🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 546, 2023 - April 4, 2025 🎗️
🎗️Day 546 that 59 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!!!”
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
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
Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements
*1:00pm - Gaza Envelope - rocket fired on Nachal Oz from Southern Gaza
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad claims responsibility for launching a rocket at the Gaza envelope earlier this evening, setting off sirens in Kibbutz Nahal Oz.
The rocket was intercepted by the IDF, and no injuries or damages were reported.
- Israeli TV airs footage of captive soldier being kidnapped, interrogated in Gaza
The “Uvda” news program airs footage of the kidnapping of IDF soldier and current hostage Matan Angrest on October 7, 2023, as well as previously unseen footage of him being interrogated in captivity.
The videos were collected by IDF forces and published with the permission of Angrest’s family.
In the kidnapping video, which appears to be taken from a Hamas bodycam, Angrest can be seen wounded and shirtless, being manhandled by a number of Hamas gunmen on top of the tank. Video of Matan wounded being taken into captivity from his tank
In video of the interrogation, Angrest, who appears to have facial wounds, recites his personal details in English, saying that he was a tank driver stationed at the Nahal Oz base.
Speaking to his family, Angrest says, “I hope to see you soon, I love you.” He calls on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a hostage release deal, saying, “I want to see my family and my friends and I trust you.”
He is then questioned again and answers in Hebrew.
Hostage Matan Angrest in a first image released by his family from Hamas captivity, March 3, 2025. (Courtesy)Earlier today, his mother, Anat, said their family felt they had no choice but to publish the videos and beg for his release: “There’s no time. We have medical reports from analyses of the videos that speak of long-term disabilities, abuse, facial fractures — serious injuries that get worse every day,” she adds. “My son is in a cage, in starving conditions, and without daylight.” Video of Hamas made video of Matan in captivity
- ‘Use whatever tools you have’: Ex-hostage Tal Shoham appeals for UN to push for release of remaining captives
Released hostage Tal Shoham visits the United Nations offices in Vienna with the families of hostages Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David, with whom he was held during his captivity and who have yet to be freed.
In an appeal to the dozens of diplomats, Shoham urges them to use their positions to advocate for the release of his friends and all remaining 59 hostages.
“Forty days ago, I was born for the second time,” he says. “Forged from Hamas’s terrible cruelty. Emerging from hell into the sanity of a civil nation.”
He says that during his 505 days in captivity, he “had to turn inward, finding strength from within” in order to survive.
“I learned a great deal about myself, who I am, and what I want to dedicate my new life to,” he says.
“Speaking here today is not something I would have imagined doing in my previous life,” Shoham acknowledges. “But the man I am today is willing to face his fears, and sees them as opportunities to bring about much-needed change. I’m here because I believe each and every one of you sitting here today has power. Power that can be used to accelerate the return of my brothers still held hostage in Gaza.
I’m here today to motivate you to do what desperately needs to be done. to use whatever tools you have to pressure the release of the hostages. As individuals, we may not have this power, but as a community, especially as representatives of the United Nations, you definitely have this power,” he says.
He then offers the room a blow-by-blow account of his time in captivity, starting from the final, peaceful days leading up to October 7, 2023, and ending with his release, when he was forced to leave behind Gilboa-Dalal and David.
“I would like to start from the beginning. From when we still lived normal lives, before we could have imagined the magnitude of evil we were about to face,” he says. “When we lived our lives just like any of you.”
He tells them about how he and his wife and children made the two-and-a-half hour drive down to Kibbutz Be’eri on October 5, to spend a long weekend with his wife’s parents, Shoshan and Avshalom Haran.
He describes a “peaceful” October 6, during which his children played in the local playground and went on long bike rides, before enjoying a festive holiday meal in the Kibbutz dining room with his wife’s relatives, Lilach and Eviatar Kipnis.
As he speaks, photos of his family play on large screens around the room.
“It was supposed to be just another family weekend,” Shoham says. Video of Tal's speaking the UN in Vienna
- At start of Jerusalem Marathon, ex-hostage Karina Ariev says running symbolizes ‘strength, freedom’
Freed hostage Karina Ariev delivers a brief speech at the start of the Jerusalem Marathon, where she is running the five-kilometer race along with Jerusalem mayor, Moshe Lion.
“My name is Karina Ariev, and I’m standing here today, after 477 days in captivity. I am privileged to be here with you at the start line, free,” she starts, to applause from the crowd.
