🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 387, 2023

🎗️Day 387 that 101 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!!!”
For over a year, their eyes have looked upon us from every corner—those missing people we never knew personally, yet for whom we fight tirelessly to bring back.
During their captivity in Gaza, we’ve learned so much about them—we’ve listened to their favorite music, cooked their beloved meals, and connected with their families.
Still, so many questions remain unanswered…
But we promise, we will not stop until every one of them is home!

We’re waiting for you, all of you.
A deal is the only way to bring
all the hostages home- the murdered for burial and the living for rehabilitation.

#BringThemHomeNow #TurnTheHorrorIntoHope

There is no victory until all of the hostages are home!
‎אין נצחון עד שכל החטופים בבית

The two sections at the end, personal stories and Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages are very important to read, as important or more than the news of the day.

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

6:20pm yesterday - north - rockets/missiles
7:00pm yesterday- north - hostile aircraft - Almgor, Amnon Beach, Admit
7:35pm yesterday - north -rockets/missiles
8:00pm yesterday - north - rockets/missiles
8:20pm yesterday - north - rockets/missiles
11:45pm yesterday - north - rockets/missiles
12:00am - north - rockets/missiles
1:15am - hostile aircraft - Hanita, Rosh Hanikra, Shlomi, Batzet, Metzuba, Milu'ot, Leeman
1:20am - north -hostile aircraft - Rosha Hanikra, Batzet, Leeman, Milu'ot, Ben Ami, Gesher Haziv, Haharia, Saar, Avron, Shavei Zion
8:00am - north - hostile aircraft - Leeman, Gesher Haziv, Saar, Naharia, Netiv Hashira, Avron, Mirzra'a, Regba, Nes Amin - Magen David Adom says its medics are treating a 61-year-old man in moderate condition and a 31-year-old man who was lightly hurt by the drone impact at the Bar Lev industrial zone.
The Hezbollah drone that injured two people at the Bar Lev industrial zone in northern Israel hit a factory belonging to the BAZ aviation components firm. The factory manufactures aerospace metal components for both civilian and military clients, according to the company’s LinkedIn page. The IDF confirms that a drone launched from Lebanon struck the industrial zone, and further details are being investigated.
8:05am - north - hostile aircraft - Beit Haemek, Abu Snan, Ashrat, Kfar yasif, Amka, Naharia, Shavei Zion, Gedida Makar
9:15am - north - rockets/missiles
9:45am - north - hostile aircraft, Kiryat Shemona, Margaliot
10:00am - Center - Glilot Junction just north of Tel Aviv - terrorist attack - truck ramming bus stop - 35 wounded, 6 seriously
10:45am - north - rockets/missiles
12:05pm - north - rockets/missiles
12:15pm - north -rockets/missiles -Medics are responding to reports of a direct rocket impact in the northern Arab city of Tamra, following Hezbollah’s latest barrage from Lebanon. At least three people are wounded, including one seriously, as a result of rocket impacts in the northern Arab city of Tamra, first responders say. One of the wounded is in serious condition. She was hit by shrapnel in her chest and extremities. A teenage girl is suffering from smoke inhalation

Initial images from the scene show a fire burning in the city. Additional footage posted to social media shows numerous Iron Dome interceptor missiles being launched to counter the Hezbollah attack. video
The IDF says that some 75 rockets were fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon in the attack a short while ago on the Galilee. Several rockets were intercepted by air defenses, and impacts were also identified, the army says.
2:30pm - north -rockets/missiles
1:00pm - attempted terrorist stabbing attack against soldiers in the West Bank
1:10pm - north - rockets/missiles
1:40pm - north - hostile aircraft - Yaara, Metzuba
1:55pm - north - rockets/missiles
2:00pm - north -rockets/missiles
3:35pm - north - rockets/missiles
2:40pm - north -rockets/missiles
2:50pm - north - rockets/missiles
3:00pm - north -rockets/missiles
3:30pm - north - hostile aircraft - Milu'ot, Leeman, Naharia, Shavei Zion
4:05pm - north - rockets/missiles
4:15pm - north - rockets/missiles

4 reservists killed in battle with Hezbollah in south Lebanon, IDF announces

IDF reservists killed during fighting in southern Lebanon on October 26, 2024: From left: Cpt. (res.) Amit Chayut, Cpt. (res.) Rabbi Avraham Yosef Goldberg, Maj. (res.) Eliav Amram Abitbol, Master Sgt. (res.) Gilad Elmaliach.
Four Israeli reserve soldiers were killed and 14 were wounded during a battle with Hezbollah operatives in a southern Lebanon village yesterday evening, the military announces.
The slain troops are named as:
Cpt. (res.) Rabbi Avraham Yosef Goldberg, 43, from Jerusalem
Master Sgt. (res.) Gilad Elmaliach, 30, from Jerusalem.
Cpt. (res.) Amit Chayut, 29, from Haifa.
Maj. (res.) Eliav Amram Abitbol, 36, from Eitan.

IDF announces deaths of 2 more soldiers in Lebanon, Gaza

Sgt. Maj. (res.) Shaul Moyal (left) and Staff Sgt. Malachi Yehuda Harari (IDF)
A fifth reservist was killed during fighting in southern Lebanon yesterday, and another soldier succumbed to wounds sustained in the Gaza Strip earlier this month, the IDF announces.
Sgt. Maj. (res.) Shaul Moyal, 47, of the Alon Brigade’s 8207th Battalion, from Karnei Shomron was killed yesterday alongside four other reservists whose deaths were announced earlier.
Staff Sgt. Malachi Yehuda Harari, 22, of the Givati Brigade’s Rotem Battalion, from Even Shmuel, died today from wounds sustained during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip on October 18.

May their memories be a revolution

The troops all served with the Alon Brigade’s 8207th Battalion. Goldberg was the battalion’s rabbi, Chayut was a platoon commander, and Abitbol was a deputy company commander.
Among the 14 wounded soldiers, five are listed in serious condition.
Three Hezbollah operatives were also killed in the exchange of fire.
Further details of the battle are still under investigation.
Over the last 2 days, 19 soldiers and 3 civilians have been killed. This war must end. Netanyahu, for his own personal political needs is letting people die and be killed everyday and none of his political coalition partners are lifting a finger to end this.

Hostage Updates
Hostage Families' Statement at the Begin Gate: "We fear a regional escalation that could spell a death sentence for our loved ones in captivity."

Against the backdrop of the Israeli delegation's departure to Doha, families of hostages gathered in Hostage Square to mark the National Day of Mourning for the massacre victims. The families called on Netanyahu to sign an agreement and give the delegation full authority. "The only way to bring all the hostages home is through a halt to the war. Stop throwing around illusions that there’s another formula. If we want the hostages home, we need a deal and to end the war in Gaza," the families said.

Hostage families held their weekly statement this evening (Saturday) at the Begin Gate of the Kirya in Tel Aviv, ahead of the Israeli negotiating delegation’s departure tomorrow for Doha, Qatar. Concurrently, the Hostage Families Headquarters will hold a rally marking the National Day of Mourning for the October 7 events in Hostage Square.

Yifat Calderon, cousin of hostage Ofer Calderon, stated: "This is the 386th day that our loved ones have been held in hell in Gaza. Following the attack on Iran, we fear a deterioration into regional escalation that will distance us from an agreement and impose a death sentence on our loved ones in captivity." She continued, "In the sequence of events, we are warning our fellow hostage families and the public: there are signs that even now, Netanyahu has no plan to bring the hostages home!"

"There are indications we are likely facing another round of talks for the sake of talks, creating false hopes and ending with no deal to bring everyone back. Ten days have passed since the elimination of the arch-terrorist Sinwar." Calderon added, "We see foot-dragging again, a lack of real initiative, moving slowly as if there’s time. Meanwhile, the hostages who are still alive are wasting away in tunnels, living under subhuman conditions, waiting for Israel to rush to save them! Someone explain to us: what’s the point of sending a delegation to a summit without a full mandate to bring a deal? What’s the point of sending a delegation while Netanyahu insists on placing obstacles like the Philadelphi Route and Netzarim to sabotage the deal?"

Einav Tsengauker, mother of hostage Matan Tsengauker, said, "Israel has a victory picture. The Hamas leadership has been taken down, Hamas battalions dismantled, terror infrastructure destroyed, and Hamas defeated. So, what has the government done since then to swiftly bring back all the hostages? Why has the government not yet presented any initiative for a deal to bring everyone back? Why is the government waiting for ideas from intermediaries instead of taking action? Alternatively, why hasn’t the government returned to the Israeli proposal from late May, which Hamas agreed to in early July and has since reaffirmed?"

"Netanyahu, who has cruelly torpedoed countless deals, continues to drag his feet and refuses to pursue an inclusive deal, even after the elimination of the Hamas leadership and the achievement of a victory image," continued Tsengauker. "We fear Netanyahu will use a 'small deal' to stall and avoid bringing a large deal that would bring everyone back. 'This is throwing dust in the eyes of the public and hostage families,' said a source familiar with the negotiation details yesterday. Signs show that Netanyahu has no interest in bringing all the hostages back."

