirms for the first time that it is operating in the center of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, while calling the offensive against Hamas there “precise” and “intelligence-based.”
Troops of the Commando and Givati brigades, operating in central Rafah, located rocket launchers, tunnel shafts, and caches of weapons used by Hamas, the military says.
In other areas of Rafah, including the eastern part of the city and along the so-called Philadelphi Corridor that runs along the Gaza-Egypt border, the IDF says other forces under the 162nd Division located long-range rockets and additional weapons and military equipment.
Also in the Rafah area, the military says a member of Hamas’s elite Nukhba force was killed in a drone strike.
Strikes were carried out against “numerous” more targets across Gaza over the past day, including weapon depots, buildings used by terror groups and cells of gunmen, the IDF adds. Link
- My brother's facebook post: The Israeli government refuses to formulate a plan for the day after the war because it refuses to think about the end of the war.The Israeli government intends to occupy all of Gaza and stay there for years.The Israeli government has forgotten the 18 years that Israel stayed in Lebanon and that we paid the price of hundreds of dead soldiers. Already today, soldiers are returning in coffins every day.There will be no hostage deal with Hamas because without an end to the fighting, Hamas refuses to release our hostages.The Israeli government has decided to sacrifice the hostages.The Israeli government is destroying the social solidarity of the State of Israel.Let every Hebrew mother know that there are no responsible and worthy ministers in Jerusalem who send our sons and daughters to war.Gershon Baskin 31.5.2024 link
"Hamas are traitors, slaughter them": This is how a conversation with a Jabaliya resident sounded:
The IDF Spokesperson to the Arab media, Lt. Col. Avichay Edri, is publishing today (Friday) on Arabic social media an unusual recording of a conversation between an officer in the Coordination and Liaison Administration for Gaza and a resident of the city of Jabaliya in northern Gaza Strip, who suddenly began harshly criticizing the Hamas terror organization during the conversation. The conversation took place as part of efforts to evacuate the non-involved population for their protection, given that the Jabaliya area is an active combat zone. Key quotes from the Jabaliya resident: "Hamas are sons of dogs, may Allah burn Ahmed Yassin's head in his grave. Inshallah God will break Hamas and give you the power to break Hamas and slaughter its children and women. May Allah burn the head of Hamas, slaughter them and their children and burn their bodies in graves. Hamas are dogs, traitor sons of traitors, may Allah take their children for what they have brought upon us." - the full conversation is in Arabic with Hebrew subtitles
The IDF pushed into Jabaliya earlier this month for the third time during the war, in an operation launched to oust Hamas fighters trying to re-establish themselves in northern Gaza and following new intelligence obtained by the IDF on the bodies of Israeli hostages being held there.
Amid the 20-day-long operation, which wrapped up early Friday morning, the military said it killed hundreds of terror operatives, recovered the bodies of seven slain Israeli hostages, and demolished major tunnels. Palestinians had reported that the IDF was pulling out of Jabaliya on Thursday, though the army denied the claim at the time.
IDF officers described the fighting in Jabaliya as some of the most intense amid the war. Jabaliya’s refugee camp is one of Gaza’s most densely built-up areas, and troops came under massive RPG fire by Hamas operatives.
The IDF said Hamas turned Jabaliya’s civilian infrastructure into “a fortified combat complex,” opened fire at troops from schools and other sites where civilians were sheltering, and built tunnel networks under civilian buildings. A video released by the military showed the entrance to a tunnel inside a school in Jabaliya. Some 120 anti-tank projectiles were launched at the troops, along with dozens more incidents of planted explosive devices, sniper fire, and drones that dropped bombs, according to the military. Overground, the division’s 7th, 460th and Paratroopers brigades killed hundreds of gunmen in “intense battles” and destroyed dozens of sites belonging to terror groups, the IDF said.
The IDF estimated that it killed around 500-600 terror operatives during the operation in Jabaliya. Only 350 have been verified so far, following battles and airstrikes.
More than 200 airstrikes were carried out adjacent to the ground forces amid the operation, killing gunmen, including Hamas field commanders, the IDF said. Hundreds of weapons, as well as several weapon-manufacturing sites and several rocket launchers, were located and destroyed by troops in the operation, the IDF said.