“Until two months ago, I didn’t think I would get to come home from captivity, let alone start a marathon in Jerusalem, the city that I was born and raised in,” says Ariev, a surveillance soldier snatched by Hamas from the Nahal Oz outpost on October 7, 2023 and freed during the recent ceasefire.
“For me, running symbolizes strength, and above all, freedom,” says Ariev. “I’m not just here for myself, I am here for those who were not able to return, for those who fell, for those who are still waiting, and for those who are forever in our hearts.”
She asks the marathon participants to “feel the freedom” as they run today.
“Dedicate your run to the memories of our heroes who laid down their lives so that we could be here today, to the hostages who should return safely and quickly, and to us, and for all the people of Israel,” she adds.
Gaza and the South
- IDF issues evacuation order for parts of Gaza City after rocket fired at Israel
Following rocket fire from the central Gaza Strip on Nahal Oz this evening, the IDF issues an evacuation warning for Palestinians in the south Gaza City area.
In a post on X, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, Col. Avichay Adraee, publishes a map of the area that is to be evacuated, saying this is a “final warning” before the IDF carries out strikes there.
The warning includes the Gaza City neighborhoods of Zeitoun, Tel al-Hawa and Sabra. Adraee calls on Palestinians to leave the area and head to the Mawasi area on the coast of the Strip’s south.
The rocket launched at Nahal Oz was intercepted by air defenses, and there were no reports of injuries. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.
- IDF says a deputy commander of Hamas’s Nukhba force killed in northern Gaza drone strike
A deputy commander of a Hamas Nukhba force company was killed in recent drone strike in the northern Gaza Strip, the military says.
The strike was directed by troops of the 401st Armored Brigade.
The brigade killed several more operatives and destroyed rocket launchers and other Hamas infrastructure during their operations in northern Gaza, the IDF says.
- IDF confirms it killed senior Hamas commander in southern Lebanon overnight
A senior Hamas commander was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the coastal Lebanese city of Sidon overnight, the military announces.
Hassan Farhat had headed Hamas’s forces in the western sector of Lebanon, according to the IDF.
The Israeli airstrike had hit an apartment building in Sidon.
During the war, the military says Farhat advanced numerous attacks on Israeli civilians and IDF troops, and was responsible for a rocket attack on the Northern Command base in Safed on February 14, 2024, killing Staff Sgt. Omer Sarah Benjo and wounding other troops.
“The terrorist was involved in advancing terror attacks against the State of Israel in recent months, and his activities constituted a threat to the State of Israel and its citizens,” the IDF says.
- IDF says it widened ground operations in northern Gaza, aiming to expand buffer zone
Early this morning, the IDF says it expanded its ground operations in the northern Gaza Strip, with troops pushing into Gaza City’s eastern Shejaiya neighborhood.
According to the military, the operations are aimed at expanding Israel’s buffer zone along the Gaza border.
The IDF says that so far, troops have killed several terror operatives and destroyed infrastructure, including a Hamas command center.
The military says it is enabling civilians to evacuate the area “for their safety.” It had issued evacuation warnings for Shejaiya yesterday.
- Turkey accuses Israel of destabilizing Syria, demands end to airstrikes
Turkey demands Israel withdraw from Syria and says it must stop harming stabilization efforts there, after Israel stepped up airstrikes in the neighboring country and accused Turkey of trying to turn Syria into a Turkish protectorate.
“Israel has become the greatest threat to regional security” and is a “strategic destabilizer, causing chaos and feeding terrorism,” the foreign ministry in Ankara says.
“Therefore, in order to establish security throughout the region, Israel must first abandon its expansionist policies, withdraw from the territories it occupies, and stop undermining efforts to establish stability in Syria,” it adds.
Earlier today, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused Ankara of playing a “negative role” in Syria, saying that “they are doing their utmost to have Syria as a Turkish protectorate. It’s clear that is their intention.”
- IDF names 4 Hamas operatives it says were killed in Gaza strike on UNRWA clinic yesterday
The IDF and Shin Bet announce that a strike yesterday against a Hamas command center in northern Gaza’s Jabalia killed at least four operatives, including a terrorist who participated in the October 7 onslaught.
The strike, according to Palestinian media, hit a UNRWA clinic and killed at least eight people.
According to the military, among those killed in the strike was Shadi Diab Abd al-Hamid Falouji, a member of Hamas’s East Jabalia Battalion, who invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, and participated in the onslaught.