Yehuda Cohen, father of hostage Nimrod Cohen, said in his statement, "Netanyahu wants to drag out the war forever to stay in power forever, giving Ben Gvir and Smotrich the power to determine the fate of our loved ones. How can it be that two extremist ideologues run the country and plan to settle Gaza on the backs of the hostages' lives? The defense establishment says there are optimal conditions for a deal. Hamas has been defeated militarily—there’s nothing more to do in Gaza!"

"73% of the public wants a deal, even at the cost of ending the fighting!" Cohen continued. "But Netanyahu and the government do not want to end the war in Gaza! And the hostages, soldiers, and the entire public pay the price. They pay with blood. We hear pretty words in the studios about a moral obligation to bring back the hostages, but we don’t hear enough of the truth that needs to be told to the public: the only way to bring all the hostages back is by ending the war in Gaza. It’s the only way; there’s no other. Israel has applied maximum military pressure in Gaza—and it hasn’t brought the hostages back. Stop dragging your feet. Stop deceiving us. Stop throwing illusions as if there’s another formula that will bring them all back. If we want the hostages home, we need a deal and to end the war in Gaza. Hamas has been defeated—now, a deal!"

The rally is held under the theme of "Another Day of Mourning" at Captives Square near the Tel Aviv Museum. The families called on the Israeli people to come and "unite in a shared call to the Prime Minister to grant the negotiating team a broad mandate for the Doha summit to secure a deal to return all the hostages in one stage."

The rally will feature speeches by Moran Stella Yanai, a captivity survivor; Yifat Haiman, mother of Inbar Haiman, whose body is in Gaza; Avivit Yablonka, sister of Hanan Yablonka, whose body was returned from Gaza; Danny Miran, father of hostage Omri Miran; and Nira Sharabi, wife of Yossi Sharabi and sister-in-law of Eli Sharabi. In addition, Nepal's Acting Ambassador to Israel, Komar Shrestha, will speak, marking the 24th birthday of Nepalese hostage Labipin Joshi, along with a video message from his family. In addition to the main rally at Hostage Square, dozens of protests and vigils will be held across the country.
link

A Hamas source tells the Saudi channel Asharq News that the terror group will present negotiators with a comprehensive deal for an immediate end to the war and a withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, and the exchange of a certain number of Palestinian detainees in return for the release of all Israeli hostages at once.
The offer is expected to be submitted following the meeting that US, Qatari and Israeli negotiators are holding in Doha today to prepare for new talks for a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
Israeli officials have been evaluating different options for a deal, including a proposal that was presented in a security cabinet meeting last week to offer Hamas a two-week ceasefire in exchange for the release of five hostages, but the terror group reportedly appears to prefer an immediate end to the conflict.
The unnamed Hamas source tells Asharq that “we will listen to the offer [of the negotiators] but for our part, we prefer a comprehensive deal that takes place in one stage and ends the war once and for all, in return for a prisoner exchange under which all Israeli captives are released in exchange for an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.” link. This sounds like it may be the deal my brother presented to Hamas, the Egyptians, Qataris, Americans and Israeli negotiating team. Hamas told my brother that they agreed to his proposed deal but would not be the ones to say it publicly until Israel and/or the negotiators presented it first with Israel agreeing to it. They didn't want to appear weak, was my brother's assumption. With the assassination of Sinwar and the continued fighting in Gaza, perhaps they have decided to be the presenters of the deal. There is a chance that their conditions may and probably will be extreme especially the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released per hostage with many more for each soldier or hostage that Hamas claims is a soldier. They have been known to delineate anyone of reserves age to be a soldier. We will have to wait to see what will be presented. It is fairly certain that the negotiators will be able to reach a deal. The problem though, is getting Netanyahu to agree to end the war in Gaza. Without that, there is no chance for any deal and Netanyahu doesn't want to end the war.
A source involved in negotiations: "Any deal depends on Israel agreeing to stop fighting"

Ahead of the Doha summit, hostage survivors and families demonstrated in support of a deal to return the hostages. Moran Stella Yanai said: "We must stop gambling with lives. A deal is the only way to bring back lives, even if the price is heavy." A source connected to negotiations said: "The Mossad chief's trip to Doha will only yield results if given a mandate." Professional sources doubt there's possibility for breakthrough while Israel insists on not ending the operation.

Mossad chief Dedi Barnea will travel to Doha today (Sunday) to try to advance a new framework for hostage release. Ahead of the summit, released hostages and families of current hostages demonstrated in Tel Aviv and other locations, calling for an urgent hostage deal. Hostage survivor Moran Stella Yanai said: "I know what they're going through, I was there. We must stop gambling with their lives. This isn't a game - a deal is the only way to bring back lives, even if the price is heavy."

Regarding the delegation's departure to Qatar, we reported last night that in a conversation between a negotiation team source and hostage families, the source said "any deal depends on Israel agreeing to stop fighting." The source added that "the Mossad chief's trip to Doha will only yield results if given a mandate." Despite reports about attempts to advance a smaller initial deal, the source said any deal depends on Israel agreeing to stop fighting. Regarding the Mossad chief's trip to Doha, the source said the delegation will only succeed if given proper mandate, which Israel hasn't currently decided on.

Families who spoke with N12 said that opposition from ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich likely influences this decision, and they've learned not to develop expectations even regarding tomorrow's trip. Family members also expressed that they are "terrified of regional escalation that could sentence our loved ones in captivity to death." Meanwhile, questions arise about how Israel's attack on Iran translates to progress on a deal and closing the Gaza front. As we reported, professional sources are very pessimistic about breakthrough possibilities while Israel insists on not ending operations there.

On the other hand, Hamas doesn't really want to end the war. Even without its eliminated leadership, it wants to end the war standing, with Israel surrendering, evacuating Gaza, and not returning. In fact, amid reports of a small deal that would lead to a larger one, Hamas went out of its way to deny even that.
link

Gallant: Not all war goals can be achieved with military force, ‘painful compromises’ needed to bring hostages home its “precise, lethal and surprising” attack on Iran, Israel sent a clear message, says Defense Minister Yoav Gallant — “Israel’s long arm will reach anyone who tries to harm us.”
“There is no place too far away for us,” says Gallant at the state ceremony for troops who fell in battle since October 7 of last year.
Gallant says that Hamas “has ceased to operate as a military framework,” and that Hezbollah “continues to absorb a series of blows. Its chain of command was eliminated, most of its rocket and missile force was destroyed, and its forces were struck and retreated from the border.”
The terrorist groups no longer represent “an effective tool in Iran’s hands,” he argues.
Still, he stresses that not every goal can be achieved through military force.
“Returning the hostages to their homes demands painful compromises,” says Gallant. “We must do this for the hostages, for their families, for the soldiers who fell for this goal, for the IDF’s legacy, and in the name of the Jewish and national ethos.”
Gallant says that “this is our responsibility.” link It took a very long time but Galant finally reached the understanding and conclusion that was clear for a long time before that only through a deal will we get the hostages home and we will have to pay a price for that deal. Military action will not bring them home. On the contrary, greater military pressure is getting them killed as we have seen too many times. Unfortunately, Netanyahu absolutely refuses to admit to this same understanding and conclusion despite the fact that every single one of his security heads, (past and current) military advisors and generals (past and current) have said for so long. But this doesn't fit into his personal strategic plan for his political position now and going forward, so he wants the war to go on, with a complete willingness to let all the hostages die and more soldiers to be killed every day.

Gaza and Southern Israel

Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the hardest hit on October 7, blasts Netanyahu for not visiting

Illustrative: Israeli soldiers walking next to the destruction caused by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel, November 21, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
On today’s national day of mourning for the massacre on October 7, Kibbutz Nir Oz blasts Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not having visited the community since that day a year ago.
Nir Oz was one of the hardest-hit communities in the Hamas-led onslaught, with 117 of its 400 members either murdered or kidnapped and taken hostage.
The community puts out a video of the death notices of members killed, along with photos of their graves.
“06:29, 7.10.23: Since then, every day is a day of mourning for us. In Kibbutz Nir Oz there is no need for a day of mourning, because they live the mourning every day anew for over a year,” the statement reads. “And in general — days of mourning are commemorated only at the end of the event and not in the middle of it.
“Still, if it was decided to hold such a day, we expect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to come and stand by our side, in a kibbutz where a quarter of the population was kidnapped or murdered,” the statement continues.
“Twenty-nine of us are still in Gaza. Only when they and the other hostages return, will 7.10.23 come to an end, a day that has lasted for 387 days.”
Last week, residents of the kibbutz said they would not participate in today’s state ceremony.
The kibbutz says Netanyahu has not responded to its invitation to visit the community.

Israeli forces have reportedly withdrawn from the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, a day after the IDF said it was operating at the medical center amid “intelligence information on terrorists and terror infrastructure in the area.”