Underground, some 12 kilometers (7 miles) worth of Hamas tunnels were demolished by combat engineers, after troops raided the underground networks, the military said.
In one tunnel network, troops recovered the bodies of Ron Benjamin, Itzhak Gelerenter, Amit Buskila, OriΓ³n HernΓ‘ndez Radoux, Hanan Yablonka and Michel Nisenbaum. All seven were murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7 and their bodies were kidnapped to Gaza, according to the IDF. In another tunnel in Jabaliya, the commander of Hamas’s Beit Hanoun Battalion, Hussien Fiad, along with several more operatives, were killed by special forces.
98th Division commander, Brig. Gen. Dan Goldfus, is seen in a tunnel in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya where the bodies of seven Israeli hostages were recovered, in a handout photo published May 31, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)Two Hamas attack tunnels were also demolished amid the operation. The tunnels had reached around 500 meters from the Israeli border, according to IDF assessments. The 98th Division was to now be given time for R&R, training, and going over plans for future operations in Gaza. Meanwhile, the military said it was pushing ahead with its operation in southern Gaza’s Rafah, confirming for the first time that it was operating in the center of the city a day after tanks were reported in the area.
The IDF said troops of the Commando and Givati brigades, operating in central Rafah, located rocket launchers, tunnel shafts, and caches of weapons used by Hamas.
In other areas of Rafah, including the eastern part of the city and along the so-called Philadelphi Corridor that runs along the Gaza-Egypt border, the IDF said other forces under the 162nd Division located long-range rockets and additional weapons and military equipment.
On Wednesday, the IDF said it had established “operational control” over the entire corridor, discovering dozens of rocket launchers and at least 20 cross-border tunnels.
Also in the Rafah area, the military said Friday that a member of Hamas’s elite Nukhba force was killed in a drone strike. Strikes were carried out against “numerous” more targets across Gaza over the past day, including weapon depots, buildings used by terror groups, and cells of gunmen, the IDF added. link
The IDF releases footage showing Hamas smuggling tunnels and rocket launchers discovered by troops along the Gaza-Egypt border.
Along the so-called Philadelphi Corridor, adjacent to the southern city of Rafah, the IDF has located so far some 20 tunnels that cross into Egypt. Another 82 tunnel shafts leading into the tunnels have been located in the corridor area.
Hamas has been known to use such tunnels to smuggle weapons into Gaza, despite attempts by Egypt to thwart them in the past decade. A “high-level” source speaking to Egyptian state media this week denied such tunnels still exist. The IDF says it has so far demolished dozens of tunnel shafts and several “significant” underground routes in the corridor area, while others are still being investigated.
Hamas operatives were killed by IDF troops inside some of the tunnels, the military says. The IDF also says it located five primed rocket launching sites along the Gaza-Egypt border. The launchers were all demolished. On Wednesday, the IDF announced that it had established “operational control” over the entire Philadelphi Corridor. 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 is controlling the area with surveillance and firepower. video showing the location of the tunnels and all the tunnel shafts leading to them
The IDF confirms for the first time that it is operating in the center of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, while calling the offensive against Hamas there “precise” and “intelligence-based.”
Troops of the Commando and Givati brigades, operating in central Rafah, located rocket launchers, tunnel shafts, and caches of weapons used by Hamas, the military says.
In other areas of Rafah, including the eastern part of the city and along the so-called Philadelphi Corridor that runs along the Gaza-Egypt border, the IDF says other forces under the 162nd Division located long-range rockets and additional weapons and military equipment.
Also in the Rafah area, the military says a member of Hamas’s elite Nukhba force was killed in a drone strike.
Strikes were carried out against “numerous” more targets across Gaza over the past day, including weapon depots, buildings used by terror groups and cells of gunmen, the IDF adds. Link
"Hamas are traitors, slaughter them": This is how a conversation with a Jabaliya resident sounded:
The IDF Spokesperson to the Arab media, Lt. Col. Avichay Edri, is publishing today (Friday) on Arabic social media an unusual recording of a conversation between an officer in the Coordination and Liaison Administration for Gaza and a resident of the city of Jabaliya in northern Gaza Strip, who suddenly began harshly criticizing the Hamas terror organization during the conversation. The conversation took place as part of efforts to evacuate the non-involved population for their protection, given that the Jabaliya area is an active combat zone. Key quotes from the Jabaliya resident: "Hamas are sons of dogs, may Allah burn Ahmed Yassin's head in his grave. Inshallah God will break Hamas and give you the power to break Hamas and slaughter its children and women. May Allah burn the head of Hamas, slaughter them and their children and burn their bodies in graves. Hamas are dogs, traitor sons of traitors, may Allah take their children for what they have brought upon us." - the full conversation is in Arabic with Hebrew subtitles
The IDF pushed into Jabaliya earlier this month for the third time during the war, in an operation launched to oust Hamas fighters trying to re-establish themselves in northern Gaza and following new intelligence obtained by the IDF on the bodies of Israeli hostages being held there.