Additionally, the IDF says the strike killed Mohammed Sharif, a member of Hamas’s general security mechanism, who was involved in the release ceremony of hostage soldier Agam Berger; Mohammed Hani Atiya Daour, a Hamas operative who headed a rocket and mortar squad; and Mohammed Issa Mahmoud Askari, member of a rocket unit in Hamas’s Northern Brigade and a member of the general security mechanism.
The military says it was able to confirm their deaths “following an intelligence review.”
- Israel reportedly carries out strikes south of Damascus
Israeli strikes hit Kiswah, south of the Syrian capital Damascus, the state news agency reports.
Israel stepped up airstrikes on Syria overnight, declaring the attacks a warning to the new Islamist rulers in Damascus as it accused their ally Turkey of trying to turn the country into a Turkish protectorate.
- Approved by the Military: Family-Friendly Tours Across the Syrian Border During PassoverDuring the intermediate days of Passover, several family-friendly tours will take place, crossing the border into Syria. Among the destinations are the Ruqqad Stream, the Hezbollah enclave, and a tour of the Hejaz Railway Tunnel. The tours are conducted with military approval and escort.Since the fall of Assad and the Syrian Golan's capture, Israelis have wondered when the time would come to travel in Syria. It turns out that opportunity will arrive during Passover.In a publication by "Amitim for Trips," Golan Tourism, and the 210th Division, travelers are invited to join fence-crossing tours in the eastern Golan Heights. Among the tours is a trip to the Ruqqad Stream (rated easy to moderate difficulty), where participants will cross the border between the Golan and Syria near Kibbutz Afik, with military approval and escort. Additionally, tours will be held in the Hermon, the Hezbollah enclave, and the Hejaz Railway Tunnel in Yarmouk.The tours will run in two daily sessions—morning and afternoon—marking the first time Israelis will cross the border in an organized manner. The notice clarifies that all tours are subject to operational security assessments. It's worth noting that in the past, individuals have crossed the fence during trips to the Ruqqad Stream, but only with specific permits and on solo trips.The tour will approach within about 2.5 km of the nearest Syrian village, Ma'rbah.As of today (Thursday), registration for these tours has closed, but if the security situation allows, they may reopen to the general public.
- Lebanon’s new central bank governor says bank must counter terror financing, money laundering
Lebanon’s newly appointed central bank governor Karim Souaid said on Friday the bank must counter money laundering and terrorist financing.
He also said at a press conference that the bank would work to reschedule public debt and pay back depositors.
- Katz claims settler rampage through Palestinian village is not terrorism
Defense Minister Israel Katz says he doesn’t consider this week’s latest settler rampage of a Palestinian village to be terror and defends his decision to end the policy of administrative detentions against Jewish Israelis while leaving them in place against Arab Israelis and Palestinians.
“I don’t consider this terror,” Katz tells Army Radio when asked about the Tuesday incident in Duma where some 50 Israelis attacked homes, with three Palestinians reportedly injured as the settlers torched property and assaulted residents.
Katz says those who violated the law and should be prosecuted, but not through the use of “draconian” administrative detentions. link Katz, one of Netanyahu's ministerial lap dogs is just another reason why we have unrestrained Jewish terrorism against Palestinians in the West Bank. Katz removed one of the tools used for restraining this terror, the administrative detention of these Jewish terrorists, whereas administrative detention is still used widely against Palestinians. We have almost daily terror attacks by these Jewish Settler terrorists against Palestinian farmers and villages which go on even under the eyes of the IDF and Border Police with no arrests of the Jewish terrorists but arrests of Palestinians who were attacked. And we have the Minister of Internal 'Insecurity' Ben Gvir who has given orders to the police not to involve themselves in the Jewish terrorism, thereby encouraging it through police inaction and blatant statements by this criminal minister strongly encouraging the terrorism.
- Palestinian hurling stones at West Bank highway shot dead by troops — IDF
IDF soldiers shot dead a Palestinian who hurled stones at an Israeli highway in the central West Bank, according to the military.
The Israel Defense Forces says troops from the 636th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit opened fire at a “number of terrorists throwing rocks toward Route 375” near the village of Husan, killing one and wounding another.
No soldiers were hurt
- IDF says knife-wielding Palestinian suspect shot in northern West Bank
A Palestinian suspect brandishing a knife was shot after he approached the IDF’s Gilboa post in the northern West Bank, the military says.
No troops were hurt in the incident.
- IDF Central Command chief blasts reservists who vandalized Palestinian village, settlers who set fire to cop car
The chief of the IDF Central Command, Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth slams acts of vandalism by reservist soldiers in a Palestinian village and the arson of a police cruiser by settlers this week.