A picture shows the damage to an ambulance at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia the northern Gaza Strip on October 26, 2024. (AFP)

There is no comment from the IDF.
In the weeks before the operation, the military said it enabled the evacuation of patients and staff from the hospital, while also ensuring that the medical center’s emergency systems continued to function.
Kamal Adwan is the last functioning hospital in Gaza’s north. The facility said it has been struggling with shortages since the start of the war, which has been increasingly aggravated by the launch of an Israeli operation in northern Gaza earlier this month.
In recent months, the IDF has carried out dozens of operations and airstrikes on what it says are Hamas sites embedded within locations used as shelters for civilians, including hospitals, schools and UN facilities. It says it regularly takes steps to limit the harm to civilians by such operations. link
Some 40 terror operatives were killed by troops during operations in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya in the past day, the IDF says.
Several sites belonging to Hamas were destroyed and weapons were also seized in the area, the army adds.
Meanwhile, in the Netzarim Corridor area of central Gaza, the IDF says troops killed a cell of gunmen in an exchange of fire.
"All Hamas Battalion Commanders Eliminated - Then the Chase Through Rafah's Alleys Began: 'What We Found There Was Beyond Imagination'"

The leadership of the Tel al-Sultan Battalion was eliminated in a single moment, in a decision made by the "shadow commander" of Combat Team 401. This commander isn't permanently stationed with the forces on the ground, but knows every detail of the fighting and can translate the complete picture to senior commanders on the ground through screens. Here's how the behind-the-scenes work looks, how decisions that could mean the difference between success and failure are made, and how they bridge the gap between the fluorescent lights and air conditioning to the battlefield.
The fighters move between the ruins of Tel al-Sultan, carefully searching for fleeing militants. Dozens of kilometers away, the eyes of the brigade's chief of staff - a kind of shadow brigade commander - are fixed on screens, ready to call in air or ground fire at any moment, send a rescue helicopter, or translate real-time intelligence.
The fighters belong to Combat Team 401, operating in the dense area not far from where Yahya Sinwar was eliminated last week after a chase. Even before that, army forces there managed to undermine Hamas's ground hold within moments.
succeeded in undermining Hamas's grip on the land. 401 fighters in Tel a-Sultan, Rafah | Photo: IDF spokesman

These "shadow people" who track every movement on the ground are officers who were previously there in the field, commanded fighters in battle - and now their role is to bring their experience to help commanders understand the complete picture and execute their requests.

"Not Just an Event, a Defining Moment"
In September's terrible heat, under Rafah's burning sun, the drone team of Battalion 932 identifies unusual movement in the area. Battalion commander Lt. Col. Dotan Malul focuses on the drone screen and tensely follows a group of people leaving a house and splitting into small cells. Within seconds, he passes the information to Col. (res.) Hagai Amar, chief of staff of Brigade 401, waiting dozens of kilometers away at headquarters.
Suspicious movement is detected, decisions are made quickly. Forces of the 14th Brigade in Gaza Photo: IDF spokesman

Time is ticking and decisions are made quickly: within minutes, Air Force aircraft rain fire on the identified targets. What happened in the following hours is described by the IDF as one of the decisive moments in the fighting in Rafah: the elimination of the entire chain of command of the Tel al-Sultan Battalion, under which six Israeli hostages were held and murdered in a tunnel at the end of August.
On the screens in the strike room, far from the sand and dust, Col. Amar watches tensely as points move along the axis in Tel al-Sultan. Their suspicious behavior and the weapons they carried immediately made it clear these were militants: "We knew this was something big," he says, "but we didn't imagine how big." A "Zik" drone launches ordnance on the target and eliminates the militants.
"We had no idea how big it was." The encounter of the 401st Brigade in Tel a-Sultan Photo: IDF spokesman

Immediately afterwards, Nahal fighters are sent to the field to verify the results. They carefully scan the area and discover the extent of the damage. "What we found there was beyond imagination," Maloal recounts. "The entire senior echelon of the Tel al-Sultan Battalion was eliminated at once - four company commanders, all senior staff members, and everyone who was close to their battalion commander. This isn't just an event, it's a defining moment in the fighting." Colonel Amar adds: "They wanted to leave the refugee camp, leave their fighters behind, and escape, probably to the Khan Yunis area or the central Gaza Strip."
"Looking the terrorist in the eyes and killing him"
But the story doesn't end there, and the fighting transitions to face-to-face combat in the refugee camp's maze. "This means an infantry fighter looks a terrorist in the eyes, shoots at him and kills him," describes the Battalion Commander. The fighters move between the ruins and narrow alleys searching for terrorists with their backs against the wall. For them, this is essentially a suicide battle, where they have nothing more to lose, and they try to inflict as many casualties as possible on our forces before they themselves are killed. "This is a battle they know they won't come out of," he clarifies.
At one point, Maloul recalls, the forces identify a group of terrorists crossing a route within the refugee camp. For hours, the fighters pursue them, trying to reduce the enemy's maneuver space and prevent their escape. Suddenly the force notices movement. Three terrorists jump out of the ruins and open fire in all directions. The fighters respond quickly and eliminate them, but the price is heavy - the squad commander, First Sergeant Amit Friedman z"l, is killed in battle.
First Sergeant Amit Friedman z"l

The chase continues for long hours and the forces encounter terrorists in various situations - some try to fight to the end, others simply hide among the ruins, hoping not to be discovered. "Sometimes we found them wrapped in blankets, lying on the floor, hoping we would pass by them," recalls Maloul. But the thorough searches by the forces exposed the terrorists: "In one case, two terrorists threw a grenade at our force. We reacted quickly, took cover, and then entered the house where they were hiding. Three grenades into the room - and we killed the terrorists."
The picture that was revealed to the forces in the following days was of a system that had completely collapsed. "We found shafts, real underground hideouts inside the houses, three meters deep, with terrorists trying to hide and survive," describes the Battalion Commander. "You see that this is an operation that's not functioning, there are no orders here, nothing that's really being operated." The remaining terrorists, who moved in pairs and groups of four, were located: "They were exhausted, tired and hungry." After their final attempts to carry out a significant attack failed, they were eliminated.
"The terrorists were exhausted, tired and hungry." Forces of the 14th Brigade in the field Photo: IDF spokesman

Bombing 80 meters from the force

While the fighters rush forward, those controlling the fighting from behind are the B Brigade Commanders, managing the "Forward Command Posts" - remote control centers supporting the fighting forces. Colonel Amar, Chief of Staff of Brigade 401, is one of those few commanders. As a B Brigade Commander, he is the backbone of the Brigade Commander, a kind of "shadow brigade commander" you could say. This role gained additional significance on Sunday this week, when during fierce fighting in Jabaliya, the revered Brigade Commander, Colonel Ahsan Daksa, fell while leading the force from the front.
"The Brigade Commander is the commander, he influences the battle and is with the battalions at the edge," explains Colonel Amar. "We sit behind at headquarters and are responsible for operating the entire brigade system." The "Forward Command Post" he commands is actually a huge operations room that provides the brigade with all the necessary support - from managing the fire system, through evacuating casualties, to supplying fuel and food to the fighters. Dozens of officers and soldiers, Shin Bet personnel, Air Force, artillery coordination, technology and intelligence personnel, crowd inside the war room. "We receive the intelligence information, process it and pass it down to the forces," he details. "When the Brigade Commander in the field gives an order 20 km away from us, we are the ones who ensure it comes to fruition."
Colonel Ahsan Daksa z"l

"One of the division's secrets to battlefield success is the tight coordination between the Forward Command and the Air Force. 'We had an incident with enemy forces very close to our troops,' Colonel Omar recalled. 'In coordination with the Air Force, we took calculated risks and dropped bombs from a fighter jet 80 meters from our forces because we understood they were at risk. That's the Forward Command's role - we sit at a distance and see the full picture. We know how to communicate with both the Air Force and ground forces, understand the operation, and provide the optimal response.'

'We've Become Hamas's Biggest Nightmare'
The challenge of managing battle from afar isn't simple. 'It's complex because we're sitting under fluorescent lights while they're fighting on the ground,' Colonel Omar admits. But the solution, he says, lies in continuous communication and field visits. 'We constantly go to the field to understand their challenges,' he says. 'If I don't visit the refugee camp, I won't understand the building heights, the density, the routes - I won't understand what they're talking about.'
The shadow commanders are responsible for operating the divisional system in combat. Forces of the 14th Brigade Photo: IDF spokesman

In real-time, the Forward Command provides critical information to forces. 'Sometimes we would switch to a company's frequency and say - you have a threat from the north or south,' Colonel Omar describes. However, the actual decisions are made by commanders in the field: 'I never told a battalion commander what response to give. They know best what's right for them.'
Brigade 401 was the first to enter Gaza on October 27th, about two and a half weeks after the war broke out, and since then has led a significant campaign in the Strip - from capturing the Shati camp to the operation at Shifa Hospital. Under their command, the soldiers of Battalion 932 of the Nahal Brigade became an integral part of the leading force. Their peak activity came on May 6th with the takeover of the Rafah crossing and the eastern part of the Philadelphia Corridor, an operation planned for six days but completed in less than 12 hours due to minimal resistance from Hamas, who hastily abandoned the area leaving behind large quantities of equipment and weapons.
The commanders attribute the combat team's impressive achievements to the combination of forces between Brigade Commander B and his headquarters staff, and the fighters on the ground. 'Look at the cooperation between the different battalions and between them and the Forward Command,' the battalion commander says proudly. 'It's no coincidence that the same combat team arrives first time after time, both in northern Gaza and in Rafah. We've become Hamas's biggest nightmare, and rightfully so. Wherever we go, we try not to leave behind any standing infrastructure or living terrorist.'