Amid the 20-day-long operation, which wrapped up early Friday morning, the military said it killed hundreds of terror operatives, recovered the bodies of seven slain Israeli hostages, and demolished major tunnels. Palestinians had reported that the IDF was pulling out of Jabaliya on Thursday, though the army denied the claim at the time.
IDF officers described the fighting in Jabaliya as some of the most intense amid the war. Jabaliya’s refugee camp is one of Gaza’s most densely built-up areas, and troops came under massive RPG fire by Hamas operatives.
The IDF said Hamas turned Jabaliya’s civilian infrastructure into “a fortified combat complex,” opened fire at troops from schools and other sites where civilians were sheltering, and built tunnel networks under civilian buildings. A video released by the military showed the entrance to a tunnel inside a school in Jabaliya. Some 120 anti-tank projectiles were launched at the troops, along with dozens more incidents of planted explosive devices, sniper fire, and drones that dropped bombs, according to the military. Overground, the division’s 7th, 460th and Paratroopers brigades killed hundreds of gunmen in “intense battles” and destroyed dozens of sites belonging to terror groups, the IDF said.
The IDF estimated that it killed around 500-600 terror operatives during the operation in Jabaliya. Only 350 have been verified so far, following battles and airstrikes.
More than 200 airstrikes were carried out adjacent to the ground forces amid the operation, killing gunmen, including Hamas field commanders, the IDF said. Hundreds of weapons, as well as several weapon-manufacturing sites and several rocket launchers, were located and destroyed by troops in the operation, the IDF said.
Underground, some 12 kilometers (7 miles) worth of Hamas tunnels were demolished by combat engineers, after troops raided the underground networks, the military said.
In one tunnel network, troops recovered the bodies of Ron Benjamin, Itzhak Gelerenter, Amit Buskila, OriΓ³n HernΓ‘ndez Radoux, Hanan Yablonka and Michel Nisenbaum. All seven were murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7 and their bodies were kidnapped to Gaza, according to the IDF. In another tunnel in Jabaliya, the commander of Hamas’s Beit Hanoun Battalion, Hussien Fiad, along with several more operatives, were killed by special forces.
Two Hamas attack tunnels were also demolished amid the operation. The tunnels had reached around 500 meters from the Israeli border, according to IDF assessments. The 98th Division was to now be given time for R&R, training, and going over plans for future operations in Gaza. Meanwhile, the military said it was pushing ahead with its operation in southern Gaza’s Rafah, confirming for the first time that it was operating in the center of the city a day after tanks were reported in the area.
The IDF said troops of the Commando and Givati brigades, operating in central Rafah, located rocket launchers, tunnel shafts, and caches of weapons used by Hamas.
In other areas of Rafah, including the eastern part of the city and along the so-called Philadelphi Corridor that runs along the Gaza-Egypt border, the IDF said other forces under the 162nd Division located long-range rockets and additional weapons and military equipment.
On Wednesday, the IDF said it had established “operational control” over the entire corridor, discovering dozens of rocket launchers and at least 20 cross-border tunnels.
Also in the Rafah area, the military said Friday that a member of Hamas’s elite Nukhba force was killed in a drone strike. Strikes were carried out against “numerous” more targets across Gaza over the past day, including weapon depots, buildings used by terror groups, and cells of gunmen, the IDF added. link
The IDF releases footage showing Hamas smuggling tunnels and rocket launchers discovered by troops along the Gaza-Egypt border.
Along the so-called Philadelphi Corridor, adjacent to the southern city of Rafah, the IDF has located so far some 20 tunnels that cross into Egypt. Another 82 tunnel shafts leading into the tunnels have been located in the corridor area.