“We are working well amid Ramadan, which is going by quietly, but we have irregular incidents,” Bluth said to troops yesterday.
“Unfortunately, the activities of our reserve troops in Deheisha are not what we expect — vandalism, graffiti, during operational activity, this is an unacceptable event,” he says.
Photos taken by Palestinian residents in Deheisha near Bethlehem on Thursday showed the defacement of walls by Israeli soldiers, including Stars of David graffitied over Arabic slogans.
“It is inconceivable that IDF soldiers do not follow their commanders’ instructions. We are determined to stop this phenomenon, we will act harshly in this matter,” Bluth says.
Overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, dozens of settlers at a wedding near Kochav Hashachar attacked police responding to a noise complaint. The settlers hurled stones at the officers and set fire to their vehicle.
“Besides this crossing a red line, and it will be treated severely, there is no greater ingratitude than this,” Bluth says on the burning of the police car.
- Netanyahu files defamation lawsuit against Democrats party chair Yair Golan
Yair Golan says he is “happy for the opportunity” to put Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “on the witness stand and question him about the Qatari money that flowed into his office,” after the premier filed a defamation lawsuit against the leader of The Democrats party.
According to the Ynet news site, Netanyahu filed a defamation suit against Golan on Tuesday, citing messages he sent to supporters accusing the prime minister of “selling Israel’s security for money” in the so-called Qatargate scandal.
“Not only does the message contain false and ugly content” as well as “fake news, wild incitement, and slander” but it also attempts to use such messaging to solicit donations, Ynet reports the suit as claiming.
In a lengthy statement to the press this evening, Golan lists a number of questions he plans on asking the premier should his legal team have the opportunity to question Netanyahu as part of the suit.
These include why Netanyahu approached Qatar in 2018 “with a request to fund Hamas, in complete contradiction to the position of the defense establishment” and why he continued “to demand the transfer of the suitcases of dollars to Hamas even after being warned that this was direct funding for terrorism.”
“Why did you prevent the elimination of [Yahya] Sinwar at least six times and is this related to your or your associates’ ties with Qatar?” Golan continues.
In addition, Golan questions why Netanyahu allowed Qatar to act as a mediator rather than Egypt, and why he did not fire aide Jonatan Urich, a key suspect in the ongoing Qatargate probe, after his alleged role in the scandal came to light.
“And finally, the question that looms over everything: Did you, or any of your family members, receive, directly or indirectly, money, favors or financing from the state that financed the massacre? Netanyahu, the court is the place to reveal the truth. We are ready. The public is ready,” Golan states. link Yair Golan is a true hero. On October 7, with news of the attack, Golan, a retired general and Deputy Chief of Staff, put on his uniform and took his weapon and immediately went south to fight the Hamas terrorists, saving many lives. During the beginning of the war, he spent a lot of time in the Gaza envelope communities helping in agriculture after the foreign workers all left. In the opposition, he stands out as a key politician trying to protect our democracy from the government and Netanyahu who are trying to destroy it.
- Qatar denies paying to spread media narrative undermining Egypt’s role in hostage talks
Qatar denies that it made payments to spread a media narrative undermining the role of fellow hostage negotiation mediator Egypt after an Israeli judge revealed that two of Netanyahu’s aides are suspected of having been paid by Doha to do so.
“The State of Qatar strongly condemns the statements published by some journalists and media outlets alleging that Qatar has made financial payments to undermine the efforts of Egypt or any of the mediators involved in the ongoing negotiations between Hamas and Israel,” Qatar’s International Media Office says in a statement.
The statement blames “journalists and media outlets,” but news outlets have just been reporting what Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court Judge Menachem Mizrahi ruled in his decision this week when he extended the remand of Jonatan Urich, who has been a senior aide to the prime minister for many years, and Eli Feldstein, a former spokesman for Netanyahu.
“The State of Qatar affirms that these allegations are baseless and serve only the agendas of those who seek to sabotage the mediation efforts and undermine relations between nations,” the Qatari statement claims.
Mizrahi’s ruling stated that Urich and Feldstein are suspected of having accepted payments from a Qatari lobbyist in order to spread a media narrative boosting Doha’s role in the Israel-Hamas hostage talks at Egypt’s expense — all while they were still working for Netanyahu.
Notably, the Qatari statement does not deny or comment on its lobbyist’s alleged payments to Netanyahu’s aides or Doha’s alleged effort to boost its image. Instead, the statement focuses on the accusation pertaining to Egypt.