Terrorists Who Turned a Gaza Family into Hostages
Another person familiar with Brigade Commander B's role is Colonel (res.) Amir Ofri, Chief of Staff of the veteran 14th Brigade. On October 7th, his birthday ('I need to find another date'), he was enjoying a weekend at the Sea of Galilee. But the tranquility shattered in an instant, and he found himself in a frantic drive south. 'When you enter combat, you always imagine what you'll need to do,' he says. 'I had three and a half hours of driving to imagine. I must admit that imagination couldn't match what happened in reality.'"
Within minutes, fire is rained down on the identified targets. Brigade 401 in Gaza Photo: IDF spokesman

"Since that cursed Saturday, he hasn't left the division's war room, serving as the brigade commander's right hand at every stage. Initially, in a three-week defensive battle in the Gaza envelope kibbutzim and along the fence, during which they cleared the area of terrorists. 'Everything we did was to deploy as many combat forces as possible to the envelope, even if the tanks weren't 100% operational,' he recalls. 'Some of our equipment was scattered across different military units.'
Subsequently, they led the offensive into Gaza, with Brigade 14 being the first reserve armored brigade to cross the fence in the Beit Hanoun sector. Three reserve duty rotations are behind them and there's more to come. 'We discovered that our fighters were much better and more professional than people imagined,' he describes. 'They quickly entered into significant offensive operations without needing lots of training. The equipment that started flowing in also enhanced our capabilities.' Recently, they were tasked with controlling the strategic Netzarim corridor, which divides the strip between north and south. The IDF uses it to prevent Gazans and militants from returning to what remains of their homes in the northern strip, and from there forces also conduct focused raids. 'We fight there every day,' Ofri says. 'While we're guarding strategic assets within the corridor, we're in constant movement against an enemy that changes itself and tests us constantly. It's continuous activity that isn't static defense.'
"Looks the terrorist in the eyes, shoots him and kills him." 401 fighters in Rafah Photo: IDF spokesman

'A cowardly enemy, unable to cope'
In fact, the purpose of the offensive operation is to prevent a situation where the IDF is in fixed positions and defenses that could serve as stationary targets for Hamas guerrilla operations. 'This is a cowardly enemy, who attacks civilians, who is completely embedded within the population,' he says. 'They attack us with sniper weapons when everything is filmed and within 24 hours release the videos to show their successes. They don't confront us directly, they can't confront us. They're busy with guerrilla warfare where their whole purpose is to film. If they don't have filming capability to release videos, they don't do anything.'
The militants try, among other things, to harm IDF soldiers through snipers, RPG fire, and setting ambushes - while avoiding face-to-face confrontation with soldiers as much as possible. 'They send elderly people, children, and women to test our responses,' Ofri describes. 'We saw an enemy that takes an entire family from a refugee camp, uses them as human shields, brings them into a house and shoots at us from inside that house.' After eliminating the militants, it was IDF soldiers who rescued the family caught in the crossfire.
Their mission in the corridor is complex: on one hand fighting militants who rely on blending in with the civilian population, and on the other hand securing the passage of humanitarian aid that the IDF allows into the Gaza Strip daily. The brigade's chief of staff describes this as a 'sensitive issue,' requiring great attention and sustained effort due to the complexity it adds to the fighting. 'We received this mission because we are IDF fighters. If our superior command orders it, we execute it regardless of what we think about it at that moment.'"
Documentation from the activity of the combat team forces of the 401st Brigade in Mizrah Rafah Photo: IDF spokesman
"The mission's essence and meaning are always before our eyes"
The transition to the command center's large screens, far from the echoes of explosions, wasn't easy for Ofri, who in his last role served as a Tank Battalion Commander. The veteran tanker, used to "eating" dust and commanding fighters on the frontline, suddenly found himself in a remote high-tech command center. "You feel tension and ask yourself if you're in the right place," he admits, "but after a very short time I understood that my ability to influence the battle is dozens of times greater than if I were inside Gaza."
From the brigade's forward position, he initially managed the attack on Hamas's Palestine Outpost. This was an important psychological target. The forces identified Hamas militants entering the concrete tunnel system beneath the outpost, and then the Air Force collapsed the tunnels on the militants inside. The outpost's name was changed from Palestine Outpost to Yuval Outpost, in memory of the officer who fell there in battle, Captain (res.) Yuval Zilber z"l.
Captain (res.) Yuval Zilber z"l
Yuval Outpost

"It's an event that resets you," he shares. "You're the one commanding, planning, and providing the means." Zilber was the brigade's first casualty in the war, and his story has since accompanied Ofri. "It was clear to us that we were going into a complex and complicated event. When you send people on a mission, you look them in the eyes and talk about the fact that not everyone might return, but it's a great pain that we live with."
Alongside the ongoing fighting, casualties, and difficulties, Brigade 14 faces an additional challenge - maintaining the home front. "When you fight for half a year and don't manage your home front, it affects the soldiers," explains the Chief of Staff. As a result, the brigade established the "Home Front Command Center," a comprehensive support system for soldiers' families. "We understood this the hard way, when fighters received distress calls from home. Fighters return to a different reality than the one they left, the regular army doesn't feel this. We need to put things on the table, not keep them bottled up."
"We discovered that our fighters are much better and more professional than people imagined" | Photo: IDF spokesman
The entry of the 401st Brigade forces into the Rafah region Photo: IDF spokesman

"We'll pursue them until the last one"
In days when the government continues to promote exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox and it's easier for the army to recruit reservists for a third rotation who will show up anyway, the commitment of Brigade 14's reserve fighters is astounding. At the war's beginning, the brigade showed unprecedented recruitment numbers, with over 150% response rate. Even now, after eight long and exhausting months of service, it shows a 92% turnout rate.
"These aren't the percentages of October 7th, but these are very impressive numbers that allow us to complete the mission," emphasizes the Brigade's Chief of Staff. "Despite quite a few surrounding murmurs that sometimes confuse us, the mission's essence and meaning are always before our eyes. It's no coincidence that the brigade has achieved results that no one expected."
"The shadow commanders are constantly going down to the field to understand the challenges they are experiencing." Forces of the 14th Brigade Photo: IDF spokesman

The motivation, even after long months of fighting in Gaza, remains unchanged. "The fighters continue to be sharp and alert," declares the Chief of Staff of 401. "You see them just like on the first day of fighting." The Nahal Battalion Commander, Lt. Col. Dotan Mallul, adds: "We will reach every place and pursue them until the last one of them. We won't stop, we're not getting tired, we're not wearing down, and none of those other things I hear. This is simply the victory generation." link

