241 confirmed kidnapped.
5 hostages freed.
1,400+ Israelis murdered.
5,431 injured.
8,500+ rockets fired at Israel.
500,000+ Israelis displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.
*Hostage & Injured Updates:*
Gal Hirsch, Head of the Abductees and Missing Persons, met with the families of the captives and said that the headquarters is “working around the clock with the best minds to bring everyone home.”
*Gaza Front Updates:*
Rocket and missile fire continued at a steady but slightly decreased rate from the usual. A huge barrage was fired towards the Tel Aviv area, with no injuries, thank God. A direct hit on a home was reported in Sderot, with no injuries. Hamas fired a missile towards Eilat, it was intercepted over the Arava, north of Eilat, by the Arrow defense system—this was only the second time the Arrow is used in this war.
Four IDF soldiers were killed in the battle in the northern Gaza Strip over Shabbat:
– Major Yehuda Natan Cohen, 25 years old from Shdomt Mahola, a company commander in the Givati patrol.
– Sergeant Gilad Nehemiah Nitzan, 21 years old from Shiloh, a fighter in the Givati patrol.
– Sergeant Yondav Raz Levinstein, 23 years old from Eilat, a fighter in the Givati patrol.
– Major Lior Arzi, 25 years old from Givat Haim Ihud, combat paramedic in the Sheldag unit.
The IDF is continuing the ground incursion with more force on ground, and with assistance from the air-force for surveillance and elimination of terrorists and targets from above. Over Shabbat, the forces took control of several Hamas military outposts that contained, among other things, intelligence and military equipment. In one of the outposts, the forces encountered many terrorists who came out of the tunnels. During the day, the IDF attacked about 120 targets in the Gaza Strip.
IDF engineering forces broke through the frontlines, cleared areas of explosive devices, and thwarted terrorist infrastructures and terrorist cells found in the area. They also located and destroyed combat compounds that were used to plan and carry out terrorist operations.
The biggest challenge for IDF soldiers at the moment seems to be in dealing with terrorists who come out of tunnel shafts with RPGs. There is also the issue of Hamas terrorists hiding in and under the Sheva hospital. On Friday the IDF had intelligence about terrorists using an ambulance to travel to and from a combat zone. The IDF attacked the ambulance en route, and eliminated multiple Hamas terrorists inside.
Defense Minister Yoav Galant said, “There are [IDF] fighters here who are determined to do everything until the IDF wins and completes the mission. We are also ready for a year of fighting. Fighters come to me and tell me ‘we will fight until the last moment. This determination characterizes the entire public in Israel. We completed the encirclement of Gaza…. One last thing I can say to the citizens – at the end of the war there will be no more Hamas in Gaza. We will reach Yahya Sinwar [the head of Hamas] and eliminate him.”
On Friday morning an IDF spokesman in Arabic called on the residents of Gaza to evacuate once more, and informed them that Israel will allow southbound traffic on the Salah al-Din road today, between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Hamas in turn bombed and shot at forces who tried to set up the humanitarian corridor, and many Gaza civilians who tried to cross it. Videos shared by Arabs on social media show many Gaza victims of Hamas laying in the streets of the evacuation route.
A senior Hamas official in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, said that the leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh visited Tehran a few days ago, and met with the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
*Northern Front Updates:*
The north saw only a slight escalation after Nasrallah’s much hyped speech, which fell flat. In his speech, Nasrallah claimed he hadn’t been aware of Hamas’s October 7th plans, but that it’s a holy war and the Arab world must support them. He didn’t outright declare war, but did celebrate it.
Defense Minister Galant responded in his daily announcement by saying, “if Nasrallah drags Hezbollah into war, he will spell the fate of Lebanon.” Hezbollah has already fired at least 100 rockets and missiles into Israel, and attempted to send dozens of terrorist squads. While we know that the IDF doesn’t yet want to open another war front in the north, it’s unclear where the line is drawn.
Hezbollah fired dozens of missiles into the far north of Israel, including at two IDF bases with a heavy “burkan” missile. The IDF intercepted almost all the missiles, except two which landed with no damage or casualties. The IDF returned fire with extensive attacks on Hezbollah positions and ammunition depots in Lebanon.
Al-Akhbar, a Lebanese newspaper which is affiliated with Hezbollah, reported that over a million square meters caught fire in southern Lebanon as a result of the Israeli attacks in the area.
*Additional War Fronts Updates*
On Shabbat morning, sirens were again triggered in Eilat, the southernmost tip of Israel. The IDF spokesperson announced that the siren was triggered after IDF systems detected a suspicious target approaching the territory of the State of Israel. After closer investigation, it was declared a false alarm. Residents of Eilat are skeptical about it being a false alarm, and report hearing a loud explosion (we were there for Shabbat – my husband and kids heard it). Eilat is a tourism hotspot, and currently hosting upwards of 15,000 families who were evacuated from the Gaza border communities. It is in Israel’s interests to keep it calm and serene.
Later, on Saturday night, there were reports that the Saudis intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis in Yemen towards Israel, while it was over Northern Saudi Arabia.
The Iraqi resistance took responsibility for a rocket attack on the US military base in the al-Shadadi oil field, eastern Syria, on Friday morning. This is the 34th attack on American targets in Iraq and Syria.
*Judea and Samaria Updates:*
The security forces arrested 15 wanted persons throughout Palestinian Authority areas in Judea and Samaria on Friday night, and seized many weapons and ammunition. Since the beginning of the war, more than 1,300 wanted persons have been arrested throughout the sector, more than 800 of them associated with the Hamas terrorist organization.
During an IDF operation near Nabi Elias in the Ephraim Brigade on Shabbat, a shot was fired from a passing vehicle. The IDF responded by firing and the vehicle continued driving. An IDF soldier was slightly injured. The forces began a pursuit of the terrorists’ vehicle.
*International Updates:*
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken travelled to Amman to meet with representatives of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Palestinian Authority.
In his speech in Jordan, Blinken warned that “declaring a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas will not only endanger the failure to eradicate Hamas, but will also allow them to regroup in order to try to attack Israel again.”
Despite Blinken’s words, King Abdullah of Jordan again called for a ceasefire in his meeting with Blinken.
Turkey recalled their ambassador to Israel for “review.” The embassy staff remain in Israel, and President Edrogen clarified that Turkey “will not sever ties with Israel.”
*General Updates:*
Several schools in the mid “yellow” zones are set to open on Sunday for the first time in six weeks. This is at the recommendation of child psychologists that the risk of keeping children home for so long outweighs the risk of having them in school under fire. The schools will be taking many security measures, including daily bomb drills, limited class sizes, and shorter hours. Only students and teachers will be allowed to enter school gates—no one else, not even parents. The gates will be open to students only for a few minutes at open and closing hours, and Homefront Command soldiers will keep patrol around the schools.
Above: IDF forces operating in Gaza, and right, at the Western Wall
©2023 B. Efune