Qatar says the false allegation “represent[s] a new development in the ongoing misinformation campaign that is attempting to divert attention away from the humanitarian suffering and perpetuate the politicization of the war.”
The statement stresses that Qatar remains committed to its mediating role and touts its cooperation with Egypt in that effort. link Based on Qatar's history of the last decade plus and current times of spending billions of Dollars in the US and Europe to cultivate power and influence, and being the financial backing of most of the anti Israel, Antisemitic actions on campuses and in cities around the western world, it would be naive of anyone to believe that these were not their intentions in paying people close to Netanyahu in his office to do their bidding, including the attempts to build up their roles of importance in the negotiations over those of Egypt. We must remember all of the attacks within Israel in the political arena against Qatar being a partner for negotiations with all of the correct claims of them being the main financiers of Hamas for the last decade and a half (with the approval and encouragement of Netanyahu).
- Nova festival organizers say IDF probe shows ‘the magnitude of the failure’
The production company behind the Nova music festival responds to the publication of the IDF’s investigation into the massacre on October 7, saying that it is grateful that the military has taken responsibility for its failures.
“The investigation revealed and verified the extent of the neglect we felt, and the magnitude of the failure that emerges from it is multi-systemic, shocking and incomprehensible,” it says in a statement.
“We appreciate the fact that for the first time since that damned and unbearable day, an official is finally standing up to us, taking responsibility, admitting to the failures and dealing with the anger, pain and difficult questions,” it says.
The company notes that the investigation revealed that the festival received all the proper authorization from the army and police, and that the partygoers were abandoned for many hours amid the onslaught.
“The producers of the Nova and many of the staff members remained at the scene, evacuating participants, providing medical aid, saving lives, and fighting while rescuing hundreds of wounded,” it says.
“We will continue to build and restore our community, this is our life’s mission and we hope that this time, we will not be left alone in the battle,” the company adds.
The IDF Forgot the Party, and a Police Officer Prevented ~2,000 Deaths | Nova Festival Massacre Investigation
In the wooded parking lot of Kibbutz Re’im, the deadliest terrorist attack in Israel's history took place. The brigade commander who approved the party despite security concerns did not update forces about its proximity to the border and failed to halt it even after receiving warnings the night before. The Nukhba unit that carried out the massacre was supposed to go to Netivot but took a wrong turn. The IDF had no communication with the few remaining police officers who fought at the scene. 378 people were murdered at Nova, and 44 were abducted to Gaza | The party that turned into hell, minute by minute.
The memorial installation for the victims of the Nova in the Reim parking lot (Photo: Menahem Kahana / AFP)Only a few days had passed since the start of the IDF’s investigation into the October 7, 2023, massacre at the Nova festival when Brig. Gen. (res.) Ido Mizrahi realized the magnitude of his task: to uncover the circumstances of the deadliest terrorist attack in Israel’s history, which took place in a small area near the Gaza border. The investigation, published yesterday (Thursday), outlines the chain of events and failures that led to the murder of 378 civilians, police officers, and soldiers, and the abduction of 44 others by Gaza terror groups.
Ultimately, it was a 19-year-old soldier on leave who had attended the party that morning who led the first organized IDF force to the hidden parking lot near Kibbutz Re’im. But this only happened around 11:20 a.m., nearly five hours after the attack began. He managed to call his brigade commander in Samaria from his hiding spot and begged for help. The brigade commander directed the Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion commander—who was responsible for the Samaria sector—to the site. He arrived with 11 soldiers, by which time most terrorists had already left.
All this occurred despite a reserve brigadier general from the Gaza Division headquarters being present during the early stages of the massacre. He fought as best he could but, according to the investigation, struggled to grasp the scale of the event. Thus, until around 10:00 a.m., the IDF had no idea what was happening among the pine and eucalyptus trees. Even an attack helicopter pilot circling the area at the time, who spotted pickup trucks on the ground, failed to identify them as terrorist vehicles and did not strike them. Meanwhile, bodies piled up between the three bars at the party site, in the portable toilets, around the stage, in the grove, at junctions along Route 232, and in bomb shelters.
Abandoned vehicles on Route 232 following the Hamas massacre at the Nova music festival near Re'im on October 7, 2023. (South First Responders)The death toll at the party could have been far worse. At the start of Hamas’s attack at 6:29 a.m., Ofakim Police Station commander, Chief Superintendent Nivi Ohana, was at the Nova site. Recognizing the rocket fire as unusual, he immediately ordered all partygoers to evacuate. According to the investigation, his decision likely prevented around 2,000 additional deaths and hundreds more abductions.