With no exit strategy in Gaza, ex-IDF officers fear Israel will stay indefinitely
Domestic critics, including ex-generals, warn that indecisiveness will force Israel to rule Strip, pay a heavy price in sporadic attacks by remaining Hamas operatives
Maj. Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland believes Israel faces months of fighting in Gaza unless Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu uses the chance offered by the IDF’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to end the war.
Since Sinwar’s death this month, Eiland has been one of a chorus of former senior army officers questioning the government’s strategy in Gaza, where earlier this month troops went back into areas of the north that had already been cleared at least twice before.
For the past three weeks, the IDF has been operating around Jabaliya, in northern Gaza, the third time they have returned to the town and its historic refugee camp since the beginning of the war in October 2023.
Instead of the IDF’s preferred approach of quick decisive actions, many former security officials say the army risks being bogged down in an open-ended campaign requiring a permanent troop presence.
“The Israeli government is acting in total opposition to Israel’s security conception,” Yom-Tov Samia, former head of the military’s Southern Command, told Kan public radio.
Part of the operation has involved evacuating thousands of people from the area in an effort to separate civilians from Hamas operatives.
The military says it has moved around 45,000 civilians from the area around Jabaliya and killed hundreds of gunmen during the operation. But it has been heavily criticized for the large number of civilian casualties also reported, and faced widespread calls to get more aid supplies in to alleviate a humanitarian crisis in the area.
Eiland, a former head of Israel’s National Security Council, was the lead author of a much-discussed proposal dubbed the “Generals’ Plan” that would see Israel rapidly clear northern Gaza of civilians before starving out surviving Hamas fighters by cutting off their water and food supplies.
Israel’s moves this month have aroused Palestinian accusations that the military has embraced Eiland’s plan, which he envisaged as a short-term measure to take on Hamas in the north but which Palestinians see as aimed at clearing the area permanently to create a buffer zone for the military after the war.
The military has denied it is following any such plan. Netanyahu, in a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday, denied Israel was pursuing the “Generals’ Plan,” but refused to make a public declaration to that effect, a US official told The Times of Israel.
Eiland himself believes the strategy adopted by the IDF in Gaza is neither his plan, nor a classical occupation.
“I don’t know exactly what is happening in Jabaliya,” Eiland told Reuters. “But I think that the IDF is doing something which is in between the two alternatives, the ordinary military attack and my plan,” he said.
No plan to stay
From the outset of the war, Netanyahu declared Israel would bring back the hostages and dismantle Hamas as a military and governing force, and did not intend to stay in Gaza.
But his government never articulated a clear policy for the aftermath of the offensive it launched after thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel on October 7, 2023, to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages. The offensive has all but made the enclave into a wasteland that will require billions of dollars in international assistance to rebuild.
For months, there have been open disagreements between Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, reflecting a wider division between the governing coalition and the military, which has long favored reaching a deal to end the fighting and bring the hostages home.
With no agreed strategy, Israel risks being stuck in Gaza for the foreseeable future, said Ofer Shelah, a former lawmaker who directs the Israel National Security Policy research program at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.
“The situation for Israel is very precarious right now. We are sliding towards a situation where Israel is considered the de facto ruler in Gaza,” he said.
The government did not immediately respond to a request for a comment on suggestions that the military is getting bogged down in Gaza.
Hit-and-run raids
With Israel’s military focus now directed against the Iran’s Lebanese proxy Hezbollah, the number of army divisions engaged in Gaza is down to two, compared with five at the start of the war. According to estimates from Israeli security sources there are 10,000-15,000 troops in each IDF division.
At the start of the war, Hamas possessed 25 battalions, according to IDF estimates. The army assesses the battalions were destroyed long ago, and half their fighters — some 17,000-18,000 — have been killed. But bands of Hamas operatives remain to conduct hit-and-run raids on IDF troops.
“We don’t engage with tanks on the ground, we choose our targets,” said one Hamas operative, contacted through a chat app. “We are acting in a way that keeps us fighting for the longest time possible.”
Although such tactics will not prevent the army from moving around Gaza as it wants, they still have the potential to impose a significant cost on Israel.
Col. Ehsan Daqsa, the commander of the IDF’s 401st Armored Brigade, was killed in Gaza this week when he got out of his tank to talk to other commanders at an observation point which gunmen had rigged with a booby trap bomb. He was one of the most senior officers killed in Gaza during the war.
On Friday, three soldiers were killed in Jabaliya when a powerful bomb was detonated against the tank they were in. The fourth soldier in the tank was moderately wounded.
‘No logic in remaining’
Calls to wrap up the fighting in Gaza have increased after Sinwar, the architect of the October 7 onslaught, was killed in a chance encounter with troops operating in Rafah. “With the killing of Sinwar, there is no logic in remaining in Gaza,” said a former top military official with direct experience of the enclave, who asked not to be named.
“Methodical” pinpointed operations going forward should be carried out if Hamas regroups and resumes any war on Israel, but the risk of leaving troops permanently in Gaza was a major danger, the former official said, advocating securing the hostages and getting out.
Netanyahu’s office said on Thursday that Israeli negotiators would fly to Qatar this weekend to join long-stalled talks on a ceasefire deal and the release of hostages. But what Hamas’s position will be, and who Israel will allow to run the enclave when the fighting stops, remains unclear. Netanyahu has denied any plans to stay on in Gaza or to allow Israeli settlers to return, as many Palestinians fear.
But the hardline pro-settler parties in his coalition — and many in his own Likud party — would like nothing more than to reverse Israel’s unilateral withdrawal, which took place in 2005, under late Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, head of the pro-settler Religious Zionism party, said on Thursday — at the close of the Jewish holiday of Simhat Torah — that he hoped to celebrate the festival next year in Gush Katif, the old Gaza settlement bloc. link. This article is rife with so many different aspects of the war. Firstly, after more than a year, Netanyahu and his government still don't have any strategic plan for ending the war or for what happens in Gaza when it does finally end. The first is deliberate on Netanyahu's side as he doesn't want the war to end so that 3 main things won't happen: an Official State Commission of Inquiry of the war and everything for years that led up to October 7, as Netanyahu knows that he is both responsible and to blame for October 7; second, he does not want to hear any calls from his camp for early elections which might happen when the war ends; third, he does not want his criminal proceedings to continue in due course, as they have been delayed considerably due to the war. He still wants the judicial 'reform' which is a misnomer for overthrowing the judiciary and handing it over to the government. This judicial overthrow would eliminate Netanyahu's trials and therefore his very strong chances of being found guilty and perhaps sentenced to prison.
Without any exit strategy, Netanyahu is damning us to remain in Gaza for an indefinite amount of time continously fighting Hamas guerilla warfare and having our soldiers killed on a regular basis which is already happening, and increases the likelihood that his extreme messianic coalition partners will succeed in pushing through resettlement in Gaza which will cause even more outrage in the world and further alienate our allies and strategic partners who may choose to end that partnership with us. Resettling in Gaza is against international law and will further complicate matters with the upcoming international court trials against Israel for continuing war crimes including transfer of populations and stealing occupied land for the purpose of permanent settlement. This will put additional nails in Israel's coffin on the international stage which further causes major economic damage to the entire country that may take decades to recover, if at all. And of course, the most important point of all is the hostages. There is nothing here about getting them home, nothing!!!!

Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria

"The Largest One Destroyed: This is the Tunnel Destroyed in Lebanon That Triggered Earthquake Alerts"

The controlled explosion disrupted systems and caused more than a million civilians to receive an alert • The tunnel was 1.5 kilometers long and the IDF used 400 tons of explosives to destroy it • Equipment used by hundreds of terrorists for extended stays was found at the siten unusual alert this morning (Saturday) warning about a possible earthquake, only to later learn it was an error caused by an IDF controlled explosion that disrupted the systems. This was actually the first time residents were exposed to the destruction of a Hezbollah terror organization tunnel.

Unlike other underground complexes that were located, this time it was the largest tunnel ever destroyed. The tunnel's length was estimated at more than one and a half kilometers, at a depth of many meters underground. The IDF used 400 tons of explosives to destroy it, which is why the explosion echoes were clearly heard and confused the sensors. The tunnel's construction process took 15 years, and was intended for senior organization officials who planned to stay in the tunnel for long periods, carry out attacks, and command forces. Through precise intelligence and after a fierce battle with terrorists who had fortified themselves in the location, the complex was exposed and the threat was removed.

The IDF reported that during a joint operation with the Yahalom unit and underground searches, the Paratroopers' brigade combat team, under the command of Division 98, located and destroyed the strategic underground military facility built by Hezbollah.

Equipment used by hundreds of terrorists for extended stays was found at the site, including food, beds, closets, electricity, and numerous weapons, including anti-tank missiles, rockets, RPGs, mines, and many explosive devices. The IDF spokesperson added that during the searches and investigation of the underground headquarters, Yahalom unit fighters engaged in battles with terrorists who had fortified themselves there, resulting in the elimination of the terrorists.
link

Under a Lebanese border village, IDF finds huge Hezbollah base primed for invasion
SOUTH LEBANON — Under the cover of darkness and strict security, the Israeli military earlier this week led The Times of Israel and other reporters from an army post near Kiryat Shmona into southern Lebanon.
Traveling in a convoy of open-top humvees, we were being taken to a village several kilometers from the border, where Hezbollah had constructed a massive underground military base that the Israel Defense Forces says was to be used by the terror group in a planned invasion of Israel.
Members of the press were instructed to put their phones on airplane mode, not to turn on their screens throughout the drive, and to be as silent as possible, amid fears that Hezbollah operatives could spot us and launch anti-tank missiles at the convoy during the drive in enemy territory.
The humvees turned their headlights off as the convoy approached the border, and upon crossing it, the soldiers cocked their weapons.
Intermittent sounds of gunfire and explosions from artillery shelling were heard around us as we drove along a dirt path, the humvees kicking up dust. The soldiers leading the convoy were using night vision to see their way in the pitch black.
Upon arriving at the village, which the army asked us not to name in our reporting, and with just the moonlight to illuminate our way, the soldiers led us to the yard of a home. There, next to a tree, was a hole in the ground.
A long-exposure photo shows a convoy of IDF humvees driving in southern Lebanon, late October 21, 2024. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
A small jump down and we were greeted with a long staircase running dozens of meters down. From there, the soldiers directed us on the correct pathway, taking us to the tunnel network’s main hallway.
But calling the passages tunnels fails to capture the scale of the subterranean system.
A soldier is seen entering a Hezbollah tunnel in southern Lebanon, late October 21, 2024. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
In all, the underground site — dug into a mountain — was some 2 kilometers in length. It reached depths of around 40 meters in some areas, and the hallways themselves were more than two meters high. In fact, it was the largest tunnel found by the army in southern Lebanon to date.
The Hezbollah site dwarfed even the most impressive Hamas tunnels uncovered in the Gaza Strip. Those are far more claustrophobic, with many requiring ducking and even crawling in some areas, and have limited ventilation.“This isn’t a ‘tunnel,’ it’s an underground combat site, extremely significant, which the enemy constructed over years for the purpose of an invasion of Israel — we estimate targeting the northern towns,” said Brig. Gen. Guy Levy, the commander of the 98th Division, as he gave us a tour of the complex.