Hamas has been known to use such tunnels to smuggle weapons into Gaza, despite attempts by Egypt to thwart them in the past decade. A “high-level” source speaking to Egyptian state media this week denied such tunnels still exist. The IDF says it has so far demolished dozens of tunnel shafts and several “significant” underground routes in the corridor area, while others are still being investigated.
Hamas operatives were killed by IDF troops inside some of the tunnels, the military says. The IDF also says it located five primed rocket launching sites along the Gaza-Egypt border. The launchers were all demolished. On Wednesday, the IDF announced that it had established “operational control” over the entire Philadelphi Corridor. 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 is controlling the area with surveillance and firepower. video showing the location of the tunnels and all the tunnel shafts leading to them
Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah
- IDF: Fighter jets strike four buildings used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon: The IDF says fighter jets struck buildings used by the Hezbollah terror group in southern Lebanon overnight. Four buildings were struck in the villages of Aitaroun and Markaba, the IDF says, releasing footage of the strike. Link
- Video of Hizbollah rocket launches on an IDF post on the Lebanese border
- Video of Hizbollah rocket launches on an IDF post on the Lebanese border
West Bank
Politics and the Region
The Houthi Al-Masirah television says 14 people have been killed and over 30 wounded in US and British strikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah province.
The outlet reports that the strikes targeted a radio building in Hodeidah’s Al-Hawk district and port of Salif.
The US and British militaries said they launched strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Thursday as part of efforts to deter the militant group from further disrupting shipping in the Red Sea.
The US Central Command said in a statement that US and British forces had hit 13 targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
The British Defense Ministry said the joint operation targeted three locations in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, which it said housed drones and surface-to-air weapons.
“As ever, the utmost care was taken in planning the strikes to minimize any risk to civilians or non-military infrastructure,” the British Defense Ministry said in a statement.
“Conducting the strikes in the hours of darkness should also have mitigated yet further any such risks.” Link
Due to an anti-Netanyahu article: The father whose son was murdered and house burned on 7/10 was disqualified from reading the memorial prayer:
Shai Hermesh (80) from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, whose son Omer was killed in the massacre. As a fighter on Ammunition Hill (6 Day War - 1967), his invitation to the Jerusalem Day ceremony was examined. His name was submitted to the Hasbara Center controlled by Minister Regev and to the Government Secretariat, but the answer was negative. The reason: an article Hermesh wrote against the PM.
Shai Hermesh at his destroyed home in Kfar Aza after the massacreEvery year on Jerusalem Day, an official ceremony takes place at the Ammunition Hill commemoration site. The President, Prime Minister and ministers laud the unification of Jerusalem and bask in the glory of the fighters and their sacrifices. During the ceremony, one of the veteran fighters reads the memorial prayer for the fallen.
When the site managers went to choose the person who would read the memorial prayer this year, they thought they found someone more suitable than anyone: Shai Hermesh, 80, a member of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where his comrades were massacred by Hamas terrorists on October 7. His son Omer was one of the murdered. His house was burned to the ground; he and his wife barely survived. Hermesh previously represented the communities around Gaza, first as head of the Regional Council and later as a Knesset member for Kadima. No less relevant - he fought in Jerusalem, as part of Battalion 71 of the 55th Reserve Division, the Paratroopers Brigade. Hermesh hesitated; he consulted with his wife Hava. Go to the ceremony, she told him. You must. The name was submitted to the Hasbara Center, a government unit under the control of transportation minister Miri Regev. The name was passed on to the Government Secretariat for approval. The answer was negative: Harmash will not participate in the ceremony. The reason: he wrote a critical article against Netanyahu in Haaretz. Menahem Landau, chairman of the site, approached Yossi Fuchs, the Cabinet Secretary. I suggest you do not disqualify him, he told him. Not for Hermesh's sake, for Netanyahu's. Better to spare him the scandal. Fuchs checked and came back with a final answer: Hermesh is disqualified.
Shai's son Omer Hermesh who was killed in the massacre on Kibbutz Kfar AzaThe disqualification is part of a consistent policy: Netanyahu will not be found in the same place with a citizen who has criticized him; he will not breathe the same air. Not rising above the people - separated from the people.