The investigation also examines the initial decision to approve the party and the choice not to cancel it despite suspicious signs the night before. Three to four days earlier, the Northern Brigade commander of the Gaza Division, Col. Haim Cohen, had refused to authorize a 3,500-person party just four kilometers from the Gaza border, given the holiday leave shortage. The event was only approved after Southern Command intervened.
Yet in the hours before the attack, as concerns grew in the brigade, division, command, and general staff about unusual activity in Gaza, Col. Cohen did not raise the issue of the party—not even when Hamas terrorists were already rampaging in his sector. As far as the IDF was concerned, the Nova festival had been forgotten. And much like the abandonment of Kibbutz Nir Oz, forces arrived too late to prevent the massacre.
The investigation into the party was so vast that some murdered attendees were categorized under "bomb shelter and roadside investigations." For others, the small team led by Brig. Gen. (res.) Mizrahi—which included a retired colonel and sergeant major—could not determine the exact circumstances of death. They concluded that the IDF had failed catastrophically in operational communication between levels, command centers, and the field, as well as between the police and the military, despite joint protocols and countless drills. According to the IDF, the investigation was presented to Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and his predecessor Eyal Zamir and was accepted "without reservation."
**The Nukhba’s Navigation Error**
The Nova festival is held annually in different locations, drawing tens of thousands of attendees with permanent membership cards for entry. The chosen site is disclosed just days before. In fall 2023, it was Re’im parking lot in the central Gaza envelope.
The investigation commends the event producers for two reasons:
1. Organizational, logistical, and procedural compliance, having secured all required permits.
2. During the attack, security and production staff remained on-site, some fighting unarmed against terrorists, while others were murdered or abducted to Gaza.
Approximately 3400 attendees to the Nova Festival344 Civilians murdered18 Security forces personnel murdered16 Soldiers who attended the festival murdered378 total murdered44 KidnappedAmong the ~3,500 attendees were 400 staff, 31 police officers, 75 unarmed guards, and dozens of medics. About 80-90% survived, partly thanks to Ofakim Police Commander Chief Supt. Ohana, who commanded the police operations center at the site. At 6:29 a.m., recognizing the heavy rocket barrage, he rushed to the PA system and ordered everyone to disperse immediately—unaware that 1,500 Hamas terrorists were beginning their invasion of the western Negev.
According to the investigation, "Ofakim Police Commander Ohana, who lived in the area and knew it well, made a decision that likely prevented ~2,000 deaths and hundreds more abductions at Nova alone. In many ways, alongside the bravery of fighters and police, Nova was a miracle."
However, the police operations center lacked an IDF liaison, as required—a failure noted in the investigation.
Chief Supt. Ohana himself left shortly before 7:00 a.m. after receiving initial reports of gunfire in Ofakim. He saw his officers establishing two escape routes along Route 232—one north, one south.
None of the officers knew that within an hour, after declaring most partygoers evacuated, they would become the first and last line of defense for those left behind, facing a Nukhba platoon armed head-to-toe with RPGs, machine guns, sniper rifles, anti-aircraft guns, and 14 pickups filled with monstrous cruelty. The platoon of ~110 terrorists was divided into three squads, with fire support, observation, and abduction logistics.
**The Nukhba’s Fatal Wrong Turn**
The platoon left Nuseirat (near Kibbutz Be’eri) en route to Netivot but took a wrong turn and stumbled upon the chaotic evacuation of the Nova site. Partygoers fleeing faced life-or-death decisions at Gaza envelope junctions—especially near Sa’ad junction. Those heading north encountered terrorists who murdered them at the Mefalsim curve near the Black Arrow Memorial or Sha’ar Hanegev junction. Those fleeing south were massacred at Gama junction. The northernmost Nova victim was killed at Yad Mordechai junction, the southernmost near Nir Yitzhak.
Another lifesaving decision by police was opening an improvised escape route east toward Moshav Patish. Many remaining partygoers fled there on foot and survived.
**A Midsize "Town" Sprang Up Overnight**
The Nova festival was approved just two days before, following what the investigation called a "discussion" between the territorial brigade, division representatives, and Southern Command officers, alongside legal review by organizers. The day before the massacre, the same site hosted the "Unity" party, which ended Friday afternoon. After a 10-hour turnover, Nova began with thousands of new attendees arriving around 10:00 p.m.