The military estimated that the tunnels were built by Hezbollah over the past 15 years.
Brig. Gen. Guy Levy, the commander of the 98th Division, is seen in a Hezbollah tunnel in southern Lebanon, late October 21, 2024. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
The IDF believes the underground site was intended by Hezbollah for use as a staging ground, where hundreds of terror operatives would arrive when called, gather equipment, and ready themselves to attack Israeli towns. Hezbollah’s invasion plans never materialized.
In the event of fighting, Hezbollah members could also reside in the site for lengthy periods. It could also be used by officers for command and control, the IDF assesses.
A soldier is seen in a Hezbollah tunnel in southern Lebanon, late October 21, 2024. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
According to the general, the tunnel network was large enough to hold hundreds of Hezbollah fighters, members of the terror group’s elite Radwan Force, to prepare for an attack on Israel — though only a handful were there when the military arrived.
A room in a Hezbollah tunnel in southern Lebanon, late October 21, 2024. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
The tunnel had several emergency exits, which were normally covered above ground. When deciding to launch an assault, the Radwan Force terrorists would potentially leave the tunnel from the various exits that led to open areas in the Lebanese village, and from there head toward the Israeli border, according to the IDF.
Weapons are seen in a room in a Hezbollah tunnel in southern Lebanon, late October 21, 2024. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
As we walked through the subterranean passages, low thuds could be heard from Israeli airstrikes as well as Hezbollah rocket attacks.
Along the wide corridors of the underground site were doorways leading to dozens of rooms, including an armory, food storage, living quarters, showers, generator rooms and kitchens. Reporters were given a tour of several hundred meters of the tunnel, as other sections were not deemed safe enough at the time.
Weapons are seen in a room in a Hezbollah tunnel in southern Lebanon, late October 21, 2024. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
In one of the rooms, dozens of weapons were being stored, including AK-47 assault rifles, explosive devices, RPGs and launchers, sniper rifles and anti-tank guided missiles and launchers. Next to the weapons were stacks of canned food, from chocolate spread and halva to pickled olives.
Tinned food is seen in a room in a Hezbollah tunnel in southern Lebanon, late October 21, 2024. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
“Everything here is ready ahead of the action they planned to carry out in Israel. It’s a warehouse ready for the day the order is given,” said the commander of the Paratroopers Brigade’s 890th Battalion, Lt. Col. Yoni Hacohen, who participated in the raid on the tunnel complex.
The commander said that capturing the “strategic” site was a “huge victory” for his forces.
The commander of the Paratroopers Brigade’s 890th Battalion, Lt. Col. Yoni Hacohen, speaks to reporters in a Hezbollah tunnel in southern Lebanon, late October 21, 2024. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
Some of the rooms reporters were able to enter resembled galleries or halls, with high ceilings of around four meters, large enough for well over 100 people to stay in comfortably.
“As you can see, it is a big room, with electricity, places for lockers, mattresses, anything that is needed to reside in. In the hallway, there were toilets and showers. Everything needed for an enemy Radwan company to prepare, reside here, and head from here to an attack on Israel,” Hacohen said.
A large room in a Hezbollah tunnel in southern Lebanon, late October 21, 2024. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
As we strode through the tunnel’s main hallway, officers warned us to watch our step, as Hezbollah had left behind weapons strewn on the ground. “Don’t touch, don’t step, don’t play around, don’t do anything,” the battalion commander said.
Grenades, assault rifles, RPGs and mines were seen along the ground. In one of the living quarters, an AK-type gun and a grenade were left on a bed.
Weapons are seen in a bedroom in a Hezbollah tunnel in southern Lebanon, late October 21, 2024. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
Several days before reporters were brought to the site, troops of the Paratroopers Brigade, with support from tank forces and combat engineers, raided the village above the network and searched for the shafts leading into it.
Levy said that the army had prior intelligence regarding the underground site and some of the shafts, and his forces were able to quickly reach it during the assault.
Soldiers are seen in a Hezbollah tunnel in southern Lebanon, late October 21, 2024. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
Over the course of around 48 hours, the troops battled Hezbollah operatives around the village, including a cell stationed at the main entrance to the tunnel system which the military believes was responsible for guarding the underground site.
Another cell of four Hezbollah operatives was killed by troops in another, smaller tunnel in the village.
After troops entered the passages, removed booby traps — including a claymore-style mine planted on the ceiling in one of the hallways — and breached Hezbollah’s heavy blast doors, the site was mapped out by combat engineers, ahead of its planned demolition.
“We came here with intelligence. This is a central target, among many other targets that the division has operated against and destroyed in recent days,” Levy said.
A soldier is seen in a Hezbollah tunnel in southern Lebanon, late October 21, 2024. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
“We will stay here until the site is destroyed completely and it no longer poses a threat to the residents of the north,” the general added.
“They won’t be able to launch an attack from here on our towns.” link
Air Force jets conducted a targeted strike a short while ago on a Hamas command center placed at the site of a former school in Gaza City, the IDF says.
The military says the airstrike on the former Saleh a-Din School compound was “precise” and intelligence-based, targeting a site used by the Palestinian terror group to “plan and carry out terror actions against IDF forces and the State of Israel.”
It adds that it took many steps to mitigate harm to civilians, including using precise munitions, aerial observation and more.
The army once again accuses Hamas of violating international law by placing its assets in civilian areas and compounds.
IDF: Jets hit Hezbollah weapons manufacturing sites, arms depot in Beirut overnight strikes

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Hezbollah in Beirut, October 27, 2024 (IBRAHIM AMRO / AFP)
Overnight, Israeli fighter jets struck several Hezbollah weapon manufacturing and maintenance sites, along with an arms depot, in Beirut, the IDF says.
The IDF has issued evacuation orders for three buildings in Beirut ahead of the strikes.
Additionally, in the past day, the military says the Israeli Air Force killed some 70 Hezbollah operatives and hit around 120 sites belonging to the terror group in Lebanon.
Among the targets was a site used by Hezbollah’s drone unit, and a cell of operatives from the unit, the IDF says.

The IDF releases footage of a Hezbollah weapons bunker located by troops of the Golani Brigade in southern Lebanon.
The military says the underground facility, hidden in a forested area, was used to store anti-tank missiles, machine guns, assault rifles and mortars. video (in Hebrew but can see everything described)

Within 24 hours, the IDF says it killed the commander of Hezbollah’s Bint Jbeil region and his replacement.
On Friday, the Hezbollah commander in charge of the Lebanese border village of Bint Jbeil, Ahmad Jaafar Matouq, was killed in a strike carried out by fighter jets, according to the IDF.
A day later, the IDF says Matouq’s replacement, along with the commander of Hezbollah’s artillery forces in the area, were killed in a separate airstrike.

West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel

35 wounded, 6 seriously, in truck-ramming at bus stop near Tel Aviv; many victims said to be retirees

By Emanuel Fabian
Emergency services at the scene of a suspected truck ramming attack in Glilot, north of Tel Aviv on October 27, 2024 (Jack GUEZ / AFP)
Magen David Adom says it has taken 35 victims to hospitals following the truck-ramming at a bus stop near the Glilot Base.
They include six in serious condition, five in moderate condition, 20 who are lightly hurt, and another four suffering acute anxiety, MDA says.

A man succumbed to his wounds from the terror attack this morning. His name has not been released

According to Hebrew-language media reports, many of the injured were senior citizens who had disembarked from a bus ahead of a visit to a nearby museum.

A Palestinian assailant who tried to carry out a ramming and stabbing attack against IDF troops in the West Bank was shot dead, the military says. According to the IDF, the Palestinian accelerated his car toward troops of the Binyamin Regional Brigade’s 43rd Battalion, as they were operating near the town of Hizma. “The terrorist drew a knife…and tried to carry out a stabbing attack,” the IDF says. The IDF says the soldiers opened fire at the assailant, killing him. There are no other injuries in the incident.

Politics and the War (general news)

The father of a 51-year-old reservist killed in Lebanon last week blasts the government over its policy to exempt Haredi men from military service, saying it is placing an unbearable burden on other sectors of society.
Warrant Officer (res.) Guy Idan, from Shomrat, was killed alongside four other soldiers in a Hezbollah rocket attack in south Lebanon.
Guy Idan
He was the cousin of Tsahi Idan, who was taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, from his home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, after his oldest daughter, Maayan, 18, was shot and killed through the door of their safe room.
“Every human being has a pain threshold that he is able to sustain, and apparently there is someone who thinks that we have not yet reached the edge of that threshold,” Guy’s father Yigal tells the Kan public broadcaster.
“I have a lot of anger, especially about the system,” he says. “At the age of 51, my son went out to fight for the second or third time, in Gaza and in Lebanon. At that age! So yes, I have a lot of anger, especially toward the decision-makers”
“If we were run by people who had the best interests of the country at heart, we would have a completely different army,” he says.
“We know that if the Israeli government conducted itself differently, it would have been possible to bring in tens of thousands of people who are sitting on the fence under the guise of observance or Torah study and do not enlist,” Yigal says.
He says his son did not hesitate to enlist, explaining to his family that if he went to fight, then reservists who had served for longer periods of time could be released home.
Guy is survived by his wife and two daughters aged 17 and 13.
“It is very difficult to see the sadness in their eyes,” Yigal says.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is heckled by bereaved families as he speaks at a ceremony in memory of the civilian victims of the October 7 massacre and subsequent war.
Netanyahu pauses as relatives of those killed shout that their family members were murdered, while others cry out “Shame on you!” Link Not only should this 'ceremony' not have occurred (we don't need more Miri Regev produced ceremonies, we need the hostages to be brought home), but Netanyahu is the last person who should be allowed to address any ceremony commemorating or memorializing the victims of October 7. He is the person most responsible for the worst day of the State of Israel and the worst day for the Jewish People since the Holocaust, yet he refuses to take or accept even an inkling of responsibility. The families who were calling out 'shame on you' are not the ones who should have been removed. Netanayhu is the one who should have been removed.

The Region and the World

"The Giant Missile Detected After the Strike, and the Message from the West to Iran: 'Don't Respond'"

The West backed Israel's attack against Iran, claiming it was self-defense • The US, Britain, and France called on Iran not to respond and avoid escalation • A senior Biden administration official: "If Iran chooses to respond? We're ready to defend Israel, there will be consequences" • Iran confirmed: The number of soldiers killed in the attack rose to 4 • In Iraq: A large missile from the attack was detected in the country

After condemnations in the Arab and Muslim world of Israel's attack on Iran, the West is actually backing Israel and calling on Iran not to respond. The British Prime Minister said that "Iran should not respond," and a US official was quoted saying: "We call on Iran to stop its attacks on Israel."

