242 confirmed kidnapped.
5 hostages freed.
1,400+ Israelis murdered.
58 police officers killed.
74% of killed civilians were identified.
4,500+ injured.
8,000+ rockets fired at Israel.
500,000+ Israelis displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.
*Hostage & Injured Updates:*
Israel is simultaneously working on both diplomatic and tactical efforts to rescue the hostages.
US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, is expected to arrive in Israel on Friday to meet with the Israeli War Cabinet. On the agenda is his effort towards a “humanitarian pause” in fighting (not a ceasefire), to allow the release of hostages and entry of aid trucks to Gaza. This effort seems promising only for hostages with foreign citizenships. A challenge is that Hamas is demanding fuel, which will of course be used for firing missiles and maintaining the tunnels—Israel refuses to concede on this.
When it comes to tactical efforts the IDF is not revealing any plans, for obvious reasons. Defense Minister Gantz addressed people in Gaza and said, “Whoever assists in the return of the abducted will be granted immunity for them and their family. Whoever holds children and women captive will be sentenced to death.”
*Gaza Front Updates:*
Hamas fired rockets across Israel, at an average rate. One rocket made a direct hit on a family home in the Shefla region, setting it on fire. The family emerged from their bomb shelter unhurt.
On Thursday afternoon, IDF spokesman, Brigadier General Daniel Hagari announced that the IDF completed the encirclement of Gaza City. Several Hamas strongholds were overthrown in fierce battles, including face-to-face combat with large units of Hamas terrorists who hid in tunnels and homes. In a few battles on Thursday afternoon alone, IDF forces eliminated over 130 terrorists.
Since the beginning of the war, the IDF has attacked more than 12,000 terror targets in the Gaza Strip
Chief of Staff Major General Herzi Halevi made a special statement: “The Air Force is operating on less than half of its capability and force in the Gaza Strip – its planes are prepared to attack in other arenas when required.”
Special IDF engineering units are working with strategic plans to destroy all the tunnels. In the words of Minister Galant, “The terrorists will have two options – either die in the tunnel or go up. And once they go up, they can either die from our forces, or surrender unconditionally.”
The IDF will not be disclosing the plans for demolishing the tunnels, so it’s unknown how they plan to keep the hostages safe, knowing many of them are in the tunnels.
The battles of the last 24 hours did come with some painful losses:
Sergeant Yair Niposi, a fighter in the paratrooper brigade, died of his wounds after being wounded in the battle in the Gaza Strip last night.
Lt. Col. Salman Habka, 33 years old, from Druze Yanoch-Jat, commander of the 53rd battalion, Uzbat al-Barak, the hero of the battles in Be’eri, was killed in battle in the northern Gaza Strip.
Lieutenant (res.) Yuval Zilber, 25 years old, from Ramat Gan, MM in the 7007th Infantry Battalion, Jerusalem Brigade, was killed in battle in the northern Gaza Strip.
General Halevi, “This war has a painful and difficult price; This is an integral part of ensuring our security here. We lost the best of our sons in the fighting, we embrace their families and with their spirit and memory we will continue and win.”
*Northern Front Updates:*
The northern front heated up today, though hasn’t yet been proclaimed war. Hezbollah took credit for 19 points of attack over Thursday. Sirens warning of missile fire rang as far as Tzfat and Meron. Four rockets hit Kiryat Shemona, causing damage and fire—a 34-year-old man is suffering from shrapnel injuries with his condition classified as moderate, a 41-year-old man suffers from burns and his condition is now described as serious.
The IDF air-force struck multiple Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon, in response to missiles fired.
Several Lebanese politicians, particularly from the party in opposition to Hezbollah, have spoken out against Hezbollah’s actions drawing the country into war. The head of the Lebanese Forces party, Samir Jaja, sends a warning: “Hezbollah will commit a great crime if it brings Lebanon into the war, it must withdraw from southern Lebanon and entrust it to the Lebanese army.” Sami Al-Jamael, head of the “Al-Khataib” party in the Lebanese parliament, was interviewed by the LBC station and said “a decision of war in Lebanon is a hostage of an armed militia,” referring to Hezbollah.
On Thursday afternoon, ahead of Nasrallah’s Friday speech, Gantz threatened him, “He understands what will happen to Lebanon and his organization if he does things he shouldn’t do.”
According to U.S. intelligence, the Russian Wagner Group may be transferring air defense systems to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
*Additional War Fronts Updates*
Iranian militias in Iraq report that they attacked an Israeli target in the Dead Sea early Thursday morning. Nobody in Israel saw any such thing.
On Thursday afternoon, the Jordanian army announced that it had intercepted a drone that entered the territory of the kingdom from the direction of Syria.
*Judea and Samaria Updates:*
Terrorists in northern Samaria shot and killed Elhanan Klein – a father of three, as he was driving in the area.
The IDF is continuing with nightly raids and arrests of people involved in terrorism, with heavy focus in Jenin. Over 700 Hamas-affiliated terrorists have been arrested in Judea and Samaria since October 7th.
Over Wednesday night, the police and the Shin Bet foiled a combined attack planned against the security forces, and uncovered an explosives laboratory inside an apartment in the Shoafat neighborhood.
Security prisoners (aka terrorists and their supporters) in IDF prisons will no longer be able to receive funds from the Palestinian Authority for use in the prison canteens, according to directions from the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gabir.
*International Updates:*
Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris clarified that “we will not impose any conditions on Israel for the support we give it to defend itself.” According to her, “We will continue to stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself, and let’s be clear – and we will never forget what happened on October 7 – when 1,400 innocent people were massacred, including young people who were simply participating in the festival.”
The Foreign Minister of Germany, Nancy Passer, announced on Thursday that any activity related to Hamas will be banned throughout Germany. In addition, Fazer announced that the Smidon organization, which is related to the terrorist organization “The Popular Front”, will be completely banned in the country.
*General Updates:*
The political and security cabinet debated the issue of transferring funds to the Palestinian Authority (PA). The funds are taxes paid by PA citizens, which the IDF gathers for them. It was decided that Israel will transfer the funds to them, but minus the amount that is paid to terrorists and their families, and Hamas. The IDF is clearly making an effort to keep the PA out of this war, and not have them encourage riots inside Israel.
The cabinet also announced that “Israel is cutting off all contact with Gaza. There will be no more workers from Gaza, and the workers who were in Israel on the day the war broke out will be returned to the Strip.”
The new US ambassador to Israel, Jack Lowe, will present his credentials to Israel’s President Yitzhak Herzog, as early as this Sunday. Due to the special circumstances, Lowe has already arrived in Israel, and immediately began to fulfill the role, with the aim of helping the war effort.
According to the data of the Ministry of Labor, about 760,000 people are unable to work due to either reserve duty, being residents of the Gaza border communities who were evacuated, or being home with small children who don’t have school. This adds up to about 18% of the workforce.
Missile attack in Kiryat Shmona.
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