A smaller, unapproved party called "Psydak" took place near Kibbutz Alumim, closer to the border. The Northern Brigade was unaware of it and thus did not stop it, despite large events near borders (and in Judea and Samaria) requiring military approval.
Terrorists from the Nusairat Battalion in the Nova Party areaThe Gaza Division sent no representatives to police preparatory meetings in the month before the massacre regarding the Unity party. Communication with the IDF about Nova was mostly remote, and in late September, the site was added to the Iron Dome’s defense polygon.
No military representative attended the final Unity party briefing in early October. A Northern Brigade homefront officer toured the site with production staff, and three days before Simchat Torah, organizers requested a one-day permit extension for Nova. The Northern Brigade opposed this due to holiday manpower shortages and potential security risks, but after debate and legal review, approval was granted—albeit reluctantly.
Despite concerns, the Northern Brigade did not update the Golani territorial battalion about the mass event. Brigade Commander Cohen saw no need to send military forces, and the Golani battalion inadvertently ignored the party underway that Friday night.
"IDF policy was to permit such events near borders to maintain normalcy, canceling only under concrete threats," the investigation states. "No one pressured the brigade commander to approve the party or threatened legal action. His decision was reasonable under the circumstances."
Even in the hours before the invasion, no one in the Gaza Division—including Col. Cohen—mentioned Nova in nighttime situational assessments. "The party was approved per orders but without preliminary assessments, updating forces in the sector, defining it as a critical asset in case of operational events, or evaluating infiltration risks," the report notes.
This meant a midsize "town" of ~3,500 "residents" sprang up in the Gaza envelope on October 7 without security adjustments, an IDF liaison in the police operations center, dedicated protection, or situational awareness among forces.
Senior commanders involved in the investigation struggled to hide their frustration at the IDF’s role in the preconception preceding the massacre: "We refused to accept that Hamas’s 1988 charter explicitly calls for Israel’s destruction, regardless of leadership or method. That is Hamas’s sole vision. We fell in love with the idea of short wars and long intervals between them via ‘campaigns between wars.’ These were operationally successful but allowed our enemies to grow stronger between strikes. We enabled Hamas’s buildup by preferring quiet over actively degrading its capabilities, repeatedly postponing confrontations."
**The Nova Massacre – Timeline of Events**
6:29 – Ofakim Police Commander Chief Supt. Nivi Ohana, commanding the party’s operations center, identifies the rocket barrage as abnormal and orders immediate evacuation.
6:45 – Police direct partygoers north and south on Route 232. Decisions at junctions become life-or-death. Early escapees encounter terrorist ambushes at crossroads. Some U-turn, returning wounded to the party site, knowing police and medics are there.
Moments before hell. Nova party6:55 – Chief Supt. Ohana receives reports of gunfire in Ofakim and rushes to his city, where he fights alongside officers until evening.
7:13 – The Gaza Division’s homefront officer requests military forces for the party site, but these are quickly overwhelmed as Hamas focuses its initial assault on IDF bases. The officer is told, "80-90% of the party has been evacuated."
7:25 – 34 partygoers are ambushed and murdered at Gama junction. No terrorists have yet reached Nova, which remains one of the safest places in the Gaza envelope for the attack’s first 90 minutes.
7:30 – Remaining police block Routes 232 north and south, realizing terrorists control nearby junctions. They guide escapees east via an improvised dirt road toward Moshav Patish. Even at this critical hour, no IDF-police communication occurs about Nova.
7:53 – A few hundred partygoers and production staff remain. Staff check cash registers and pack equipment, unaware of the surrounding chaos.
7:58 – A 110-strong Nukhba platoon, armed with thousands of weapons, leaves Nuseirat in 14 pickups and two motorcycles to capture Netivot. Near Be’eri, they slow to observe the kibbutz massacre and fire celebratory bursts. A Hamas traffic director guides thousands of invaders, but the platoon misses the Netivot turn near Shokeda.
8:12 – The Nukhba platoon stops at a police roadblock on Route 232 near Nova, where officers prevent remaining partygoers from entering the "highway of death." For minutes, a crime-movie-like gunfight ensues: police with handguns crouch behind vehicles, while 100-200 meters away, an ultra-armed terrorist force advances.
8:20 – The thin police line collapses. Dozens of terrorists storm the party site, where hundreds hide in bushes, portable toilets, and dumpsters.