"It's clear to me that Israel has the right to defend itself against Iranian aggression," said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. "It's equally clear to me that we need to avoid further regional escalation, and I call on all sides to show restraint. Iran should not respond."

Meanwhile, the French Foreign Ministry also issued a statement calling to avoid escalation: "France calls on all parties to avoid any escalation and action that could worsen the already tense context in the region."

A US administration official said: "Israel has announced that its response to Iran's missile attack on October 1 has been completed. As Israel has stated, the response was self-defense, avoided populated areas and focused solely on military targets, unlike Iran's attack against Israel which was aimed at Israel's most populated city."

"The United States was not involved in this operation," the American official added. "Our goal is to accelerate diplomacy and reduce tensions in the Middle East region. We call on Iran to stop its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting ends without further escalation."

A senior Biden administration official added: "If Iran chooses to respond, we are completely prepared to defend and support Israel, and there will be consequences if Iran makes this unfortunate decision. From our perspective, this direct response should be the end."

After Israel's strike, Iran reported that 4 of its soldiers were killed in the attack targeting military bases. Documentation from various locations in Iran revealed damage, and a large missile was even detected in Iraq, near Baghdad. Iran, meanwhile, downplayed reports about the scope and nature of the attack, and residents told news agencies they were not impressed by it.

However, different testimonies reached the New York Times. Soheil, a resident of Isfahan, described the unusual feeling: "People are experiencing a wide range of emotions. Some are worried, some are indifferent, and there are those who are even happy because they believe Israel's attacks will 'bring down the regime's ego' a bit." link
In his first public comments since Israel’s airstrikes on military targets in the early hours of yesterday morning, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei says Tehran officials should determine how best to respond.
According to the state IRNA news outlet, Khamenei says Israel has “made an error of calculation” and the strikes “should neither be downplayed nor exaggerated.”
Israel “should understand the strength, will and initiative of the Iranian nation,” Khamenei says in the statement.
Israel’s widespread airstrikes in Iran yesterday crippled Tehran’s ability to produce long-range ballistic missiles in a blow that will be hard and time-consuming to recover from, and rendered crucial energy facilities vulnerable to future attacks by destroying air defense batteries protecting them, according to multiple reports citing Israeli, American and Iranian officials, as well as satellite images analyzed by experts.
An Israeli attack on Iran damaged facilities at a secretive military base southeast of the Iranian capital that experts in the past have linked to Tehran’s nuclear weapons program and at another base tied to its ballistic missile program, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show.
Some of the buildings damaged are in Iran’s Parchin military base, where the International Atomic Energy Agency suspects Iran in the past conducted tests of high explosives that could trigger a nuclear weapon. Iran long has insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, though the IAEA, Western intelligence agencies and others say Tehran had an active weapons program at least up until 2003.
The other damage can be seen at the nearby Khojir military base, which analysts believe hides an underground tunnel system and missile production sites.
Iran’s military has not acknowledged damage at either Khojir or Parchin from Israel’s attack early Saturday, though it has said the assault killed four Iranian soldiers working in the country’s air defense systems.
This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows damaged buildings at Iran’s Khojir military base outside of Tehran, Iran, Oct. 26, 2024 (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did the Israeli military.
Israel’s widespread airstrikes in Iran yesterday crippled Tehran’s ability to produce long-range ballistic missiles, and rendered crucial energy facilities vulnerable to future attacks by destroying air defense batteries protecting them, according to multiple reports.
Speaking at a state ceremony marking one year since the October 7 Hamas attack, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar says the agency is still in the midst of an in-depth investigation into how it failed so badly to protect the citizens of Israel.
“We are in the middle of a deep, penetrating investigation that will leave no stone unturned,” Bar says at the Mount Herzl ceremony. “We are learning already now, amidst the probe, changing and fixing. We are learning the reasons for the failure and dealing with its deepest layers to allow us to minimize the chances for such failures in the future.”
Bar says that a year ago Israel failed “in its most basic responsibility — protecting its citizens… we failed to provide sufficient warning.” But the attack “did not harm our determination to protect the country, its citizens and its values — on the contrary, it only increased it.”
The Shin Bet chief says that the agency is, on a daily basis, “bringing to justice all those who carried out that horrible massacre, one by one, until we reach everyone.” The Shin Bet, Bar says, pledges that ” the lights will stay on until the very last hostage returns home.”
Survivors

Personal Stories

With the reserve fighters in South Lebanon: "We're here to do what we did in Gaza"

Special Report: Reserve Brigade 646 fighters are exposed to the details of Radwan Force's plan for conquering the Galilee. They destroyed Hezbollah's infrastructure and military resources in Lebanon - massive quantities that were prepared for zero hour, just hundreds of meters from the border: "Even in our emergency warehouses, we don't have such readiness of full vests, magazines, and grenades."

A short drive separates the Israeli side in the Western Galilee from the terror neighborhoods in a Lebanese village, where Brigade Combat Team 646 is completing the collection of enormous amounts of military equipment found in its houses. About a year after the reserve brigade fighters, composed of veterans from Special Patrol Battalion and Battalion 890 of the Paratroopers, participated in the defensive battles at Kibbutz Be'eri in the Gaza envelope, they are now fighting offensive battles in Lebanese villages.
The fighters in the territory of southern Lebanon (photos: IDF spokesman)

"Last year, on Simchat Torah, we were on defense, and now we're on offense," said Lieutenant Colonel Elad Shoshan, the brigade commander, who was appointed to lead it about a week before the war broke out in October 2023. In the past year, he and the brigade's soldiers fought in the Gaza envelope, in the Jenin and Nur al-Shams camps, and in the Strip. In early September, they deployed again, defending the north, just waiting for the moment they could cross the fence and fight back, to restore life and security to tens of thousands of displaced Israelis.

"Just as we destroyed the enemy in Gaza, we're here to do the same thing opposite the northern settlements," Shoshan clarifies, "We're destroying the enormous terror infrastructure, the inconceivable military equipment found here."

Settling Scores
The warriors who left behind families, work, essentially entire lives, are now crossing the fence and changing reality. I saw this, for instance, a short distance from my friends' homes. "In the end, the civilians trust us. We don't have another army, this is our army, and there are people here we can rely on," Shoshan explained.

Across the border, it seems every soldier I met along the way is deeply satisfied – the work is hard, the risk is high – but the satisfaction is through the roof. They want to express their appreciation to their wives and families who remained in Israel and celebrated the last holiday – like Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot – alone, without them. "The reservists are both the civilians who expect the army to act, and they are the army," said Shoshan, "so the reservists here take responsibility, show up time after time for another call-up, say 'Here I am' and do the work. They leave behind different lives with families and work."

"In the end, the citizens trust us." Shushan (photo: Yair Kraus)

Shoshan, the brigade commander, is from Moshav Yated in the Gaza envelope, and his parents still live there. During the past year, he lost friends and subordinates in battles in Rafah and Khan Yunis, and also in the north. Among his fallen friends was the deputy commander of Brigade 300, Lt. Col. Alim Saad, who was killed in an encounter with a terrorist cell that came from the village and infiltrated Israel near Adamit. In that battle, on October 9, 2023, two other warriors in the deputy commander's command post were also killed, Staff Sgt. Jawad Amer and Reserve Staff Sgt. Gilad Molcho.

"We have many open accounts with Hezbollah," said Brigade Commander Shoshan, "and here's an opportunity to close one of them. We've completed the conquest of this village from which the terrorist cell emerged last year. We're extracting quantities of weapons here that could have been used for a severe massacre. Look where we are - less than 500 meters from the border wall. In every street here and in every house, we found infrastructure and equipment. This was enough for almost an entire battalion of fighters who were supposed to break out from here and breach into Israel. And this is just one point out of several that Hezbollah prepared for their operation to conquer the Galilee."

We drive between the village paths and see soldiers walking between houses. They are completing the conquest and destruction of these endless terror spaces. The IDF is operating with five divisions along the entire Lebanese border in a time-limited operation. The goal is to destroy Hezbollah's capabilities here so that northern residents can return home. They won't return until they know that the real threat to their lives has been removed forever.

Near the "Brigade Commander's House," soldiers are unloading large quantities of weapons and combat equipment collected during searches of homes and nearby underground infrastructure. In recent weeks' operations, forces located an underground shelter facility intended for Radwan Force militants. They found bunk beds, closets, food, infrastructure for extended stays, extensive equipment, weapons, and launch positions that the militants left behind when they fled north.

"Look what we found here just in the last two hours," Shoshan told me. The sight is both astonishing and frightening: we pass by piles of combat vests loaded with grenades and full magazines, sealed in airtight bags. Each vest has a Lebanese fighter's name attached. "Even in our emergency warehouses, we don't have this level of readiness with vests fully loaded with magazines and grenades," Shoshan admitted.

Alongside the vests are piles of knee pads, combat bags with full uniforms and winter gear, tactical helmets, enhanced combat boots, and various weapons, grenade launchers and shells, different types of anti-tank missiles, machine guns, explosives, and advanced night vision equipment. The terrorist organization endlessly purchased missiles and rifle ammunition. Some clearly show where they were sent from: Moscow, Russia.