"I want to believe," Hermesh told me, "that the disqualification was not done with the knowledge of the Prime Minister. This is a disqualification of someone who fought in the battle for Jerusalem, survived the Kfar Aza massacre and lost his son and friends in his community. If Netanyahu does not disavow the disqualification, he will desecrate the memory and honor of the fallen in battle." Hermesh will mark Jerusalem Day as every year, with his comrades-in-arms, next to the monument commemorating the casualties of the battalion. link Miri Regev has always been Netanyahu's lap dog and continues to this day. They are both petty politicians who are missing moral backbones.
The Houthi Al-Masirah television says 14 people have been killed and over 30 wounded in US and British strikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah province.
The outlet reports that the strikes targeted a radio building in Hodeidah’s Al-Hawk district and port of Salif.
The US and British militaries said they launched strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Thursday as part of efforts to deter the militant group from further disrupting shipping in the Red Sea.
The US Central Command said in a statement that US and British forces had hit 13 targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
The British Defense Ministry said the joint operation targeted three locations in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, which it said housed drones and surface-to-air weapons.
“As ever, the utmost care was taken in planning the strikes to minimize any risk to civilians or non-military infrastructure,” the British Defense Ministry said in a statement.
“Conducting the strikes in the hours of darkness should also have mitigated yet further any such risks.” Link
Due to an anti-Netanyahu article: The father whose son was murdered and house burned on 7/10 was disqualified from reading the memorial prayer:
Shai Hermesh (80) from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, whose son Omer was killed in the massacre. As a fighter on Ammunition Hill (6 Day War - 1967), his invitation to the Jerusalem Day ceremony was examined. His name was submitted to the Hasbara Center controlled by Minister Regev and to the Government Secretariat, but the answer was negative. The reason: an article Hermesh wrote against the PM.
Shai Hermesh at his destroyed home in Kfar Aza after the massacreEvery year on Jerusalem Day, an official ceremony takes place at the Ammunition Hill commemoration site. The President, Prime Minister and ministers laud the unification of Jerusalem and bask in the glory of the fighters and their sacrifices. During the ceremony, one of the veteran fighters reads the memorial prayer for the fallen.
When the site managers went to choose the person who would read the memorial prayer this year, they thought they found someone more suitable than anyone: Shai Hermesh, 80, a member of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where his comrades were massacred by Hamas terrorists on October 7. His son Omer was one of the murdered. His house was burned to the ground; he and his wife barely survived. Hermesh previously represented the communities around Gaza, first as head of the Regional Council and later as a Knesset member for Kadima. No less relevant - he fought in Jerusalem, as part of Battalion 71 of the 55th Reserve Division, the Paratroopers Brigade. Hermesh hesitated; he consulted with his wife Hava. Go to the ceremony, she told him. You must. The name was submitted to the Hasbara Center, a government unit under the control of transportation minister Miri Regev. The name was passed on to the Government Secretariat for approval. The answer was negative: Harmash will not participate in the ceremony. The reason: he wrote a critical article against Netanyahu in Haaretz. Menahem Landau, chairman of the site, approached Yossi Fuchs, the Cabinet Secretary. I suggest you do not disqualify him, he told him. Not for Hermesh's sake, for Netanyahu's. Better to spare him the scandal. Fuchs checked and came back with a final answer: Hermesh is disqualified.
Shai's son Omer Hermesh who was killed in the massacre on Kibbutz Kfar AzaThe disqualification is part of a consistent policy: Netanyahu will not be found in the same place with a citizen who has criticized him; he will not breathe the same air. Not rising above the people - separated from the people.
"I want to believe," Hermesh told me, "that the disqualification was not done with the knowledge of the Prime Minister. This is a disqualification of someone who fought in the battle for Jerusalem, survived the Kfar Aza massacre and lost his son and friends in his community. If Netanyahu does not disavow the disqualification, he will desecrate the memory and honor of the fallen in battle." Hermesh will mark Jerusalem Day as every year, with his comrades-in-arms, next to the monument commemorating the casualties of the battalion. link Miri Regev has always been Netanyahu's lap dog and continues to this day. They are both petty politicians who are missing moral backbones.
Acronyms and Glossary
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 OfficeJoin my Whatsapp update group https://chat.whatsapp.com/IQ3OtwE6ydxBeBAxWNziB0
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Twitter - @LonnyB58
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