8:26 – An IDF Merkava tank randomly arrives from the border area. Crew members Ido Somach and his wounded loader (another was killed, another abducted) draw some terrorists’ fire. The loader briefly exits to give his weapon to an unarmed guard before being shot dead.
8:30 – Somach, alone in the damaged tank, kills a terrorist climbing the turret at point-blank range and runs over at least three others. Terrorists throw grenades into the crew compartment—miraculously, none explode.
8:44 – An anti-tank missile disables the tank. Somach escapes, rallying nearby fighters and police. The tank becomes an impromptu stronghold, its machine guns repurposed for defense.
The scene of the party after the massacre8:50 – Terrorists fully overrun Nova, abducting seven people.
9:10 – Terrorists celebrate on camera, hugging and shouting "Allahu Akbar." They abduct an East Jerusalem Palestinian driver, demanding, "Where are the soldiers? Want a bullet too?" He is later taken to Be’eri and killed that evening.
9:30 – Terrorists comb the grove, shooting at anything moving. They fire an RPG at an orange medical services ambulance packed with 20 partygoers (some wounded). Only two survive. By now, terrorists outnumber victims at Nova.
10:00 – Only at this point does the IDF General Staff Operations Directorate realize a "Nova" battle is underway near Re’im. A multi-dimensional unit sent there is drawn into the kibbutz, losing its commander, Col. Roi Levy, in combat.
10:20 – A third wave from Gaza arrives: dozens of unarmed Palestinians loot equipment and cars, setting some ablaze with occupants inside. Meanwhile, the Nukhba platoon splits—some join the Be’eri fight, others return to Gaza with 44 abductees.
10:25 – An attack helicopter spots armed pickups but holds fire, fearing they may be Israelis. A Gaza Division intelligence officer’s guidance attempt fails. The pilot searches for Somach’s abandoned tank but cannot locate it.
Remains of cars of Nova partygoers11:20 – Dozens of terrorists remain at Nova. The first organized IDF force (11 soldiers, including a Prisons Service special ops officer) arrives, led by the Givati Shaked Battalion commander, redirected after a call from a subordinate who had attended the party.
11:50 – The force clears the site, killing 12 terrorists.
13:30 – The IDF fully re-secures Nova, later identifying and evacuating 171 victims murdered on-site. The other half were killed fleeing or near the venue.
**Key Findings, Errors, and Failures**
Per the IDF investigation, the Gaza Division and Southern Command were unaware of Nova’s unfolding tragedy until ~10:00 a.m. The pre-approved mass event was never raised up the chain despite red flags.
The approval process failed to notify sector commanders of the border-adjacent festival.
The brigade commander allocated no IDF security or liaison to the police operations center.
"Severe gaps" existed in the Northern Brigade’s preparations, with no situational assessments or proper police-IDF coordination before or during the massacre. No "Red Alert" sirens were installed as required.
**Recommendations:**
• Establish a mandatory national protocol and IDF General Staff order for approving events in military zones.
• Reevaluate approval authority for events in routine security sectors.
• Designate events like Nova as "critical infrastructure" with corresponding protection.
**Nova Producers’ Response:**
"The investigation confirmed the abandonment we felt firsthand, exposing a multi-system failure that is shocking and incomprehensible. Still, we appreciate an official body finally taking responsibility, admitting failure, and confronting our anger, pain, and hard questions.
"The investigation affirms that Nova was fully licensed and legally approved. It acknowledges we were abandoned for hours and proves more lives could have been saved. Production staff remained on-site, evacuating attendees, providing medical aid, rescuing hostages, and fighting nearly alone that Saturday.
"We will continue rebuilding our community—this is our life’s mission—and hope we won’t be alone this time. To move forward as a community, society, and nation, a comprehensive, multi-system investigation is needed to fully uncover the truth and rebuild trust in a shared destiny." link
- Iran pulling forces out of Yemen amid intensive US airstrikes on Houthis
Iran has reportedly ordered its military personnel to leave Yemen and is pulling back its support for the Houthis amid extensive US airstrikes on the rebel group.
The British Telegraph newspaper cites a “senior Iranian official” saying that Tehran is scaling back its support of its regional proxies to focus on the direct threats emanating from the Trump administration.
The official also says that the pullback from Yemen is designed to avoid the possibility of escalation if an Iranian soldier is killed in US airstrikes there.
Tehran is focusing its efforts instead on how to respond to US President Donald Trump and his litany of threats, and “none of the regional groups we previously supported are being discussed,” the official is quoted as saying.
Personal Stories
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 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
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