"In the fortified combat areas that Hezbollah established here, even 50 meters from the border, we saw compounds with fighter pits where mines were waiting for them," Shoshan explained, "They were supposed to reach the border, attach them to the wall and blow it up. Hezbollah fighters were meant to arrive at all border areas in civilian clothes, like any person, and within minutes could gear up with combat equipment and set out."

"I must admit we didn't expect to find such scope in a small Sunni village," said Shoshan. In one of the compounds we passed, fighters were busy planting explosives in several houses ahead of their destruction. After about an hour, when I crossed the border, a huge gray cloud appeared behind me. "I want to tell all northern residents that this is exactly how we intend to leave all of Hezbollah's offensive areas," he clarified.

This Was the Most Dangerous Place in the World

In the skyline, south of us in Israeli territory, the skies are filled with interceptor trails launched to stop another rocket barrage fired from deep in Lebanon, which critically wounded a Nahariya resident. More than 100 rockets were fired on Wednesday evening before the holiday.

Intercepts in Israeli skies, from southern Lebanon (Photo: Yair Krauss)

I watch the skies in frustration and Shoshan understands my feelings: "We need to understand, we didn't set out to conquer all of Lebanon. We're carrying out operations here to destroy the enemy and its infrastructure, so they can't surprise us anymore from close range, and that's what the IDF has almost finished."

The large number of weapons found (photo: IDF spokesman)

According to him, "The IDF has eliminated thousands of fighters and operatives, including Hezbollah leadership. It's hitting long-range launch capabilities, but that's not enough. What will stop the fire from Lebanon will ultimately be an arrangement where everyone understands the price of non-compliance. If it's not respected, the IDF will have to respond with force. We cannot, like after 2006, rely on others to respect agreements. We'll take responsibility ourselves. There are of course strategic decisions above my level, but the concept is that we need to keep this area clear of enemies even after an agreement."

Before heading home, I met Major A., deputy commander of Battalion 420 and a Kiryat Shmona resident. Exactly a month ago, at the start of the ground maneuver in Lebanon, I interviewed him near his hometown. "The residents here aren't interested in strategy or tactics, but that the threat called Hezbollah won't be here – and that's achieved by maneuvering inside and thorough cleaning," he told me then.

Now his face is bright and he can already see the day when he'll manage to convince his wife and six children to return home after the war. "It's an amazing feeling now to recognize the magnitude of the miracle and understand that we lived here in an insane powder keg," he explained, "We thought we were living in the most beautiful and safest place, but our home was in the most dangerous place in the world. Hezbollah made a mistake when they joined the horrific massacre attack that Hamas led in the south, and forced the army to go in and clean up, otherwise we would have ended up here with another worthless model like Resolution 1701. We would have returned home and been surprised again in a year, two years or a decade. Hamas was a playground compared to what they prepared for us here." link

Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages

He will be remembered as the worst Israeli leader since Simon bar Kokhba

Prof. Arie Kacowicz

Department of International Relations, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Abandoning the hostages for nine months is the most extreme example - moral and practical - of the shameful manner in which Israel’s Prime Minister chooses to conduct himself. This behavior contributed substantially to the intolerable failure of October 7th, 2023, the first time the hostages were forsaken. Since then, a failure no less menacing occurs daily, by managing a war with no reasonable political goals, no exit strategy, and no concrete plan to replace Hamas with another governing authority in Gaza. In fact, soldiers and hostages are being killed in the Gaza Strip to ensure Benjamin Netanyahu’s political survival due to his refusal to end the war, demand the demilitarization of Gaza with the introduction of an international military force, institute an intermediate international governing force, and cooperate with the Palestinian National Authority.

What is even worse is that the continuing war in Gaza increases the concrete danger of an all-encompassing war with Hezbollah and Iran, which will be a momentous, if not an existential, threat to the State of Israel. The fact that Hamas is holding 120 women and men as hostages is a war crime. Opposing a ceasefire and the end of the war in order to free all the hostages is a violation of international law, as expressed in United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2728 and 2735. Even if the Prime Minister supports the “Biden plan” and even if Hamas has yet to accept this plan, if Netanyahu refuses to commit to ending the war today, this de facto rejection of the deal makes him a war criminal as well since he is supporting the sacrifice of the hostages on the altar of his personal interests.

Benjamin Netanyahu is not “Mr. Security” and not Machiavelli’s prince, who takes care of his citizens. To quote from the warning notice sent by the state committee investigating the submarine affair (June 2024), Netanyahu “endangered national security and harmed Israel’s foreign relations.” The widespread pattern of negligence in his political and diplomatic behavior is substantiated in the following topics:

Since 2014 and until today, he preferred to strengthen Hamas in Gaza, as part of “antagonistic cooperation,” so as not to negotiate with Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian National Authority about peaceful solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Encouraging former president Donald Trump to quit the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, without an alternative plan to stop Iran’s nuclear advancement.

Founding an extreme government with Jewish fundamentalists, devoted to the destruction of the Zionist ethos of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.

Promoting a “judicial reform” since January 2023 that created misconceptions in the eyes of Israel’s enemies, as if the state is seemingly nearing its end.

Rejecting an American offer, together with Saudi Arabia and the Arab League, aimed at normalization, peace, and a regional coalition against Iran.

For Netanyahu, a person with deep historical awareness, we can conclude that forsaking the hostages is part of a wider pattern that characterizes his actions. He will be remembered as the worst Israeli leader since Simon bar Kokhba.

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

MDA - Magen David Adom - Israel Ambulance Corp

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

PMO- Prime Minister's Office

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

Join my Whatsapp update group https://chat.whatsapp.com/IQ3OtwE6ydxBeBAxWNziB0
Twitter - @LonnyB58

🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 387, 2023 - October 27, 2024 🎗️

🎗️Day 387 that 101 of our hostages in Hamas captivity**There is nothing more important than getting them home! NOTHING!**

There is no victory until all of the hostages are home!‎אין נצחון עד שכל החטופים בבית

The two sections at the end, personal stories and Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages are very important to read, as important or more than the news of the day.

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

4 reservists killed in battle with Hezbollah in south Lebanon, IDF announces

IDF announces deaths of 2 more soldiers in Lebanon, Gaza

Gaza and Southern Israel

Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the hardest hit on October 7, blasts Netanyahu for not visiting

Illustrative: Israeli soldiers walking next to the destruction caused by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel, November 21, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

On today’s national day of mourning for the massacre on October 7, Kibbutz Nir Oz blasts Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not having visited the community since that day a year ago.

Nir Oz was one of the hardest-hit communities in the Hamas-led onslaught, with 117 of its 400 members either murdered or kidnapped and taken hostage.

The community puts out a video of the death notices of members killed, along with photos of their graves.

“Still, if it was decided to hold such a day, we expect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to come and stand by our side, in a kibbutz where a quarter of the population was kidnapped or murdered,” the statement continues.

“Twenty-nine of us are still in Gaza. Only when they and the other hostages return, will 7.10.23 come to an end, a day that has lasted for 387 days.”

Last week, residents of the kibbutz said they would not participate in today’s state ceremony.

The kibbutz says Netanyahu has not responded to its invitation to visit the community.

Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Hezbollah in Beirut, October 27, 2024 (IBRAHIM AMRO / AFP)

Overnight, Israeli fighter jets struck several Hezbollah weapon manufacturing and maintenance sites, along with an arms depot, in Beirut, the IDF says.

The IDF has issued evacuation orders for three buildings in Beirut ahead of the strikes.

Additionally, in the past day, the military says the Israeli Air Force killed some 70 Hezbollah operatives and hit around 120 sites belonging to the terror group in Lebanon.

Among the targets was a site used by Hezbollah’s drone unit, and a cell of operatives from the unit, the IDF says.

West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel

35 wounded, 6 seriously, in truck-ramming at bus stop near Tel Aviv; many victims said to be retirees

By Emanuel Fabian

Emergency services at the scene of a suspected truck ramming attack in Glilot, north of Tel Aviv on October 27, 2024 (Jack GUEZ / AFP)

Magen David Adom says it has taken 35 victims to hospitals following the truck-ramming at a bus stop near the Glilot Base.

They include six in serious condition, five in moderate condition, 20 who are lightly hurt, and another four suffering acute anxiety, MDA says.

According to Hebrew-language media reports, many of the injured were senior citizens who had disembarked from a bus ahead of a visit to a nearby museum.

Politics and the War (general news)

The Region and the World

Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages

Acronyms and Glossary

ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague

IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague

MDA - Magen David Adom - Israel Ambulance Corp

PA - Palestinian Authority - President Mahmud Abbas, aka Abu MazenPMO- Prime Minister's Office

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

Join my Whatsapp update group https://chat.whatsapp.com/IQ3OtwE6ydxBeBAxWNziB0 Twitter - @LonnyB58

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🎗️Day 387 that 101 of our hostages in Hamas captivity
There is nothing more important than getting them home! NOTHING!

There is no victory until all of the hostages are home!
‎אין נצחון עד שכל החטופים בבית

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

PMO- Prime Minister's Office

Join my Whatsapp update group https://chat.whatsapp.com/IQ3OtwE6ydxBeBAxWNziB0
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